Joel Blomqvist will be only the second Finnish goalie to play for the Pittsburgh Penguins.

Finnish-born netminder Joel Blomqvist will be between the pipes when the Pittsburgh Penguins take the ice at Little Caesars Arena in Detroit to play the Red Wings tonight. 

Blomqvist will become only the second Finnish goalie to play and start for the Penguins, following Antti Niemi, who played three games in 2017-18. 

In the season opener, Tristan Jarry surrendered six goals in a defeat to the New York Rangers and will serve as the backup tonight since Alex Nedeljkovic is on LTIR, paving the way for Blomqvist to earn the Thursday night start.

If the Penguins win, the Uusikaarlepyy, Finland native will achieve something Niemi never did: win a game since he was 0-3-0 in his Pittsburgh career.

Only Swedish netminders Johan Hedberg and Magnus Hellberg have played for the Penguins and come from a Nordic country besides Niemi, meaning Blomqvist will be the fourth member of this exclusive club. 

The 22-year-old has played 47 games in the AHL over the past three seasons, compiling a 25-14-6 record with a .919 SV% and 2.20 GAA. 

Bookmark THN's Pittsburgh Penguins site for the latest news, exclusive interviews, breakdowns, and more.