Blue Jackets goaltender Joonas Korpisalo left Friday night’s game against Calgary after the first period with what was called lower-body discomfort. Head coach Brad Larsen told reporters that the veteran will be out for at least a week due to the injury, via Aaron Portzline of The Athletic. That designation allows him to be placed on injured reserve, creating an open roster spot for the team to recall Jet Greaves from AHL Cleveland.
Korpisalo returned to the lineup last month after missing the start of the season due to the hip surgery he underwent back in March. It’s unknown if this issue is related to that procedure, but Columbus will understandably err on the side of caution here. Through his first 12 appearances, he has a 3.53 goals-against average along with a .903 save percentage, and while those numbers may not look great, they’re considerably better than what starter Elvis Merzlikins has put up so far (4.82 and .862, respectively).
At first glance, it seems a bit surprising that Daniil Tarasov wasn’t the one brought up from the Monsters. He has held his own in limited action with Columbus this season, and as the presumptive backup starting in 2023-24, a chance to get him some more NHL experience at a time when the season is already well off the rails would have made some sense. Instead, they’ll prioritize the 23-year-old getting steady playing time in the minors.
This will be Greaves’ second recall of the season, but this one should last a little longer than his first. The 21-year-old undrafted free-agent signing has played in 10 games with Cleveland this season, posting a 4.09 GAA with an .878 SV%. His promotion means that it should be Merzlikins’ net exclusively until Korpisalo is able to return.
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