Have the Blue Jackets Found their Goaltender, or is it a Mirage?
The Blue Jackets lost in Montreal on Tuesday night, after giving up 3 goals on 4 shots in the first 5:48 of the game. My big takeaway: one CBJ goaltender looked really shaky. The other looked really good.
By Curtis Deem
Elvis Merzlikins lasted just 5:48 last night in Montreal. He surrendered 3 goals on 4 shots, as the Canadiens poured it on early and often.
To spark his team, head coach Pascal Vincent replaced Merzlikins with Daniil Tarasov - who promptly came in and shut the Habs down. Tarasov stopped all 19 shots he faced the rest of the way, keeping this game from getting really ugly.
For the first time, I'm starting to wonder if the Blue Jackets do in fact have the right goalie to drag them out of this rebuild. Are we seeing the emergence of the Daniil Tarasov that we've been waiting for?
I'm hopeful. But at the same time, still not fully convinced. Let's dive into some numbers.