This Boston Bruins Goalie Proved Why He Won the Backup Spot

Joonas Korpisalo proved why he won the backup spot during Opening Night at the Garden.

It was Opening Night at TD Garden on Thursday night, and a back to back game for the Bruins, which means Joonas Korpisalo got the start in net. Korpisalo was playing with a chip on his shoulder and made sure that everyone knew who he was and where he stood on the team.

During training camp, Korpisalo had to fight against Michael DiPietro to solidify himself as the main backup goaltender for the regular season. He won that battle and got his first start of the season on Opening Night at the Garden.

Korpisalo Stands On His Head Once Again

Korpisalo ended the game with 21 saves on the 24 shots he faced, leading to a .879 save percentage on the night. He stood on his head throughout the night, keeping the Bruins in the game. The game ended up going into overtime, where Korpisalo made sure that nothing was going to get past him and his team was going to have the chance to win.

His best save of the game came in overtime against Frank Nazar in a 2-on-1 alone after the Bruins had their own 2-on-1 that ended in the breakout for the Blackhawks. There were other great saves during the duration of the game but that was the key moment of the game for the Bruins.

Korpisalo allowed the 2-on-1 breakaway that led to the Fraser Minten goal in overtime, which ultimately led to the win for the Bruins. If Korpisalo did not save either of the shots from the Chicago Blackhawks during overtime, especially the behind-the-back block off of the shot from Nazar, the Blackhawks would have walked away with the win.

If he had played any other way during the game, this would of been probably a blow out win for the Chicago Blackhawks, compared to a 4-3 overtime win for the Boston Bruins.

Korpisalo had voiced his frustration at the end of last season about how he only had appearances in 27 games, while starting only 24. The way he played tonight might just submit him to some more playing time.

Browns’ OC Tommy Rees Shares Plans for New OT Cam Robinson After Limited Debut

The Cleveland Browns have been very busy on the trade market over the past couple of weeks, as they have swung three separate deals recently that have shaken up their roster. The first of that bunch saw them acquire offensive lineman Cam Robinson and a seventh-round pick in the 2027 NFL Draft from the Houston Texans in exchange for a sixth-round pick in the 2027 draft.

With Dawand Jones suffering a season-ending knee injury in Week 3, the Browns needed some more help at left tackle, which prompted them to make a move for the veteran Robinson. After playing sparingly in his first game with his new team, though, offensive coordinator Tommy Rees opened up on what Robinson’s role with Cleveland will be moving forward.

Tommy Rees Dishes on Cam Robinson

In addition to trading for Robinson, the Browns have also sent Joe Flacco to the Cincinnati Bengals after he was benched in favor of Dillon Gabriel and acquired Tyson Campbell from the Jacksonville Jaguars, with Greg Newsome II going the other way. Of these three moves, though, Robinson’s could end up being the most important given the team’s need for help at left tackle.

Even though Robinson turned in one of the best seasons of his career last year, this is his fourth team in the past 12 months. Robinson started the 2024 campaign with the Jaguars before getting traded to the Minnesota Vikings. In free agency over the offseason, Robinson signed with the Texans, but he quickly lost his starting job at left tackle, leading to him getting sent to the Browns.

Robinson started Cleveland’s first offensive series in its Week 5 loss to the Minnesota Vikings before KT Leveston took over for him, which led to questions about Robinson’s role with the team moving forward. Rees refused to commit to Robinson as the team’s starter at left tackle in Week 6, but it sounds like his role should be expected to increase moving forward.

“Hard week for Cam. You come here and then all of a sudden, you’re going to Europe,” Rees said on Thursday. “We felt like he did a nice job during the week. We had a plan going into the game, get his feet wet a little bit, see how it continues to go. and evaluate him from there. He did a nice job for us a week ago getting ready to play, and we’ll continue to build on that.”

Will Cam Robinson Start for the Browns in Week 6?

It remains to be seen whether or not Robinson will start in Week 6, but the situation has been made a bit more complicated due to Leveston dealing with a calf injury that has limited him at practice on both Wednesday and Thursday. With Robinson not being on the injury report, could that lead to Cleveland taking the training wheels off for him sooner than expected?

The Browns draw a tough matchup in Week 6 against the Pittsburgh Steelers, with their longtime division rival featuring a strong pass rush led by T.J. Watt and Alex Highsmith. If Cleveland’s offensive line doesn’t hold up, it could be a long day for Gabriel under center in this one. Kickoff is scheduled for 1 p.m. ET on Sunday afternoon, and fans will be paying close attention to Robinson to see how much he plays after his limited debut in Week 5.

Sport

Powered by Metaconex