Blackhawks' improved defense helps Arvid Soderblom earn long-awaited win in Seattle

SEATTLE — Climate Pledge Arena has been a torturous place in the past for Blackhawks goalie Arvid Soderblom, who had allowed 17 goals in his previous three starts within the largely subterranean building.

Soderblom finally overcame that curse Saturday, backstopping the Hawks to a 4-2 win over the Kraken. It marked the franchise's second-ever victory in Seattle and their first since their first-ever visit back in 2021.

It also likely squashed the Kraken's playoff hopes for good, in addition to snapping the Hawks' five-game losing streak.

"It feels good to finally get one here," Soderblom said. "We know we're a skilled team, so the goals are going to come, but today we focused on the defensive side."

A fabulous second-period save on Bobby McMann highlighted Soderblom's 25-save night. His overall numbers this season remain subpar, but he has been an above-league-average goalie since mid-January (with a .902 save percentage during that span).

"Honestly, I haven't looked at the numbers for how many years," he said. "But yeah, since Olympic break maybe, I feel like for me personally, it's been a step in the right direction."

The Hawks' defense gave Soderblom more help than usual Saturday, too.

Coach Jeff Blashill flipped the top two pairings to put Louis Crevier with Wyatt Kaiser, whom Blashill praised as the Hawks' best defenseman lately. That duo will take on the toughest matchups moving forward.

The third pair of youngsters Kevin Korchinski and Ethan Del Mastro had an impressive night, too. Korchinski tallied his second NHL point of the season with an assist on Sacha Boisvert's first NHL goal in the third period, which turned out to be the game-winner.

"[Korchinski is] not over-complicating it," Blashill said. "He's using his feet to beat pressure, then he's moving the puck to the open people. When he does that and defends with his feet, he's been a good player."

Although Korchinski has a long way to go to realize his potential, he may at least be progressing out of liability territory.

"He's been playing really good defensively, [and] he's been making some really nice breakout passes," Alex Vlasic said. "I'm really happy for him. He seems like he's feeling a lot more comfortable."