BLUE JACKETS’ BACKUP GOALIE STYMIES CAPS IN OT VICTORY
John TorWASHINGTON — torella did it again Saturday night.
The Blue Jackets coach zigged instead of zagged, going against the grain with his goaltending choice against the Washington Capitals — merely the 2018 Stanley Cup champions and leaders of the Metropolitan Division.
Joonas Korpisalo, the backup, started for the second straight game rather than Sergei Bobrovsky, the two-time Vezina Trophy win- ner who missed an overtime win Thursday against Nash- ville because of an undisclosed incident heard ’round the hockey world.
Was Tortorella just repris- ing his logic from Oct. 4 in Detroit, when he started Korpisalo in the season opener
and saved Bobrovsky for the next night at home?
“No, I just think Korpi deserves another game,” Tortorella said before Korpisalo made 32 saves in a 2-1 overtime win over the Capitals, their second vic- tory by that score at Capital One Arena and second OT win in a row. “I thought he played really well (against Nashville).”
On paper, it didn’t really add up logically.
Defenseman Ryan Murray was home sick. Forward Kevin Stenlund, a rookie called up Friday from Cleveland, played his first NHL game. Two-thirds of the usual fourth line, Brandon Dubin- sky and Markus Hannikainen, were out because of injury.
Most assumed Bobrovsky would get the nod, but it couldn’t have worked out much better that he didn’t. The Blue Jackets got a great performance from Korpisalo, a strong defensive effort in front of him and Artemi Panarin’s second power-play OT winner in a row.
“He’s earned it,” Tortorella said of Korpisalo afterward. “I don’t profess to under- stand all goaltending stuff,
but when I see Korpi just play under control, that’s when he’s strong. He’s been really solid, just as far as his positioning.”
He needed to be against the Capitals, who outshot the Jackets 33-22.
Cam Atkinson gave Columbus a 1-0 lead 1:00 into the game on his 25th goal of the season, capping a breakaway with a beautiful move, but Washington generated more scoring chances.
The Capitals just couldn’t solve Korpisalo until Evgeny Kuznetsov slapped one past him with 1:06 left in the third — celebrating with his patented flying bird gesture right in front of the Jackets bench.
That was the only goal celebration the Capitals got to do, though, thanks mostly to Korpisalo. This was his first career start against the Capitals but second appearance this season, after mak
ing 14 saves on 15 shots in relief of Bobrovsky on Dec.
8 at Nationwide Arena — a 4-0 victory for Washington.
Tortorella said he had forgotten about that game during his pregame comments. But it was arguably
the Jackets’ worst game of the season — prompting Tortorella to “hit the reset button” by emphasizing defensive structure in the team’s next practice.
The Blue Jackets quickly responded by winning six of seven games (6-0-1) and stayed right in the thick of things in the division race. So, why not go back with Korpisalo over Bobrovsky?
It made all the sense in the world when cast in that light — and made even more sense after watching Panarin blast another one-timer into the net to win a game — setting off the Jackets’ own flying bird celebration.
It wouldn’t have been possible were it not for Korpisalo, who made numerous big stops with his pads and snagged the puck with
his glove a number of times to let the Jackets get their sea legs.
“He played good,” Tortorella said. “He played good against Nashville. To me, it was a no-brainer.”