After a solid 2024-25 season that saw some Boston Bruins fans wondering if he should be getting more starts, Joonas Korpisalo hasn't been able to carry it over into the 2025-26 season. It's unfortunate for the Bruins, as Jeremy Swayman looks like his old self after a tough year last season, and getting both goalies rolling would be a massive help. However, this season, and at least over the past three games, Korpisalo's starts feel like a scheduled loss.
The Bruins haven't been as stingy as they'd like this season, despite Marco Sturm attempting to revamp the team's structure. It's partly a learning curve in the new system, which Sturm warned everyone about, and another issue has been injuries, notably a brief absence for Hampus Lindholm and now an extended absence for Charlie McAvoy.
Ty Anderson was back on X with one of his infamous lists on Friday afternoon, as Korpisalo allowed a goal on the second shot of the game, less than four minutes in. Anderson's stat this season is the number of times the Bruins' goalies allowed a goal within the first three shots of the game. While it's meant to be a Bruins stat, Korpisalo has been the one to do it in seven of his ten starts.
That doesn't mean that Swayman isn't guilty of the same issue. The Bruins have done it 13 times in their 26 games this season, meaning Swayman has done it 6 times himself. However, the Bruins' starter has obviously played in 6 more games than Korpisalo, meaning he hasn't done it nearly as frequently.
The toughest thing for a team in the NHL is to have to chase a lead. It isn't as hard as it used to be, as you hardly ever see teams shut it down into a trap as they did in the past, but it's still not a trend that teams want to have. The Bruins knew that chasing a lead wasn't their path to success this season, and you're starting to see them fall in the standings because of it.
Swayman will get the majority of the games going forward, but it's worth wondering if the Bruins are going to consider making a change with their backup. The Providence Bruins have two goalies in Michael Dipietro and Simon Zajicek, who are playing lights out to start the year. Korpisalo's leash might be getting shorter.
