Columbus Blue Jackets Korpisalo Stepping Up in Playoff Push
The Columbus Blue Jackets backup netminder has stepped up and pushed the team to an eight game winning streak.
It certainly hasn’t been the 2017-2018 season Joonas Korpisalo envisioned. The backup has had a rocky season up until becoming one of the most important parts of the Columbus Blue Jackets eight game winning streak.
Before the streak, Korpi had lost seven of his 12 starts and carried a hefty 3.42 goals against average. He allowed 14 combined goals in his previous three losses heading into the streak.
But a huge home win over the Vegas Golden Knights on March 6th seemed to have turn the tide on the Finn’s season. Having to fill in due to a sick Sergei Bobrovsky, Korpi stepped up in a big way and shut down one of the NHL’s most explosive offense. He stopped 37 of 38 shots that night and was the number one star in the Jackets 4-1 win.
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Two nights later will Bob still sidelined, Korpi made the start agains the high scoring and red hot Colorado Avalanche. Although his numbers weren’t as stellar as his Vegas outing, Korpi got the job done. He faced a barrage of high danger chances and helped the CBJ eek out their third win in a row.
In the final back-to-back of the season Korpi was called on to start agaisnt the Boston Bruins without the Jackets top defenseman in the lineup. Despite no Seth Jones and a terrible defensive showing, Korpi did what he had to do. The amount of grade A scoring chances the Bruins had should have been enough to make the final score 9-4 according to coach John Tortorella.
But Korpisalo made big save after big save and only allowed three even strength goals. He even made six saves during a Boston power play that might have been the biggest moment in the game. Despite terrible turnovers from the forwards and no Seth Jones, Kopri did what he had to do to carry the team to a win.
Going forward it is tough to see Korpisalo getting anymore than one more start. The Columbus Blue Jackets only have nine more games remaining. There are no more back-to-backs left on the schedule either.
Korpi might get a game on the Western Canada road trip or one of the final games in April if playoff position is locked up. That is highly unlikely with the standings as tight as they are. If he doesn’t play for the rest of the year, his final three wins will be a great way to end his season.