The Chicago Blackhawks played their Northern California game on Thursday night. They visited the San Jose Sharks at the SAP Center and were defeated 3-2. San Jose had Halloween revenge on Chicago for beating them earlier this month at United Center.
Petr Mrazek played well in the net for Chicago in that game but they could not get the tying goal needed to force overtime. That was Mrazek’s fifth straight start for the Hawks.
With a back-to-back situation coming up for them, it was clear that they would have to make a decision on which game to use Mrazek. That decision has been made.
According to Ben Pope of the Chicago Sun-Times, Mrazek will make his sixth straight start on Saturday against the Los Angeles Kings. Arvid Soderblom is going to get the game on Sunday against the Anaheim Ducks.
Petr Mrazek will make his sixth consecutive Blackhawks start tomorrow vs. the Kings before Arvid Soderblom finally goes Sunday vs. the Ducks.
But Mrazek is quietly enjoying the huge workload: “You don’t even feel like you’re tired.”
New story: https://t.co/e5XLKDPZbg
— Ben Pope (@BenPopeCST) November 1, 2024
The Blackhawks are using their starter against the better team but six goalie starts in a row is a lot in today’s NHL. This is the approach that Luke Richardson and his staff believe they should take.
Mrazek is currently 3-6-0 with a 3.05 GAA and a .896 save percentage. Those aren’t great numbers but he doesn’t have great support in front of him. There hasn’t been a loss this season that you can pin on his goaltending.
Soderblom is 0-1-1 with a 2.52 goals against average and a .911 save percentage. He hasn’t won yet but his numbers are great through two games played.
It isn’t a large sample size but it is fair to wonder about his potential this year. It’s a bit surprising that he hasn’t gone at least once in the last few games. The early signs are that he’s worth using as a normal backup and possibly even more.
This set of back-to-back games is a great opportunity for both guys to get the job done. A coaching staff that can rely on two guys knows that they have a luxury in that area. For a developing Blackhawks team, high-end goaltending can go a long way.
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