Bruins fans hoping for some rest and recovery for some of the team’s top talents during the Olympic break were dealt another blow Tuesday.
That’s because the Bruins will have yet another player heading over to Milan to represent his country, with Bruins goaltender Joonas Korpisalo officially named to Finland’s roster. Korpisalo’s late addition to the Finnish roster comes as a result of Buffalo netminder Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen ruled out due to a lower-body injury.
Now in his second season with the Bruins, Korpisalo’s Olympic nod comes in the midst of a season that’s included a 10-8-1 record and .895 save percentage through 21 appearances (19 starts).
But Korpisalo has really turned his game on since the Bruins returned from their Christmas break, with a 4-1-1 record and .927 save percentage since Dec. 27. That .927 save percentage ranks third among goaltenders with at least six starts over that span.
Korpisalo joins a Finland goalie room that already features the Preds’ Juuse Saros and Vancouver’s Kevin Lankinen as its top two options as of right now, and beat out Ottawa’s Leevi Meriläinen, Anaheim’s Ville Husso, and Nashville backup Justus Annunen for the nod. And for Korpisalo, this will be the first time he’s represented his country in international play since the 2017 World Championships.
Korpisalo’s invite to the Olympics brings the Bruins up to nine reps in this year’s games, with the Boston backup set to join Henri Jokiharju on Finland’s roster, and play against teammates Hampus Lindholm and Elias Lindholm (Sweden), David Pastrnak and Pavel Zacha (Czechia), Charlie McAvoy and Jeremy Swayman (USA), and Dans Locmelis (Latvia).