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Columbus Blue Jackets Have a Major Goaltender Problem

By Preston Byers

Feb 25, 2017; Columbus, OH, USA; Columbus Blue Jackets goalie Joonas Korpisalo (70) reacts with goalie Sergei Bobrovsky (72) at Nationwide Arena. The Blue Jackets won 7-0. Mandatory Credit: Aaron Doster-USA TODAY Sports
Feb 25, 2017; Columbus, OH, USA; Columbus Blue Jackets goalie Joonas Korpisalo (70) reacts with goalie Sergei Bobrovsky (72) at Nationwide Arena. The Blue Jackets won 7-0. Mandatory Credit: Aaron Doster-USA TODAY Sports /
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The Columbus Blue Jackets’ strongest position on the ice is undoubtedly the goaltender. With Sergei Bobrovsky starting and some youngsters learning the ropes behind him, the Jackets would seem to be pretty set in net. But they may not be all that set after all.

Sergei Bobrovsky put in his best year yet in the 2016-2017 regular season. The Columbus Blue Jackets’ Russian led the league in save percentage, goals against average, goals saved above average, goals allowed adjusted, and goalie point shares. His incredible play led him to be selected as a finalist for both the Hart Memorial Trophy and Vezina Trophy.

Bobrovsky was without a doubt the biggest reason for the CBJ’s success this year in the regular season. Despite a cold stretch on the power play in the last month of the season, Bobrovsky stayed solid to keep the Jackets within striking distance of the Presidents’ Trophy until the last week of play. His stellar goaltending also was a major factor in the Blue Jackets’ historic win streak as Bob didn’t allow more than three goals in any single game in that stretch.

Playoff Bobrovsky

Bob unfortunately did not show up in the playoffs, again. Although not all of the blame can, or should be placed on Bobrovsky, a fair amount can. In five games, he allowed 20 goals and posted a playoff career-worst 3.88 goals against average.

His poor playoff play actually comes as no surprise. For the third time in his career, his teams failed to succeed in the postseason due to his poor play. With the Philadelphia Flyers, Bobrovsky struggled in limited time. With a larger sample size with the Blue Jackets in 2014, the results did not change. In six games, Bob let up 20 goals and fell to the Pittsburgh Penguins just as he did this year.

Is this something that we can come to expect? One time is an accident, a second time is a coincidence, a third time is a pattern. With all of the games he’s played, it definitely seems like that Sergei Bobrovsky is not a playoff goalie. In 13 starts, he is 3-10-0. Along with his horrendous record, he has a career playoff save percentage of 88.7% and a 3.63 goals against average.

Related Story: CBJ Players Finish IIHF World Championships

The Young’uns

Bobrovsky doesn’t have any experienced netminders on the roster to help out his playoff woes either. The other two goalies, Joonas Korpisalo and Anton Forsberg are both 24 years or younger and haven’t even totaled 65 regular season games played between the two of them.

Korpisalo is a good player but he’s definitely not ready to be a starter yet. The young Finn got some work in this season and he impressed with his play in 13 starts. Korpi posted a 2.88 goals against average and a shutout in those games. Forsberg has also shown some good stuff in the AHL with the Cleveland Monsters but in his sole NHL start of the 2016-2017 season, he allowed four goals on just 27 shots.

The trio all are strong goalies but with Bobrovsky’s playoffs issues and Korpi and Forsberg’s lack of experience, the goaltender position isn’t as solid as many would think. I wouldn’t be surprised to see the CBJ spend a third-round draft pick to grab a goalie in the upcoming NHL Entry Draft.

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