There was a time when there was a clamor for Joel Blomqvist to make the Pittsburgh Penguins roster this season and serve as the backup goaltender despite begin a rookie.
Now, that might well happen, at least for the start of the season.
With the news Wednesday that veteran Alex Nedeljkovic is going to be out week-to-week because of an injury, Blomqvist could well become half of a tandem with Tristan Jarry.
The Penguins open the regular season in one week.
It’s probably a good thing, then, that Blomqvist got past a poor performance in the Penguins’ preseason opener Sept. 21 against Buffalo, getting pulled when he allowed five goals in the second period of a game he had been penciled in to play all 60 minutes. Monday, Blomqvist replaced the injured Nedeljkovic in the first period and sparkled, stopping 22 of 23 shots.
“How he reacted to his first game has been impressive,” Penguins coach Mike Sullivan said. “As a young player when it doesn’t go the way you want, sometimes that could affect your overall confidence, and in turn affect your future performance. And that hasn’t been the case. He put it behind him, went back to work. … He went back in the net and did a terrific job. I think that says a lot about his maturity. I think that says a lot about his resilience.”
Blomqvist, 22, a second-round draft pick in 2022, attended training camp a year ago and then played his first full season with Wilkes-Barre/Scranton of the American Hockey League. He was 25-12-6 with a 2.16 goals-against average and a .921 save percentage.
After Nedeljkovic replaced Jarry as the No. 1 goalie down the stretch last season and with Nedeljkovic facing free agency before he re-signed, there was some speculation that Blomqvist would be one of the top two goalies at the NHL level this season.
At least for the short term, that could now happen.
“It’s unfortunate every time a teammate gets injured, but that’s a time when opportunity comes up for other guys,” Blomqvist said. “Take it day by day and do my best if the opportunity comes.
“I feel like my game’s getting better all the time, each day. I’m having the opportunity to practice with NHL guys, so it’s a lot of fun, and I feel like I improve every day.”
Blomqvist has soaked up some knowledge from watching Jarry and Nedeljkovic.
“They’re really patient off the ice. It’s something I’ve noticed,” he said. “It’s (a learning experience) to see veterans practice.”
Jarry, asked about possibly serving as a mentor to Blomqvist, turned the table and offered a strong compliment.
“I think we can both learn off each other,” Jarry said. “He’s a great goalie and he plays very well. I like the way that he plays. He plays very compact, and he plays within his skill set. That’s something we can all learn from. He’s very good at what he does. I’m learning just as much as he’s learning from me.”
Still, Jarry and Blomqvist lack the type of relationship Jarry has with Nedeljkovic.
“Obviously, Ned and I have a great connection. We’re able to talk to each other. We’re able to work through problems,” Jarry said. “So I think that’s going to be a bit of learning with Joel.
“Obviously, Joel and I haven’t been together very much. … But Ned and I have built that connection over the days here and being together every day. I think it’s something that Joel and I will have to work on.”
