A wise move by John Tortorella, it seems.
Joonas Korpisalo was a late selection to be the starter between the pipes in Game 1 against the Toronto Maple Leafs, and his 28-save effort recorded the first postseason shutout in Columbus Blue Jackets history.
HIS. NAME. IS. JOONAS.#CBJ pic.twitter.com/KgvU5Qa1oK
— 1st Ohio Battery (@1stOhioBattery) August 3, 2020
Korpisalo and Elvis Merzlikins were in a tight race to be put in net tonight, but the three-year backup for Sergei Bobrovsky was given the nod on Sunday morning. It was the right call, apparently, as the Blue Jackets have taken a 1-0 lead in the best-of-five Qualifying Round series.
The Blue Jackets had played in 31 postseason games before tonight, with Bobrovsky in net for 27 of them and Steve Mason in net for four. A goal had been allowed by the Blue Jackets in every one of those games, and that streak was unpredictably snapped tonight.
Joonas Korpisalo of the @BlueJacketsNHL is the 14th goaltender in NHL history and 10th in the modern era (since 1943-44) to record a shutout in his postseason debut. #NHLStats #StanleyCup pic.twitter.com/wAc9Hygpzn
— NHL Public Relations (@PR_NHL) August 3, 2020
Unpredictably, because the Maple Leafs had only been shut out once this entire season, and were ranked second in the NHL in goals scored. What a way to kick off a series, eh?
Game 2 against the Maple Leafs, where Korpisalo will surely be the starter again, will begin at 4 p.m. EST on Tuesday.
