Columbus Blue Jackets: Top 3 takeaways from series loss to Lightning
2. Goaltending Is Great
Before the 2019-20 season, a lot of people didn’t know what to expect from the Columbus Blue Jackets goaltenders. After losing Sergei Bobrovsky to the Florida Panthers, the Blue Jackets entered the season with Joonas Korpisalo and Elvis Merzilkins. The former was an inconsistent backup while the latter was some guy with a cool name. That’s about it.
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Nearly a year later, the Blue Jackets are pretty well set as far as their goaltending. Korpisalo was in line to be an All-Star before an injury cost him his appearance. And while he didn’t finish the regular season strong, he was simply out of this world during the postseason. Korpisalo set the NHL record for most saves made in a postseason game with 88 in Game 1 against Tampa.
Meanwhile, Merzilkins’ postseason, unfortunately, was short due to an injury. But Elvis stole the show in the regular season when the Columbus Blue Jackets needed him to be great. The Blue Jackets got to the postseason because of their goalies.
Goaltending has always been an important part of the Blue Jackets identity. With Korpisalo and Merzilkins leading the way, that’s not changing anytime soon. Oh, and if you think those names are a pain to spell, just you wait until Veini Vehvilainen and Matiss Kivlenieks come around!