The Pittsburgh Penguins are turning to rookie goaltender Joel Blomqvist for their third game of the season Saturday in Toronto vs. the Maple Leafs.
Blomqvist, 22, impressed in his NHL debut Thursday at Detroit, making 32 saves on 35 shots vs. the Red Wings, helping the Penguins to a 6-3 victory.
Coach Mike Sullivan told reporters in Toronto that Blomqvist’s strong performance in Detroit factored into him getting the start for the second straight game.
“It had an impact, without a doubt,” Sullivan said. “We thought he played extremely well.”
By contrast, Tristan Jarry was shellacked in the opener against New York on Oct. 9, allowing six goals in a lopsided loss to the Rangers.
While only three games into the season, Jarry being supplanted early is notable, given Sullivan did not hesitate to ride with the hot hand last season, when backup goalie Alex Nedeljkovic started the club’s final 13 games of the year in a commendable but ultimately futile postseason push.
Blomqvist was initially expected to begin the season in Wilkes-Barre/Scranton of the American Hockey League but cracked the Penguins roster coming out of camp due to Nedeljkovic starting the year on injured reserve.
Per Sullivan, Nedeljkovic skated with the Penguins during their Saturday morning skate, but his injury status remains unchanged.
Blomqvist, an AHL All-Star last year, has a 3.01 goals-against average and .906 save percentage heading into his second NHL start.
“He’s a very good goalie,” Sullivan said. “He’s very athletic. He makes a lot of saves.”