Last Thursday night in Ottawa, Boston Bruins interim coach Joe Sacco pulled Jeremy Swayman after the first period, and the Black and Gold was down 4-1. Joonas Korpisalo took over and allowed one goal over the final two periods of the 6-3 loss with the Senators adding the final goal into an empty net.
It was a tough loss for Boston against a former teammate, but what made it even tougher was the saves that Ullmark made with his best coming in the second period. With Ottawa leading, 5-3, Ullmark slid to the opposite post to rob Mason Lohrei with a glove save after Lohrei thought he had an open net. It was a game-changing save, something Bruins fans saw Ullmark do many times wearing the Spoked-B.
Monday night, Korpisalo got the start against the Buffalo Sabres before the Bruins embarked on a West Coast road trip beginning Thursday night against former coach Bruce Cassidy and the Vegas Golden Knights. Tied 2-2 in the third period with Buffalo, Korpisalo made an insane save, matching Ullmark's four nights earlier.
Buffalo had an odd-man rush and and puck made its way across the ice to former Bruin Connor Clifton who was looking at an open net, only to have Korpisalo dive across and get it with his arm and the rebound deflected to the corner. It might end up being Boston's save of the season. Korpisalo wasn't done.
Korpisalo makes a diving stop on Clifton: pic.twitter.com/eNuYhlR5OY
— Conor Ryan (@ConorRyan_93) March 18, 2025
Late in the third period, Korpisalo was down and out when he somehow got a pad on a Jason Zucker shot to keep the game tied 2-2.
Bruins waste Joonas Korpisalo's effort in loss to Sabres
The Bruins wasted Korpisalo's effort as Buffalo won the game in overtime when Alex Tuch tipped home an Owen Power shot with 10.7 seconds left and the Sabres on the power play. Marat Khusnutdinov's penalty was about to expire when the goal went in. It was a questionable situation as right before Khusnutdinov's penalty, the Sabres took out Lohrei in front of the Boston net with no penalty called. The NHL officiating at its finest.
This season, Korpisalo hasn't been bad for the Bruins after coming over the Senators in the Ullmark trade last June and it feels like Boston goalie coach Bob Essensa has affected him, something the front office was banking on when the trade was made.