The National Hockey League (NHL) club Columbus Blue Jackets goalkeeper duo Elvis Merzlikins-Jonas Korpisalo have established themselves as one of the best goalkeeper pairs in the league in the opening of the 2020/2021 season.
Columbus has already been reported to have beaten the Chicago Blackhawks 2: 1 tonight, with Corpisalo repelling 31 of 32 opponents. After this match, Merzlikins and Korpisalo have defeated 92% of their opponents in tandem this season, making the Blue Jackets goalkeeper duo the sixth best in the league in this statistic. In addition, Columbus is just one of four teams in which the first two goalkeepers have played at least four or more games each.
The strategy of the Blue Jackets coaches is to rotate both goalkeepers by dividing their playing time in half. Matīss Kivlenieks, the third goalkeeper of the unit, has not been in practice this season, as both Merzļikins and Korpisalo show a fairly stable performance.
Korpisalo has scored in five matches this season, in which he has won two victories, refrained from 93.6% of opponents’ throws and scored 2.17 goals in the match on average. Merzlikkin, who has won as many victories as his Finnish competitor, has shown a slightly more modest performance this season, namely, in four matches of this regular season, 90.6% of opponents’ shots were repelled and 2.94 goals were scored. The Latvian goalkeeper’s “fortress” was thrown 127 times, the puck reaching the goal in 12 cases.
“It simply came to our notice then. I just trust them so much, ”commented the team’s head coach John Tortorella, commenting on the goalkeeper’s performance. “The first game was a bit difficult for Elvis, but now he has found himself and saved the team at some crucial moment.”
“The role of the goalkeepers is obviously very important,” the unit’s coxswain continued. “Whether you win or lose, the goalkeeper will always be one of the main reasons. I feel very comfortable and I don’t really think about it. I just know that every second game, each of them will be at the gate. ”
“I think it also helps Elvis and Jonas, because we told them before the season that there will be a goalkeeper rotation. It allows them to mentally prepare for the upcoming start. ”
“Blue Jackets”, which has the largest number of games in its division, takes the first place with 11 points won in nine matches.
The “Blue Jackets”, represented by Elvis Merzlikins, will play the next match on Monday (January 1), when, most likely, when the Latvian goalkeeper enters the goal, Columbus will look to disappoint the “Blackhawks” again.
