CHICAGO -- Petr Mrazek was placed on injured reserve by the Chicago Blackhawks on Sunday after he sustained a groin injury in the first period of a 4-2 loss to the Winnipeg Jets on Saturday.
After Mrazek made his fourth save of the game, play was stopped and he went to the Blackhawks locker room at 10:46 of the first period.
“I think the prognosis is 1-2 weeks, but we’re definitely hoping for one week,” interim coach Anders Sorensen said Sunday.
Arvid Soderblom replaced Mrazek, making 21 saves on 24 shots.
"Obviously not the optimal way to start the game," Sorensen said. "I thought 'Sody' came in and played well, but Petr's been such a big part of what's going on here. Hopefully it's not too long."
Soderblom is expected to start when the Blackhawks visit the New York Rangers on Monday (7 p.m. ET; CHSN, MSGSN, NHLN). Goalie Drew Commesso and defenseman Kevin Korchinski were recalled from Rockford of the American Hockey League on Sunday.
Mrazek has been a workhorse for Chicago, making his 20th start Saturday. He is 7-11-1 with a 2.83 goals-against average and .906 save percentage.
He was expected to split time this season with Laurent Brossoit, who signed a two-year, $6.6 million contract ($3.3 million average annual value) with the Blackhawks on July 1.
But Brossoit, who had surgery on the meniscus in his right knee Aug. 27 and was expected to need 5-7 weeks to recover, had a follow-up arthroscopic surgery on his right knee on Nov. 26. He will be reevaluated in about five weeks.
A fifth-round pick (No. 141) by the Detroit Red Wings in the 2010 NHL Draft, Mrazek is 175-166-39 with a 2.80 GAA, .907 save percentage and 25 shutouts in 409 games (378 starts) for the Red Wings, Philadelphia Flyers, Carolina Hurricanes, Toronto Maple Leafs and Blackhawks. He is 12-15 with a 2.43 GAA, .911 save percentage and five shutouts in 29 Stanley Cup Playoff games.
When Mrazek was acquired by the Blackhawks in a trade with the Maple Leafs on July 7, 2022, he was coming off a season when injuries limited him to 20 games (18 starts) with Toronto in 2021-22. Mrazek was healthy last season and played 56 games (53 starts).
“He’s been our best player the last couple of years,” center Connor Bedard said. “He keeps us in every game, no matter what. I feel like there’s a lot of times when he’s been on his head. It’s tough.
“You never want to see someone go down, but ‘Sody’s’ been great too. For him to be able to step in for a little bit, play the next few games until Petr’s back or whatever, it’s going to be good for him and he’s going to step up for us.”
Soderblom is 1-6-1 with a 2.60 GAA and .915 save percentage in eight games (seven starts) this season.
"Sody played great coming in (Saturday)," forward Jason Dickinson said. "There's no fear with him coming in the net right now. He's playing great, so whichever one of them is handling the net for us, we feel good moving forward."
Commesso is 4-6-0 with a 3.34 GAA and .879 save percentage in 10 AHL games.
Sorensen said defenseman Alec Martinez is day to day after getting injured against the Jets and will be on a three-game road trip that begins at the New York Rangers on Monday (7 p.m. ET; CHSN, MSGSN, NHLN). He left the game Saturday following a shot from Winnipeg center Adam Lowry that rode up Martinez's stick and hit him around the right side of his chin at 1:15 of the third period. Martinez has four points (one goal, three assists) in 15 games this season.
Korchinski has 11 points (two goals, nine assists) in 21 AHL games. The 20-year-old was a first-round pick (No. 7) at the 2022 NHL Draft.
