New York. A new Swedish goalie star introduced himself to the NHL last night.
Arvid Söderblom had his best game on North American soil and led Chicago to an unexpected 4-1 victory with 36 saves.
– He was really outstanding, says coach Luke Richardson.
Linus Ullmark, Filip Gustafsson, Jacob Markstrom and Anton Forsberg are the NHL’s blue-and-yellow guards who shared headlines last year.
But in Chicago there’s also Arvid Söderblom – and in Toronto last night he made it clear that he too deserves attention.
The 24-year-old from Gothenburg — the older brother of Elmer Soderblom in the Detroit Red Wings organization — played admirably, hitting 36 of 37 shots and leading the Blackhawks to a much-deserved 4-1 win over the Leafs’ offense earlier in the season. Regular season.
– Yes, Arvid was really outstanding, and he speaks highly of coach Luke Richardson.
– Especially at the end. It’s a dangerous team, Toronto, they have a lot of big players pressing, but Arvid is also big and very strong in the posts. He really stood up for us.
He particularly impressed when he saved one effort with the tip of his left foot, when John Tavares was well placed to reduce the deficit in the final minutes.
– It was undoubtedly an important rescue operation. It’s hard to say if this is my best, but it came at the right time, as Arvid himself says.
William Nylander assisted the home team’s only goal, bringing his tally to six points and tied for first in league scoring.
