In a season filled with disappointments, it's sometimes important to highlight the bright spots. The Blue Jackets are 19-30-10 and sit in the basement of the Eastern Conference, but not all is doom and gloom.
Over his last three starts, goaltender Daniil Tarasov has posted a .928SV%, which is a 40-point increase over his season average of .888SV%.
Tarasov, 24, was the 86th overall pick in the 2017 NHL Draft and is in the second year of a three-year, $1.05 AAV contract.
He's battled injuries over the past few years that have caused him to make just 35 NHL appearances since debuting in 2021-22.
My goodness.
— Walt Ruff (@WaltRuff) March 1, 2024
A flurry of chances for Carolina in the first 90 seconds of the third, but somehow Tarasov keeps them all out.
Impressive work, including a little help from both the post and Erik Gudbranson. pic.twitter.com/DdPyIJVshr
Thursday's game, a 4-2 loss to Carolina, was a microcosm of Tarasov's career thus far. There were moments of sheer brilliance like in the clip above, but there were also times when he should have made the save.
The Blue Jackets goaltending problem has been well-documented all season but this small stretch of play from Tarasov shows why the organization has continued to stick with him through his struggles.
Can he parlay this three-game run into a strong end to the season?
