Forsberg off to strong start in Chicago Blackhawks' net

Is one dazzling preseason performance by the backup goalie enough to convince Chicago Blackhawks fans that their team will be fine without Scott Darling?

Probably not.

But it sure beats the heck out of watching him get peppered to the tune of 5 goals in less than 38 minutes, which is exactly what happened to the Blue Jackets' Joonas Korpisalo during the Hawks' 5-2 preseason victory Tuesday night at Columbus.

On the other side of the rink was Anton Forsberg, the former Blue Jacket who was traded to the Hawks in June as part of the Artemi Panarin-Brandon Saad deal. All Forsberg did was make 38 saves - many coming off high-quality shots - as he pitched a shutout for more than 45 minutes.

"It's a great beginning," coach Joel Quenneville said Wednesday after conducting a pair of long practices at the United Center. "You always want to make a good first impression in your new surroundings, and it was a familiar place for him as well.

"He showed a lot. It was nice to see him battle through a lot of traffic and a lot of action around his net. … Did an outstanding job."

While Forsberg admitted to being more nervous than usual, the 24-year-old was extra motivated playing against his former team.

"Of course … but it's a game and it's my first game (with the Hawks)," Forsberg said. "I've got to (give) a good first impression, and I do whatever I can to do that. I felt like it turned out pretty well last night."

Since Corey Crawford took over as the starter in 2011-12, the Hawks have rarely worried about their backup thanks to the stellar play of Ray Emery, Antti Raanta and Scott Darling. Darling, now Carolina's starter, was particularly impressive when Crawford missed time the past two seasons.

So while Forsberg has gigantic shoes to fill, it appears he may be up to the task. The Swede showed off his athleticism and poise early in the first period Tuesday when he turned away 3 point-blank shots in less than 30 seconds.

"First (one of the game) was at my chest, so I got the feel for the puck," Forsberg said. "After that I was in the game and it was pretty easy to keep going."

Forsberg, who allowed just 2.28 goals per game and had a .926 save percentage for the AHL's Cleveland Monsters last season, doesn't possess Darling's size, but he does stand 6-feet-2 and appears ready to take the next step.

The Hawks, meanwhile, are getting deeper and deeper at the goalie position.

In addition to Crawford and Forsberg, the team is excited about Jean-Francois Berube (6-1, 177). The 26-year-old has 21 games of NHL experience with the New York Islanders, and he signed a two-year deal on July 1.

The Hawks also have 31-year-old Jeff Glass and 23-year-old Collin Delia in camp, and continue to develop Wouter Peeters (6-4, 205), whom they took in the third round of the 2016 draft.

Said general manager Stan Bowman of Berube in July: "He hasn't had a great opportunity at the NHL level yet, but he's shown he's still evolving in his career as opposed to being one of these career backups. He's pushing for a bigger role. We're going to need all these guys heading into the season."

Whether Berube can push Forsberg remains to be seen, but Forsberg's play at Columbus certainly helped his cause.

"We'd love to see him continue on, knowing that could be a big part of our team," Quenneville said. "Darls came in here out of nowhere and took advantage of a great opportunity, did a tremendous job. And Fors - certainly he'll get a great chance."

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