The LA Kings Goalie Controversy No One Saw Coming

Upon his arrival in Hollywood, Korpisalo began his career in LA on a three-game win streak, eventually losing to the Vancouver Canucks on Mar. 18. Although he rebounded with a solid win over the Winnipeg Jets a week later, he’s struggled to collect wins since that night, dropping contests to the Edmonton Oilers, Calgary Flames, and Vegas Golden Knights.

Furthermore, everyone knows the Kings have not been the same since a handful of key players like Mikey Anderson, Gabriel Vilardi, Kevin Fiala, and Alex Edler have sustained various injuries changing the team dynamics. Nevertheless, Korpisalo is still responsible for stopping pucks, and he should be used to subpar performances from the team in front of him after years in Columbus.

However, with vital playoff positioning on the line in the finals weeks, the newly acquired Finnish netminder has continued to make saves but has been unable to bail out a team that has witnessed their offensive production come to a stretching halt. Until the recent debacle against the Golden Knights (five goals against), Korpisalo had not surrendered more than two goals in a single game, which is the definition of playoff hockey.

During the NHL’s second season, teams don’t win games 8-7 or 4-1; these games are always closer, and preventing a team from scoring more than a couple of goals is one sure way to guarantee success in the playoffs.

In his last four games, Korpisalo’s record is 1-3-0 with a 4.00 GAA and .908 SV%. As much as people want to blame the team in front of him, it is still his responsibility to prevent pucks from going in.