While it would be ludicrous to think that Joonas Korpisalo is anything more than a 1B goaltender, maybe he’s worth more than just being the team’s No. 2, even with Jeremy Swayman on board.
Even if Swayman hasn’t looked up to par this season, I’m by no means implying he should lose a ton of ice time to Korpisalo. But, if the latter’s playing much better hockey and with the Bruins looking like the third or fourth-best team in the Atlantic Division, they’ll need all the help they can get.
Yeah, Swayman’s got the large contract and everything, but at the end of the day, the Bruins must find ways to stay consistent. Korpisalo has been playing well for a while now, so giving him more ice time and Swayman, a little more rest between games, could work in Boston’s best interests.
Over his past five contests prior to Thursday night, Korpisalo is 4-0-1, and he’s allowed just 11 goals in that span, or 2.2 per game, complete with a shutout and a 0.923 save percentage. In other words, he’s been hot. Oh, and if you want more fun, three of those games went into overtime.
I last talked about Korpisalo three weeks ago, and I was convinced he’d revert into his so-so, inconsistent self at some point. But that hasn’t happened, judging from what he’s done since I wrote that previous piece.
Boston Bruins would do well to play Joonas Korpisalo more often
His quality starts percentage this season is a solid 0.667, and Korpisalo, so far, has a GAA of 2.40, plus a 0.909 save percentage to go with a solid nine wins. Overall, he’s been outperforming Swayman in each of the aforementioned categories.
While I fully supported rolling predominantly with Swayman early, if he’s struggling as the clear-cut No. 1 goaltender, coach Joe Sacco must seriously consider allowing Korpisalo to snag more time in the crease to take pressure off his premier goaltender.
This isn’t a knock on Swayman, as he could ultimately be the type of netminder better suited for a 1A role. Remember, that was the case last season when Linus Ullmark was still in town. And before that, he was a 1B.
In both 2022-23 and 2023-24, Swayman was outstanding in those more limited roles. And with Korpisalo playing so well, why not make the switch and see if Swayman’s performance improves as a result?
Such a move would only help the Bruins, and while it may sound counterintuitive to some, that won’t be the case if it means the team is ultimately winning games.