Joel Blomqvist Fantasy Stats

Pittsburgh Penguins goaltender Joel Blomqvist stopped 32 of the 34 shots he faced en route to defeating the Washington Capitals. After the Penguins gave the netminder a two goal lead, the Capitals would go one to score two straight courtesy of Rasmus Sandin and Andrew Mangiapane. However, Blomqvist was able to keep Washington off the scoresheet in the final frame which set up Evgeni Malkin to score the game-winner. The 22-year-old has begun to operate as the clear No.2 option as Alex Nedeljkovic has started each of the past four games prior to Friday. However, during this stretch, Nedeljkovic held a 2.43 GAA and a .892 SV% which could open the door for Blomqvist to see more starts while Tristan Jarry remains in the AHL on a conditioning stint.

Pittsburgh Penguins rookie goaltender Joel Blomqvist stopped 46 out of the 50 shots he faced on Friday evening in their loss to the Edmonton Oilers. The Oilers dominated play all evening and kept the 22-year-old netminder quite busy. Leon Draisaitl was able to break free in the second period and scored the eventual game-winner. With Tristian Jarry's early season struggles, Joel Blomqvist has remained on the NHL roster and has continued to impress. Through his first five games (four starts) Blomqvist holds a .911 SV% and 3.34 GAA, playing behind one of the worst defensive units in the sport. Fantasy managers in deeper leagues should consider adding the former second-round pick as he may continue to remain on the NHL roster throughout the early part of the season.