The Chicago Blackhawks needed Arvid Soderblom to play well on Sunday night, and he did.
On Sunday night, the Chicago Blackhawks defeated the very talented Vegas Golden Knights at the United Center. This win made it three in a row for Chicago, all against teams that currently hold playoff positions.
Sunday's win came in the second half of a back-to-back situation. These have not been kind for Chicago, as the previous four such games have all been losses by three goals or more.
Part of finding success this time around was getting outstanding goaltending. After seeing Spencer Knight shut down the Washington Capitals on Saturday night, Arvid Soderblom was called on to face Vegas.
He only faced 17 shots, which means the Blackhawks mostly played well in front of him, but he only allowed two goals and preserved the much-needed victory.
After the game, when asked about helping his team overcome these types of unfavorable games, Soderblom spoke about being involved in the game early when the team might still be trying to find its legs.
"To be ready from the get-go is a huge thing," Soderblom said. "Usually, when you're coming off a back-to-back, it takes a minute or two for the team to get into the game. So we'll be ready for a big chance right away. I think they had one there today, and I made the save, so that was the key."
It's always important for the goalie to get into the game early, especially when he may be facing some tough chances early due to the heavy legs of his team on a back-to-back.
Soderblom has had an up-and-down year as Chicago's backup, but his play is on an upward trajectory again. There are plenty more games where his name will be called, so it's good for him to have a win like this in his back pocket. His confidence seems to be all the way back.
"He went through a little bit of a rough stretch where it wasn't going his way," head coach Jeff Blashill said of Soderblom. "That was probably our team's fault to start."
Blashill also took some blame for leaving him in the Buffalo game, where they were beaten badly, which hurt Soderblom's confidence a little bit.
"He's had to grind his way back up," Blashill continued. "It speaks to his mental toughness and how important mental toughness is, especially at that position. He's a really even-keeled person."
Chicago has two good goaltenders whom they trust. The team in front of them has great moments and lackluster ones as well. At the end of the day, the goalie is there to make saves. Soderblom did just that in their win over the Golden Knights on Sunday. The team needed that victory for a variety of reasons, and Soderblom stepped up in a big way.
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