Blue Jackets shut out Maple Leafs in Game 1 of Cup Qualifiers
Korpisalo makes 28 saves; Atkinson gives Columbus lead early in third
Joonas Korpisalo made 28 saves for the shutout in his first NHL postseason game when the Columbus Blue Jackets defeated the Toronto Maple Leafs 2-0 in Game 1 of the Stanley Cup Qualifiers at Scotiabank Arena in Toronto on Sunday.
The shutout was the first in the postseason for the Blue Jackets, who entered the NHL in 2000-01 and have played 32 postseason games.
It was the first postseason meeting between the Blue Jackets, the No. 9 seed in the Eastern Conference, and the Maple Leafs, the No. 8 seed.
“I felt pretty confident from the get-go today and I think the boys played really good in front of me, battling for me to see the puck,” said Korpisalo, who has three NHL shutouts, including two in 35 starts this season. “That was awesome. That was fun today.”
Columbus coach John Tortorella named his starting goalie earlier in the day after previously referring to the choice between Korpisalo and rookie Elvis Merzlikins as “a coin toss.”
“Big part of the win, not a lot of wasted motion,” Tortorella said. “I thought both goalies played well. I just liked his demeanor also. We have two goalies with Elvis also. I’ll say it again, we’re not here playing if it’s not for those two guys, so we’re in a pretty good situation as far as that position is concerned.”
Frederik Andersen made 34 saves for Toronto, which was shut out once in 70 games during the regular season and ranked third in the League in goals per game (3.39).
“They play playoff hockey, this is playoff hockey,” Maple Leafs forward Zach Hyman said. “I thought we had our chances; we just couldn’t capitalize. You’re not going to win any games if you don’t score any goals. They got one, and we couldn’t get on the board.”
We see you Leafs Nation #LeafsForever pic.twitter.com/lg9nvOWVle
— Toronto Maple Leafs (@MapleLeafs) August 3, 2020
This was Auston Matthews' response: "Well, first of all, it's unfortunate that I'm getting a question from you at this point, Steve. I just wanted to say I didn't really appreciate the article you wrote about me a couple months ago. I thought it was a bit unethical to be honest."
— James Mirtle (@mirtle) August 3, 2020
For the record, I have no problem with what Auston Matthews said tonight. He's not a journalist. He's a pro athlete. If we weren't in this COVID situation, I'm sure we would have had the conversation face to face long before this.
— steve simmons (@simmonssteve) August 3, 2020
Zach Hyman perfectly summarizes it for the @MapleLeafs “If you don’t score a goal, you’re not going to win a game.” Lots of positives in this game for Leafs IMO. @BlueJacketsNHL are a strong team that forces you to earn everything. Tight game, tight series.
— Craig Button (@CraigJButton) August 3, 2020
Here is the full media availability with Morgan Rielly and Auston Matthews following the Leafs’ 2-0 loss to the Blue Jackets pic.twitter.com/lZyDuXhlHX
— (@dalter) August 3, 2020
Views through two#LeafsForever pic.twitter.com/Woky9LeI6p
— Toronto Maple Leafs (@MapleLeafs) August 3, 2020