The Pittsburgh Penguins need Joel Blomqvist.

After all, established backup goaltender Alex Nedeljkovic opened the 2024-25 season on injured reserve due to an undisclosed ailment and someone has to be the backup.

But they really needed him Thursday.

Making his NHL debut, Blomqvist made 29 saves on 32 shots and steered the Penguins to a 6-3 victory against the Detroit Red Wings at Little Caesars Arena in Detroit. The triumph came one night after the Penguins were blasted in their season opener, a 6-0 home loss to the New York Rangers.

An All-Star in the American Hockey League last season, the 22-year-old Blomqvist stopped 12 shots in the first period alone and put his team in a position to emerge with a victory.

With the Penguins’ schedule loaded with road games throughout October, Blomqvist figures to get a fair amount of work in Nedeljkovic’s absence, regardless of how starter Tristan Jarry performs.

“When you look at the schedule, especially off the get-go, we’re going to play eight games in 13 nights (and) we’re going to play 10 games in 18 nights to start the season,” coach Mike Sullivan said Tuesday in Cranberry. “So, it’s going to require two goaltenders just from a workload standpoint. We start the season (Wednesday) night (and) we play back-to-back right away. The reality is, is that that’s going to require two goaltenders to set them up for success.

“We believe that (Blomqvist) is a guy that can help us win games. He had a real strong (training) camp. … This guy is a quality goaltender. We know if we put him in the net, he’s going to give us a chance to win.”

Blomqvist’s debut came in the wake of a busy preseason for him in which he appeared in four games and went 2-1-0.

“It helped to get a few (preseason) games before,” Blomqvist said to media in Detroit via audio provided by the team. “I kind of felt a little bit comfortable.”

The Red Wings, in their season opener, struck first when former Erie Otters forward Alex DeBrincat scored 3:46 into regulation.

After Red Wings forward Lucas Raymond gained the offensive zone on the right wing, he slid a clever seam pass to the left faceoff dot where DeBrincat leaned down and swatted a one-timer over Blomqvist’s right shoulder on the near side. Raymond and linemate Dylan Larkin had assists.

Per the team’s social media, the Penguins reconfigured their top two lines and those alterations paid off when forward Anthony Beauvillier scored the squad’s first goal of the season at 15:02 of the first period.

Settling a loose puck in Detroit’s right corner, Sidney Crosby worked his way past Red Wings forward Andrew Copp and forced a pass from low in the right circle to the crease where Red Wings defenseman Erik Gustafsson poke-checked the puck to the left side of the cage. Beauvillier collected the puck and flicked a wrister into the left leg of goaltender Ville Husso, causing it to carom into the cage before Red Wings defenseman Ben Chiarot could clear it away.

Beauvillier was credited with his first goal as a member of the Penguins off assists from Crosby and forward Jesse Puljujarvi.

The Penguins took their first lead 2:55 of the second period thanks to Beauvillier.

After Crosby beat Larkin on a faceoff in Detroit’s left circle, Penguins defenseman Marcus Pettersson collected the puck at the left point and slinked his way up the near wall before chucking a wrister on net. After Husso made a save, a rebound pinballed to the low slot where Beauvillier was able to fend off Red Wings defenseman Simon Edvisson and tap in a forehand shot that glanced off Husso’s left foot and slid into the cage. Pettersson and Crosby claimed assists.

“It’s a huge boost for (Beauvillier),” Sullivan said. “When you play with a player like Sid and you’re playing in the top-six (forwards) at any time, there’s pressure to play there. … Sid and (Beauviller) have established some chemistry.”

Forward Drew O’Connor, moved from the Penguins’ first line to the second line, made it a 3-1 contest only 58 seconds later.

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Making an aggressive entry into the offensive zone at the center point, Penguins forward Evgeni Malkin weaved between Gustafsson and Red Wings forward Patrick Kane to the left of the cage. Turning to his left, Malkin slipped a clever pass to the front of the crease where a charging O’Connor darted past former Penguins defenseman Olli Maatta and swept in a forehand shot by Husso’s left foot. Malkin and defenseman Erik Karlsson had assists.

Pettersson got in on the act with an unassisted goal at 5:28 of the second frame.

Settling a loose puck at the left point of the offensive zone, Pettersson took a moment to survey for a shooting lane and elevated a fluttering wrister that glanced off Husso’s glove side and found an avenue into the cage on the far side.

Per the Penguins’ radio broadcast, Husso was pulled in favor of Cam Talbot.

Red Wings forward Vladimir Tarasenko scored at 12:32 of the second period.

As a power-play opportunity for the hosts expired, Red Wings defenseman Moritz Seider fed a pass from the right point to the top of the left circle where Tarasenko considered his options. Using Pettersson as an inadvertent screen, Tarasenko sniped a wrister by Blomqvist’s glove on the far side. Seider and DeBrincat collected assists.

O’Connor appeared to score his second goal only 63 seconds later but a coach’s challenge by the Red Wings nullified it. The challenge was made on the basis of a missed hand pass.

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The Penguins’ highly scrutinized power play converted for the first time this season 1:42 into the third period when Karlsson found the back of the net.

Controlling play at the center point, Penguins defenseman Kris Letang offloaded the puck to the left circle where Karlsson gripped and ripped a wrister. Replays appeared to show the puck hitting off the right leg of Seider and deflecting by Talbot’s blocker on the near side. Letang and Malkin had assists. For Malkin, it was his 800th career assist.

DeBrincat struck again at 8:13 of the third period on a five-on-three power-play sequence.

Settling a pinballing puck in the Penguins’ left circle, Raymond fed a pass to the high slot where Gustafsson hammered a one-timer. Blomqvist kicked out his right leg to make a save but allowed a rebound to the left of the crease where DeBrincat set up a shot and chopped in a forehand shot by the right foot of a scrambling Blomqvist. Gustafsson and Raymond registered rebounds.

Forward Kevin Hayes capped the scoring with his first goal as a member of the Penguins at 12:21 of the final frame.

Winning a puck battle in Detroit’s right corner against Edvidsson, Penguins forward Cody Glass slipped a small-area backhand pass to the right dot for Hayes who lifted a wrister over Talbot’s glove on the near side. Glass garnered the only assist.

Notes:

• Blomqvist became the 18th player to wear No. 30 for the franchise. His predecessors:

Les Binkley, Marv Edwards, Cam Newton, Andy Brown, Gary Inness, Bob Taylor, Gordon Laxton, Paul Gardner, Kim Davis, Gary Edwards, Roberto Romano, Steve Guenette. Alain Chevrier, Philip DeRouville, Jean-Sebastian Aubin, Dany Sabourin, Matt Murray

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• Oddly enough, Blomqvist was selected with the second-round selection (No. 52 overall) in the 2020 NHL draft that the Penguins acquired when Murray was traded to the Ottawa Senators that same year.

• Blomqvist is the second Finnish goaltender in franchise history. The first was Antti Niemi.

• Pettersson (125 points) moved past forward Gregg Sheppard (123) for 74th place on the franchise’s career scoring list.

• Beauvillier became the 570th player to score a regular season goal for the franchise.

• Hayes became the 571st player to score a regular season goal for the franchise.

• Malkin now has 45 career points (18 goals, 27 assists) in 31 games against the Red Wings.

• Crosby now has 46 career points (18 goals, 28 assists) in 36 games against the Red Wings.

• DeBrincat now has 16 career points (seven goals, nine assists) in 14 career games against the Penguins.

• Former Penguins defenseman Jeff Petry did not record a shift after 13:35 of the second period.

• Penguins forward Valtteri Puustinen and defenseman Ryan Shea were healthy scratches.

Seth Rorabaugh is a TribLive reporter covering the Pittsburgh Penguins. A North Huntingdon native, he joined the Trib in 2019 and has covered the Penguins since 2007. He can be reached at srorabaugh@triblive.com.

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