Soderblom, Young Blueliners Lead Blackhawks to Victory Over Bruins

The Chicago Blackhawks needed a big response after Sunday’s worst effort of the season against the Pittsburgh Penguins. The player-only postgame meeting worked as the Blackhawks used a third-period scoring outburst to beat the Boston Bruins 5-2.

The Bruins scored the only goal of the first period. David Pastrnak got away with tripping Philipp Kurashev, then headed to the front of the net, where Elias Lindholm’s shot grazed off his back on its way past Arvid Soderblom. While Kurashev was tripped, he still made the wrong decision by trying to cut around Pastrnak. He had Alex Vlasic in the corner for a safe outlet pass. I don’t think that play would have ended differently if he wasn’t tripped.

Captain Nick Foligno tied the game midway through the second period. After forcing a turnover at his blue line, he raced down the ice and beat Jeremy Swayman to the far post for his 13^th goal of the season.

The stars aligned for Ryan Donato early in the third period. He turned 29 yesterday and was playing in his hometown against the team that drafted him, so what better time to score his 30^th goal of the season? Sam Rinzel entered the zone and showed great patience before putting the puck on the net. Kurashev swiped the rebound across the crease, where Donato tapped it in for his first 30-goal season.

Tyler Bertuzzi doubled the Blackhawks lead 67 seconds later by pouncing on a loose puck in the slot and firing home his 22^nd goal of the season. Kevin Korchinski capped off a three-goal spurt in 1:33 by roofing a shot over Swayman’s glove hand for his first goal and point in the NHL this season.

Connor Geekie cut the deficit to two by taking advantage of a defensive miscommunication between Bertuzzi and Korchinski. However, that was as close as Boston would get as Foligno iced the game with a shorthanded empty-net goal in the final minute. The Blackhawks had four shots on goal in the third period and scored on all of them.

The Response That Was Expected

The Blackhawks had an extended team meeting after Tuesday’s pitiful loss in Pittsburgh. The veterans in the locker room felt they had to remind all the young players about what it takes to play in the NHL every night. Whatever was said among the players worked.

“We had some conversations about it,” interim head coach Anders Sorensen said. “We all saw it. The first period was really good, and the wheels came off in the second and third players. We all know the reasons why. We have to clean those areas up.”

It wasn’t just losing 5-0 on Tuesday that was bothersome; it was the lack of attention to detail. The Blackhawks had seven hits, eight blocked shots, and 32 giveaways against the Penguins. They had 19 hits, 11 blocked shots, and cut the giveaways to 14 tonight. They played a simpler game and did the little things, like winning more one-on-one battles.

“That’s what our team is capable of doing,” Foligno said after the game. “There’s skill on this team, and guys can put the puck in the net. But you’ve got to give yourself the opportunity to do it. And some nights, it doesn’t come in bunches; it comes sporadically. And you’ve got to be smart to keep the lead in the game.”

Arvid Soderblom Steals the Show

When dressing six defensemen 23 years old or younger, you need a big performance from your goaltender. The Blackhawks got that from Soderblom, who made 31 saves to earn his ninth victory of the season.

The game was won in the second period when Soderblom stopped all 12 shots he faced. The Bruins produced 11 scoring chances during the frame, but the Blackhawks netminder was up to the task. His biggest save came when he robbed Fabian Lysell of his first NHL goal with a sliding pad save.

“We played a solid game,” said Soderblom. “We were working hard and competing. We were pretty strong around both nets. Maybe we gave up a little too much, but we were there on the second chances by taking away rebounds and sticks. You get rewarded and win games when you compete.”

Soderblom has been one of the biggest surprises of the season. However, he hasn’t played much since Spencer Knight was acquired on March 1. His production has dipped a bit, as this was only his fourth game with a save percentage over .900 in his last 13 starts. He was awarded with the tool belt for his effort tonight. Well deserved!

Odds & Ends

• Connor Bedard made the nice feed to set up Korchinski’s third-period goal. It was his 80^th career assist, tying him with Eddie Olcyzk for the most in franchise history by a teenager. His line with Oliver Moore and Ilya Mikheyev was even at 5v5 possession, with a 50 CF%. They outscored the Bruins 1-0, outshot them 6-4, and had a 4-3 advantage in scoring chances.
• The story heading into the game was about the lack of experience on the blue line, with Connor Murphy and Wyatt Kaiser out due to illness. Alex Vlasic entered the night with 175 NHL games under his belt, while the other five defensemen combined for 188. So, how did they do? They combined for a goal, two assists, seven shots on goal, 11 shot attempts, nine hits, and six blocked shots. Rinzel played a game-high 24:55, while Artyom Levshunov led the team with four shots on goal.
• The Blackhawks are 0-for-14 on the power play over the last seven games. Tonight was another struggle, as just getting the puck in the zone and setting up has been a chore.
• It was announced on the CHSN broadcast tonight that Pat Maroon will play in his final NHL game against the Winnipeg Jets on Saturday. He will not make the final road trip to Montreal and Ottawa next week. Keep in mind that his wife’s due date is in a few days, which likely has a lot to do with this decision. One more chance for that Michigan goal, Big Rig!