Joonas Korpisalo’s first night with the Rangers delivered exactly the kind of reset he was looking for.
After missing the first month of the season with a lower-body injury, the former Bruins goalie finally got into the crease Saturday afternoon in Seattle and made the most of it, stopping 25 shots in New York’s 4-3 win over the Kraken. The result pushed the Rangers into third place in the Metropolitan Division after Saturday night’s results.
The Rangers made life easier early. They struck for three goals in the first 14 minutes, then tacked on another in the second period to build a 4-0 cushion heading into the third. But the finish got messy fast, as Seattle chipped away with goals from Kaapo Kakko, Jordan Eberle, and Vince Dunn to pull within one.
Korpisalo still closed the door when it mattered.
“4-0 lead, maybe we didn’t have our foot on the gas as much (in the third period),” Korpisalo said, per NHL.com. “They scored one early, they got the momentum, and it’s such a small thing that happens and it kind of turn (the game) all the way around. But it turns out to be a one-goal game.”
For Boston, Korpisalo’s departure came last summer on July 1, when general manager Don Sweeney sent him to New York to end his two-year stint with the Bruins. The move came after Korpisalo had already made his frustration known about limited playing time in Boston, where Jeremy Swayman had signed a monster deal before the 2024-25 season and handled most of the starts.
Korpisalo had originally arrived from the Ottawa Senators as part of the return for Linus Ullmark, then returned for a second Bruins season in 2025-26. But with Swayman taking the bulk of the work in a compacted schedule that also included NHL players going to the Olympics in February, the fit never really opened up the way Korpisalo wanted.
The trade to the Rangers was supposed to give him a new lane as Igor Shesterkin’s backup. Instead, the injury delayed his debut until Saturday, when he finally got his first chance to show what he could do in New York.
Boston’s side of the deal also made sense for roster reasons. Moving Korpisalo opened a spot for Michael DiPietro to serve as a cheaper backup behind Swayman, while also avoiding the risk of losing him on waivers if the Bruins tried to send him to the Providence Bruins in the American Hockey League.
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Bruins Bring New-Look Lineup Into A Big Spot Vs Panthers
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