Just over one month ago, if anyone said Boston Bruins goaltender Joonas Korpisalo would be one of the more effective No. 2 goaltenders in the NHL, they probably would have been laughed at. And for good reason, as Korpisalo allowed nine goals in his first two starts, leaving some fans undoubtedly thinking that he was a bust following an ultra-small sample size.
But that hasn’t been the case recently, as Korpisalo recorded his second shutout of the season following the Bruins win over the Utah Hockey Club. It was Korpisalo’s second shutout in his previous four starts, with his first coming on November 2nd against the Philadelphia Flyers.
Over Korpisalo’s last four starts, he’s garnered a 3-0-1 record, two shutouts, and a 0.945 save percentage. You can’t ask for better production than that, and it shows us that Bruins general manager Don Sweeney knew what he was doing when he acquired Korpisalo this past offseason.
Overall, Korpisalo has a 0.911 save percentage, a 2.38 GAA, and a 0.714 quality starts percentage across seven starts and eight appearances. For the Bruins, who needed someone to step up in the net, this has been great news as No. 1 goaltender Jeremy Swayman continues to put up a rather mediocre campaign.
Jonas Korpisalo has proven to be valuable insurance for the Boston Bruins
While Swayman should bust out of his slump sooner rather than later, he’s been painful to watch at times. Through 14 starts this season, he’s recorded five ‘really bad starts,’ a 0.429 quality starts percentage, an 0.884 save percentage, and a 3.47 GAA. He’s earned one shutout, but the bads have so far outweighed the goods.
Still, that makes Korpisalo even more valuable if he can continue to put up solid performances when asked to line up in the crease. And it’s not like he hasn’t had his moments, having put up some solid campaigns in his younger days for the Columbus Blue Jackets, plus an epic 11-game stretch with the Los Angeles Kings a couple of seasons back.
He seems to be at his best as a No. 2, however, so even if Swayman kept struggling and Korpisalo continued to put up solid play, I still wouldn’t expect a goaltender controversy. Boston is paying the younger, higher-potential Swayman way too much money for too many seasons at this point, but having insurance like Korpisalo is something the Bruins should be fortunate about for the remainder of the year.