The Columbus Blue Jackets have announced that they will be without goaltender Sergei Bobrovsky as they get set to take on the Edmonton Oilers. The news was first reported by Blue Jackets insider Jeff Svoboda via Twitter.
Blue Jackets Sergei Bobrovsky Out Thursday Night
Sergei Bobrovsky is “nicked” in the words of John Tortorella. Korpisalo to start, Kinkaid to back up #CBJ
— Jeff Svoboda (@JacketsInsider) March 21, 2019
Svoboda tweets that John Tortorella describes Bobrovsky as being “nicked up.” However, when he was asked by The Athletic’s Aaron Portzline if “nicked up” meant the injury would be short-term, Tortorella declined to discuss it further.
#CBJ G Sergei Bobrovsky declined, through a spokesman, to chat with media today.
Asked Tortorella if his word “nicked” suggested Bobrovsky’s injury wasn’t short-term, but he wouldn’t discuss it further.
— Aaron Portzline (@Aportzline) March 21, 2019
In 55 appearances this season, Bobrovsky has a record of 31-23-1. He has a goals-against average of 2.72 and a save percentage of .909. But he has also registered six shutouts.
Over his career, Sergei Bobrovsky has a record of 249-152-37 in 440 appearances. As well, he has a goals-against average of 2.48 and a save percentage of .919. He has recorded 30 shutouts over that time.
What This Means for the Future
Bobrovsky’s injury could not come at a worse time for the Blue Jackets. The club is currently battling for one of the final wild-card positions with the Montreal Canadiens and the Carolina Hurricanes. However, the Blue Jackets are currently one point up the Canadiens for the final position. Also, they are three points back of the Hurricanes for the top wild-card spot going into action on Thursday night. Losing their top netminder for any length of time would drastically hurt their chances of making the playoffs.
With Bobrovsky out, Joonas Korpisalo will get the start on Thursday night, with Keith Kinkaid serving as his backup. In 24 appearances this season, Korpisalo has a record of 9-6-3 with a goals-against average of 2.91 and a save percentage of .901.
Finally, if the injury does end up being serious, it could be the last we see of Bobrovsky in Columbus. Bobrovsky is in the final year of his contract. This means he is set to become an unrestricted free agent at seasons end. Also, he has made it clear he will be testing the open market. If Bobrovsky is forced to miss an extended period of time, the Blue Jackets will likely miss the playoffs and watch Bobrovsky walk away from the club on July 1.
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