Columbus Blue Jackets goaltender Joonas Korpisalo made 85 saves on Wednesday night, and lost. Brayden Point scored with 9:33 remaining in the *fifth* overtime to give the Tampa Bay Lightning a 3-2 win over the Blue Jackets in Game of their Eastern Conference first-round playoff series (the game length even forced the NHL to move Bruins-Hurricanes Game 1 to Wednesday) .
Brayden Point puts an end to the 4th longest playoff game in NHL history!
What an epic Game 1 win for the @TBLightning. #GoBolts | #StanleyCup pic.twitter.com/0cdRih1XGg
— NBC Sports Hockey (@NBCSportsHockey) August 12, 2020
Stopping 85 of 88 shots, only to lose a playoff game, has to be an incredibly frustrating feeling.
YOU! SHALL NOT! PASS!#CBJ pic.twitter.com/eesTDTL6Rn
— Bally Sports Columbus (@BallySportsCBUS) August 12, 2020
Joonas Korpisalo…#CBJ pic.twitter.com/JCWKCKxD3a
— Bally Sports Columbus (@BallySportsCBUS) August 11, 2020
Korpisalo blew away the previous record for most saves in a playoff game- 73 saves by the New York Islanders’ Kelly Hrudey in 1987:
Through 4 overtimes vs the Lightning, Blue Jackets goalie Joonas Korpisalo has 85 saves, setting the NHL record for most saves in a playoff game.
The previous mark was 73, set by the Islanders' Kelly Hrudey on April 18, 1987, in a 4-OT, Game 7 win over the Capitals. pic.twitter.com/NFAnxSwqMb
— ESPN Stats & Info (@ESPNStatsInfo) August 12, 2020
Now, on the other side of the ice, Andrei Vasilevskiy was quite fantastic himself. Vasilevskiy stopped 61 of 63 shots to lead Tampa Bay to victory.
So, great goaltending and not much offense in Game 1. We’ll see if that changes in Game 2 on Thursday for these two teams, who will certainly appreciate the day off on Wednesday following this exhausting marathon.
About Matt Clapp
Matt is an editor/writer at The Comeback and Awful Announcing.
He can be reached by email at mclapp@thecomeback.com.