Can the Columbus Blue Jackets pull off a massive first round upset again?
Last season, the Columbus Blue Jackets pulled off arguably one of the biggest upsets in NHL history by sweeping the heavily favored Tampa Bay Lightning in the first round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs. This year, they’ll have a chance to pull off another upset as they face the Toronto Maple Leafs in the play-in round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs.
Much like the Lightning, the Leafs are a beatable team. In fact, they’re even more beatable than the Lightning were. Anything can happen in a best of five games series and the Blue Jackets are perfectly capable of pulling off yet another upset in the postseason.
Now, the Leafs will still present quite a challenge for the Blue Jackets. Their offense is scary good and their defense has been better than most give them credit for since they fired Mike Babcock as their head coach and hired Sheldon Keefe. In order to beat the Leafs, the Blue Jackets will need to be at their best. Here’s a look at three keys to beating them.
1. Goaltending
Ultimately, there’s a pretty good chance this series will come down to goaltending. In the NHL, goaltending can be the ultimate equalizer. This especially rings true in small sample sizes, which is what the Stanley Cup Playoffs are all about.
Goaltending is an area the Blue Jackets hold a distinct advantage over the Maple Leafs. Leafs goaltender Frederik Andersen (.909% save percentage) has been inconsistent at best this season. Jack Campbell has been solid since being traded to Toronto with a .915% save percentage. Meanwhile, the Blue Jackets tandem of Joonas Korpisalo (.911% save percentage) and Elvis Merzlikins (.923% save percentage) have been surprisingly great.
It’s hard to tell who will start in the postseason for the Blue Jackets, but one has to imagine Merzlikins is the favorite considering how amazing he has been in 2020. Whoever starts in goal for Columbus will need to play well in order to ensure the Blue Jackets keep their advantage in net.