Blue Jackets Get Boost From Markus Nutivaara, Joonas Korpisalo, Filling In For Zach Werenski and Sergei Bobrovsky

By Kyle Morrison on December 21, 2017 at 1:45 pm
The Blue Jackets got a bump from Joonas Korpisalo (pictured) and Markus Nutivaara
USA Today – Aaron Doster
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It’s not often that a team can cruise to victory without the services of their best player. The Blue Jackets did just that last night – thanks to some support from unexpected places.

With Zach Werenski out of the lineup, Sergei Bobrovsky getting a night off and a fleet-footed Maple Leafs team visiting Nationwide Arena, things appeared to be stacked against the slumping Blue Jackets headed into last night’s game. But Joonas Korpisalo and Markus Nutivaara had other ideas.

Korpisalo put together an incredible 39-save effort, letting just two goals in all night. The first one, from Jake Gardiner, came on a defensive breakdown after an incredible pass from William Nylander. The second came late in the game, as Mitch Marner flew past Jack Johnson and fired a sizzling shot past Korpisalo. Not exactly soft goals.

"All the guys played so good in front of me, made my job real easy today,” he said after the game. "Lot of shots, but not too many scoring chances."

That’s where Nutivaara comes in. Missing Zach Werenski – likely one of the ten best blue line talents in the league – should have dashed the hopes of the Jackets winning last night. After all, they’d been ice cold for the better part of a week. But Nutivaara, a former seventh-round pick who has done nothing but impress since coming into the league, filled in admirably.

It was the first 20-plus minute game of Nutivaara's career – more than two minutes higher than his previous high this season – as he played alongside Seth Jones and ran point on the second power play unit. All night long, he and Jones retrieved pucks, made slick plays along the boards and cleared the zone, driving play forward.

"We needed a couple of shifts to gain chemistry, but I thought me and Nuti did a great job tonight,” said Jones, Nutivaara's partner for the night and the game’s first star. "We were in the offense a little bit, and I thought it was a great first game for us."

As a team, the Jackets got out-possessed by the Leafs, with just 42% of the game’s shot attempts. The gap widened in the third, as the Leafs went into desperation mode. But Nutivaara was steady. His CF% of 48.72 may not jump off the stats sheet, but it was good enough for third place among Jackets defensemen, behind only Scott Harrington and Gabriel Carlsson, who each played just 11 minutes.

His play had a profound effect on the team’s top line, too. Artemi Panarin, Josh Anderson and Pierre-Luc Dubois each played 7:07 of five-on-five with Nutivaara last night, a little over half of their five-on-five ice time. When on the ice with Nutivaara, each player had a CF% of 70 or higher. Without? They collectively had a CF% of roughly 25.

After a disappointing week in which the Jackets had not one, but two 7-2 losses, seeing two young players fill in for the team’s two top stars the way these two Finns did is a great sign for the future.

The present is a bit more important though, given tonight’s matchup with the rival Pittsburgh Penguins. Bobrovsky is expected to be back in net, but if Werenski can’t go tonight, they’ll need a repeat performance from Nutivaara.

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