Joel Blomqvist earns first NHL win as Penguins rebound with victory against Red Wings

DETROIT — Mike Sullivan had a simple message for Joel Blomqvist on Thursday.

The Penguins were coming off an ugly loss to the New York Rangers in their season opener and had to rely on their rookie goalie in the second half of a back-to-back, with two more tough road tests looming on the schedule in the coming days.

It would have been panic time back in Pittsburgh had they gotten rocked again.

But Sullivan didn’t want Blomqvist to put pressure on himself. He said he told him to just go out there for his NHL debut, be yourself and “embrace the moment.”

“We believe in him,” Sullivan said before the Penguins faced the Detroit Red Wings in their season opener. “And we believe he’s going to give us a chance to win.”

Blomqvist did exactly that — and more — in a 6-3 win at Little Caesars Arena. He earned his first career win after he helped the Penguins weather an early storm.

Newcomer Anthony Beauvillier scored twice as the Penguins chased Red Wings starter Ville Husso in the second period and then coasted to their first victory.

The Penguins could have easily fallen into a multi-goal hole for the second time in as many nights, but the rookie was superb in the first period to keep them in it.

It was a stark difference from Wednesday in Pittsburgh, when Tristan Jarry failed to provide the early saves they needed and that game quickly got out of hand.

Blomqvist’s first stop as an NHL netminder came about a minute in. It was a stick save on Vladimir Tarasenko, a four-time All-Star with nearly 300 career goals.

The Red Wings took a 1-0 lead 3:46 in when Alex DeBrincat bombed a one-timer over Blomqvist’s blocker. Erik Karlsson left DeBrincat unchecked on the play.

A few minutes later, Detroit looked poised to double up the lead on the power play. But Blomqvist singlehandedly killed a Lars Eller minor penalty. His best save came when he sprawled across the crease to deny Lucas Raymond at the backdoor.

The 22-year-old Finnish product made 12 saves in the opening period, including a sliding save on Tarasenko when the Red Wings came at him on a 3-on-2. The home team had five high-danger chances and three odd-man rushes, per Sportlogiq.

Blomqvist’s efforts gave the Penguins time to wake up and finally find their game.

With 4:58 left in the first period, Beauvillier tied up the score with his first tally in black and gold. The free-agent addition banked one in from below the goal line.

The Penguins took control in the second, pumping three more goals past Husso.

Beauvillier scored his second 2:55 into that period to give the Penguins their first lead of the season. Sidney Crosby won an offensive-zone draw, Marcus Pettersson put a shot on net and the feisty 5-foot-11 forward outworked big Detroit defender Simon Edvinsson to get the rebound. He beat Husso for his second of the night.

Drew O’Connor finished off a nice pass from Evgeni Malkin just 58 seconds later, then Pettersson chased Husso with a fluttering shot over the goaltender’s glove.

Husso made just 10 saves on 14 shots before Cam Talbot came in to replace him.

Tarasenko got the Red Wings back within 4-2 when he beat Blomqvist glove side.

But Karlsson scored a power-play goal early in the third period to put the game away. Kevin Hayes’ first goal with the Penguins provided more insurance late.

Blomqvist finished with 29 saves on 32 shots — and given how integral he was in the win, it’s fair to wonder if he has earned another start Saturday in Toronto.

Ice chips

— Karlsson’s power-play goal came on a simple shot from the left dot. The defenseman has mostly played on the left flank on the top unit so far. That was Pittsburgh’s first PPG of the season. To date, they have one goal on five opportunities.

— Malkin reached 800 career assists with a secondary helper on Karlsson’s goal.

— Detroit’s third goal came on a 5-on-3 power play in the third. DeBrincat got it.

— Thursday was the second straight game that a Penguins player made his NHL debut. Unlike Rutger McGroarty, who played his first game Wednesday, Blomqvist did not take a rookie lap. His teammates followed the goalie out onto the ice.

— After Wednesday’s shutout loss, Sullivan tweaked his top two forward lines in Detroit. Rickard Rakell traded places with O’Connor and skated on the first line.

— O’Connor had a second goal taken off the board by a successful coach’s challenge. He made it 5-2 in the second period but there was a hand pass seconds earlier.

— Bryan Rust missed his second game in a row with a lower-body injury. However, he is on the road trip and skated here Thursday morning, which suggests there is a real possibility he plays in one of their next two games north of the border.

— Valtteri Puustinen and Ryan Shea were scratched for the second straight night.

Stat n’at

13 — Goalies in Penguins history who were younger than Blomqvist when they got their first career win. That list includes Jarry, Marc-Andre Fleury, Dennis Herron and Andy Chiodo, the last of whom is currently the goalie coach for Pittsburgh.

Coming up

Penguins players have a scheduled day off Friday after starting the regular season with a back-to-back. Their three-game road trip continues Saturday at Toronto.