Despite the outcome, Arvid Soderblom was solid in his first NHL start making 37 saves on 41 shots. Except for the last one, he can't be faulted for the other goals against as his teammates left him out to dry. He made several stellar stops including a save on Dillon Dube's penalty shot.
After Alex DeBrincat got the Blackhawks on the board first, the Flames scored 5 unanswered goals including one each on the power play, on the penalty kill, and with an empty net. Johnny Gaudreau and Matthew Tkachuk were a handful all night with 2 goals, 3 assists, and 10 shots on goal.
Congrats to goalie Arvid Soderblom on his NHL debut last night and becoming the 103rd IceHogs alumni to skate with the #Blackhawks! He earns his first NHL start tonight vs. Calgary at the United Center! https://t.co/Zp25aIxzgf pic.twitter.com/6NAyPdhOdV
— Rockford IceHogs (@goicehogs) January 2, 2022
Blackhawks Game Summary
💔 pic.twitter.com/bK6vJB4fq1
— Chicago Blackhawks (@NHLBlackhawks) January 3, 2022
DeBrincat - Borgstrom - Kane Hagel - Toews - Strome Kubalik - Dach - Kurashev Khaira - Slavin - Gabriel
de Haan - S Jones McCabe - Murphy C Jones - Gustafsson
Soderblom Fleury
Scratches: Carpenter, Stillman
Scoring Recap
1st Goal (1-0): DeBrincat (Kane, Borgstrom) 2nd Goal (1-1): Tkachuk (Gaudreau, Hanifin) 3rd Goal (1-2): Lindholm (Monahan, Gaudreau) PP 4th Goal (1-3): Lewis (Coleman, Andersson) SH 5th Goal (1-4): Kylington (Lucic) EN 6th Goal (1-5): Gaudreau (Tkachuk, Backlund)
SOG For/Against: 31/42 PP: 0-for-3 PK: 2-for-3 Faceoffs Won: 39%
FINAL: Flames 5, #Blackhawks 1
— Charlie Roumeliotis (@CRoumeliotis) January 3, 2022
Shot attempts: 70-56 CGY
Shots on goal: 42-31 CGY
5-on-5 scoring chances: 30-16 CGY
5-on-5 high danger chances: 9-4 CGY pic.twitter.com/oN0bLrydHs
* On the 1st goal allowed, Patrick Kane and Alex DeBrincat again -- like last night -- were caught puck watching as Tkachuk snuck in behind them to cash in.
* On the 2nd goal allowed, Seth Jones did nothing to gain inside positioning on or impede Tkachuk in any way who was given a free pass to screen Soderblom.
* On the 3rd goal allowed, Kane gave up on covering Trevor Lewis to instead pursue the puck carrier who was already covered by Erik Gustafsson.
* On the last goal allowed, Gaudreau simply sent a laser top shelf over Soderblom's right shoulder with a sniper's tally.
* Compared to Saturday's match against the Predators, the Hawks exerted a better defensive effort during at least the first half of the game; even if gaffes were made, they recovered quickly rather than let mishaps snowball.
* Like top goalie prospect Drew Commesso, Soderblom exhibited how he is able to stay compact in his crease and not panic which leads to little to no scrambling and swift recoveries.
* Caleb Jones made some heads-up defensive plays hustling back on the backcheck and pushing himself to the limit to thwart rushes and attempts.
* Henrik Borgstrom turned in arguably his best game of the season making plays with his long reach, nose for the puck, and quiet compete level; he now has a 3-game point streak (1 goal, 2 assists).
* Typically known for his hits, former Blackhawks defenseman Nikita Zadorov registered none for the game while teammate Tyler Pitlick racked up 9.
Highlights
Goal by Alex DeBrincat
The Cat strikes first 😺 pic.twitter.com/zEhrlEThqw
— Chicago Blackhawks (@NHLBlackhawks) January 3, 2022
Roster Updates
MEDICAL UPDATE: The #Blackhawks have activated goaltender Marc-Andre Fleury (COVID-19 protocol) and assigned him to the active roster. pic.twitter.com/szHDjnpT1g
— Chicago Blackhawks (@NHLBlackhawks) January 2, 2022
With Delia in the AHL, expect Cale Morris to rejoin him by the 7th as the IceHogs have their first game of 2022 versus the Chicago Wolves. Morris is still on the taxi squad so for now the Hogs tandem is Delia and Tom Aubrun. Hopefully Kevin Lankinen exits COVID protocol soon to aid depth.
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IceHogs Updates
AHL SEASON EXTENSION: Hammy saw his shadow and we get six more days of hockey!
— Rockford IceHogs (@goicehogs) January 2, 2022
AHL Board of Governors has approved the extension of the 2021-22 calendar by six days. https://t.co/aqaDIj456q
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See you on the boards!