TAKEAWAYS: Soderblom Stands Out in Blackhawks 4-1 Win

In the final minute of the contest, Arvid Soderblom remained solid in between the pipes to keep the Toronto Maple Leafs from capitalizing in a 6-on-5 situation. With an empty net goal from Taylor Raddysh, the Blackhawks earned their second victory of the season after they defeated the Maple Leafs, 4-1.

The netminder felt tonight’s performance was one of his strongest matchups over his last few starts. However, he knew he couldn’t do it without the help of the team. 

“I think we played a great team game today,” Soderblom said. “So, the boys made it easy for me to step up there and then with a couple of big saves but overall, we made a huge effort tonight with great team effort and awesome kills. It was a fun game.”

Soderblom made 34 saves off 35 shots to secure the first win of the season. 

Head coach Luke Richardson celebrated the goaltender with his ability to withstand the bigger bodies of Toronto’s offense. But with the 6-foot-3 Soderblom in net, he stood out on top to keep the Blackhawks in the game.

“[Soderblom] tonight was remarkable, especially at the end of the game,” Richardson said. “That's a dangerous team down low with big bodies, but he's a big body and he's very solid on the post, so came up really big for us.” 

MacKenzie Entwistle, who opened the scoring for the Blackhawks, noted the team’s ability to stick together throughout the tilt and maintain the high energy with their linemates. 

While Chicago held the lead at 3-1 going into the third, Entwistle was impressed with the way the team maintained the lead against the Maple Leafs’ offensive powerhouse. 

“It's tough to go out there into the third when you're up by two, especially against an offensive team like that where they have a ton of offensive power to create every single shift,” Entwistle said. 

After the team’s loss against Montreal on Saturday, Richardson stated that the team stuck through their plan, especially on the team’s power play unit, where Tyler Johnson produced the team’s first power play goal of the season. 

“I thought it was a complete game tonight [for a full] 60 minutes,” Richardson said. “That's what we challenged the guys for. That's what we needed against a team like that and, it was a great effort.”