Korpisalo allowed two goals on 37 shots in the Blue Jackets' win in Detroit on Monday. Korpisalo and Elvis Merzlikins have alternated starts to begin the season but Korpisalo has been the better of the two thus far. Korpisalo has stopped 67 of 71 shots (.944 SV%) in his first two outings but draws a terrible matchup tonight vs. the Lightning.
Korpisalo allowed two goals on 34 shots in the Blue Jackets 3-1 loss in Nashville on opening night. Elvis Merzlikins allowed five goals in his season debut on Saturday, so they'll come back to Korpisalo as the Blue Jackets search for their first win of the season today in Detroit. Korpisalo was 2-0-0 with a 3.55 HAA and .851 SV% in two games vs. the Red Wings last season.
With Jordan Staal out because of COVID-19 protocol, Geekie will draw into the lineup on Saturday. It’s unclear how the Hurricanes’ lines will shake out but Vincent Trocheck figures to move up to the second line with Geekie handling a bottom-6 role.
Korpisalo is expected to split time in the Blue Jackets crease with Elvis Merzlikins this season but they will go with the more veteran of the two on opening night. Korpisalo was solid in the 2020 regular season, posting a 2.60 GAA and .911 SV% in 37 games but took his game to a new level in the postseason. In nine playoff starts, he posted a playoff-best .941 SV%. He makes for a decent option in his first start of the season vs. a Nashville team that was in the middle of the pack in goal-scoring and below-average on the PP last year.
Arvidsson missed Wednesday's practice but head coach John Hynes expects him to be available for Thursday's game vs. the Blue Jackets. Arvidsson will look to bounce back after a down 2020 season, where he had just 15 goals and 13 assists (28 points) in 57 games.
Pastrnak was originally expected to miss the first month of the season, roughly 15 games, but head coach Bruce Cassidy provided some positive information on Tuesday. Pastrnak is one of the most polarizing players in fantasy drafts this season but this update provides optimism that could push his ADP into the second round.
As expected, Pastrnak will not be ready for the start of training camp and will miss at least the first few games of the regular season. Pastrnak's original timetable was mid-February, so it looks like that remains true as training camp gets set to begin this week.
Mittelstadt has yet to live up to the billing of being selected No.8 overall in 2017 and that led to him being demoted to the AHL in 2020. He had nine points (4G / 5A) in 31 games with the Sabres before being sent to Rochester, where he tallied 25 points (9G / 16A) in 36 games. Mittelstadt is expected to get a spot in the Sabres' bottom-6 to start the 2021 season but has a lot to prove if he's going to get a raise next summer.
