The Blue Jackets are, more than likely, going to give Joonas Korpisalo a larger workload in 2018-19. Sergei Bobrovsky isn't getting younger, his future in uncertain, and Korpisalo is a candidate to be the club's goaltender of the future.
All of that lies ahead, of course. Right now they need him to show he's capable of getting more starts – and his outstanding performance in Tuesday's Kraft Hockeyville game in Clinton, N.Y. was strong evidence in his favor.
Korpisalo made 31 saves in the Blue Jackets' 4-2 victory and went the distance in net, his first full start of the preseason. With two games remaining, it's possible he gets another, but John Tortorella might have all the information he needs after watching the big Finn dominate the Buffalo Sabres.
Here's a sampling of Korpisalo's night, in GIF form:
The 24-year-old Korpisalo did his best work in the third period, including these two series of saves (pictured above) to keep the Blue Jackets in the lead. He made 17 starts a season ago, going 8-8-1 with mediocre numbers (including a .897 save percentage) – numbers that need to get better this time around.
