Columbus Blue Jackets: 3 burning questions against the Maple Leafs
One of the most fascinating match-ups is between the Toronto Maple Leafs and Columbus Blue Jackets. Here are 3 burning questions for each team.
Fire and ice best describes the best of five series between the Toronto Maple Leafs and Columbus Blue Jackets. Two teams that are built with completely different blueprints will face-off starting on August 2nd.
Here are 3 burning questions for the Blue Jackets.
1. Who will be in net?
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Joonas Korpisalo was the star for the Blue Jackets before he went down with a knee injury in December. Elvis Merzlikins took over and his performance is a big reason why Columbus made it this far in the first place. However, now John Tortorella has to make the tough decision of who’s starting in net. Will he go with his original star or ride the hot hand?
During scrimmages, Korpisalo did not play well and gave up 13 goals in two exhibition games. While it is still early, it makes the decision much harder. Against an offensive-powered team like the Maple Leafs, goaltending is key and the Blue Jackets need a dependable player between the pipes.
2. Can they find last year’s magic?
Last season the Blue Jackets stunned the hockey world when they swept the Tampa Bay Lightning in the first round of the playoffs. The Lightning were the best regular-season team and Columbus made them look like amateurs. The Maple Leafs are built in a very similar way and so the Blue Jackets know what is expected of them if they want to win the series.
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They beat the Lightning with their scoring depth and strong goaltending. Matt Duchene, Artemi Panarin, and Seth Jones combined for 18 points in four games and Bobrovsky was dominant with a .932 save percentage. Only one of those players (Jones) is still with the team today. It’s up to their new core to pick up where their free agents left off.
3. Are they fast enough?
John Tortorella has made it clear that he wants his team to play a very fast, intense brand of hockey. Eric Robinson and Liam Foudy are two players that highlight his plan. Both players are extremely fast and Tortorella is giving them tons of chances during training camp to cement their positions in the lineup.
“We’re playing a very fast hockey club. We need to get as much speed in our lineup as we possibly can.”
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The Maple Leafs play a very possession-oriented style of hockey and use their speed and mobility to out skate their opponents. Tortorella is doing everything he can to counter them with speedsters of his own but will his team be able to keep up?