1 Columbus Blue Jackets News Clips July 24, 2020 Columbus Blue
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Columbus Blue Jackets News Clips July 24, 2020 Columbus Blue Jackets PAGE 02: Columbus Dispatch: Blue Jackets goalies have little time to get on track PAGE 04: Columbus Dispatch: Blue Jackets’ Emil Bemstrom regains scoring touch after layoff PAGE 06: The Athletic: Sticking around: Jackets, goalie coach Manny Legace agree to multiyear extension PAGE 08: Toronto Sun: Blue Jackets centre not worried about shutting down Maple Leafs stars Cleveland Monsters/Prospects NHL/Websites PAGE 10: The Athletic: A night in the NHL bubble: What players can expect when they arrive in Toronto PAGE 15: The Athletic: Down Goes Brown: Ranking all 59 team names in NHL history, including the Kraken PAGE 23: Sportsnet.ca: NHL Qualifying Round Preview: Outlier stats that will matter in each series PAGE 29: Sportsnet.ca: NHL Training Camps Day 11: Rangers not ready to name starting goalie PAGE 31: TSN.ca: Vegas Golden Knights has shown Seattle Kraken a blueprint for long-term success PAGE 33: USA Today: Release the Kraken! Seattle, NHL's 32nd team, unveils name and logo 1 Columbus Dispatch / Blue Jackets goalies have little time to get on track By Brian Hedger – July 24, 2020 Ordinarily, it wouldn’t be much of a concern to see numerous pucks getting past a goaltender during scrimmages this early in a training camp. But most training camps are held in September, before an NHL season, and last nearly a month. They also include five or six preseason games, and after that goalies might still need a couple of more weeks of playing regularly to hone their timing and puck-tracking skills. In other words, there’s plenty of time. And that’s what is unique about the training camps the Blue Jackets and 23 other NHL teams are now conducting. It’s only week 2 of camps intended to prepare teams for the league’s adopted format to finish the 2019-20 season and time is already running out for goalies. "We practice a lot and it’s a little bit different than games," said Blue Jackets goalie Joonas Korpisalo, who had a tough start to this week by allowing 13 goals split between scrimmages Monday and Tuesday at the OhioHealth Ice Haus. "Of course, the intensity is really high (in practices), but it’s a different situation on the ice when it’s game time," Korpisalo said. "Timing-wise and things (like that), there’s a lot more happening when it’s a real game, so it’s a little bit different." Finding that timing is key for Korpisalo, fellow Jackets goaltender Elvis Merzlikins and other goalies in the upcoming postseason. Merzlikins hasn’t allowed nearly as many goals as Korpisalo in four scrimmages, but also hasn’t faced as many prime scoring chances. Those hoping for an assessment of the goalie competition from coach John Tortorella or goaltending coach Manny Legace haven’t gotten one yet — Tortorella declined to speak with reporters after a simulated game Tuesday — and there’s a good chance it might not happen until a decision is made. The Blue Jackets begin the postseason Aug. 2 with Game 1 of a five-game series in the qualifying round against the Toronto Maple Leafs on their home ice at Scotiabank Arena. That’s in 11 days and there will only be one preseason game, July 30 against Boston, for the Jackets to see both goalies in a true game setting. Neither has a shred of playoff experience in the NHL, either. "I’m not questioning, ‘How are they going to handle it?’ " Tortorella said last week, after saying both goalies proved themselves in the regular season. "I’m anxious to see who steps up and takes it, because it’s not going to be my decision. It’s going to be their decision, as far as who carries the ball here in (the) playoffs. I’m sure they’re both very excited for this opportunity." Korpisalo might be a little less enthusiastic at the moment. He took a lot of lumps in the Jackets’ past two scrimmages, allowing all six goals in a 6-0 loss Monday and then allowing four goals in the third period of a 7-3 defeat on Tuesday. To a casual observer, his timing appears off after four-plus months spent in Finland during the pandemic. That usually takes time and game action to correct, and those are two things that are scarcities for goalies of every playoff team. 2 Across NHL camps, Korpisalo probably is not alone in his early struggles to stop the puck, but there isn’t much time for him or other scuffling backstops to find a comfort level. "I’ve never played any playoff hockey in the NHL and I’m looking forward to it," Korpisalo said last week. "It’s a five-game series, so there’s no time to play any ‘off’ games. You’ve got to be ready on day 1." The Blue Jackets are counting on it, whether Korpisalo or Merzlikins is in net. "I feel a lot better about this situation (being) new to them than (when) it was new to them coming to play a regular season, because I think they’ve grown mentally," Tortorella said. "I do think both of them pull for one another and it’s a really healthy situation with those two guys. I’m anxious to see how it plays out." 3 Columbus Dispatch / Blue Jackets’ Emil Bemstrom regains scoring touch after layoff By Brian Hedger – July 24, 2020 Emil Bemstrom was just getting comfortable. The Blue Jackets’ rookie forward, known for a booming one-timer and goal-scoring prowess in his native Sweden, was starting to find his groove when the NHL suspended its season March 12 because of the coronavirus pandemic. In 10 games before the pause, Bemstrom scored five of his 10 goals to regain his scoring touch from a dynamic 2018-19 season in the Swedish Hockey League. The skills that allowed him to score a league- best 23 goals for Djurgardens were revealing themselves on a regular basis for the Jackets. Then it all came to a screeching halt. "It was kind of tough," said Bemstrom, 21, who returned to Sweden after the pause. "I think I had my best couple of games there at the end, (but) it’s the same for everyone. I just have to get right back to it." He appears on track, based on the Jackets’ scrimmages Monday and Tuesday at the OhioHealth Ice Haus. More than a week into a playoffs "training camp," Bemstrom is getting scoring opportunities and scored a jaw-dropping goal on Tuesday. After edging Seth Jones in a race to the puck off a long flip pass from Devin Shore, Bemstrom sent a quick backhand into the net for his first goal of camp. The shot and his hustle showed the kind of speed and skill that could be critical in the Jackets’ qualifying-round matchup against Toronto, a team loaded with elite talent and speed. "I had a lot of speed there and I skated by Jonesy," Bemstrom said with a smirk. "That doesn’t happen that often, I guess … I’ve been feeling very good the last couple of days here." Foligno out After missing a practice and scrimmage Monday, Nick Foligno watched Tuesday’s simulated game in street clothes with Josh Anderson, who is rehabbing after shoulder surgery on March 2. Anderson is listed as "unfit to play," the NHL’s new phrase to describe why players miss time. Foligno is listed as "unable to practice," wording that a team source said is meant to designate Anderson’s issue as a prior injury. The heightened level of secrecy is tied to an agreement between the NHL and its players association to maintain privacy for players testing positive for COVID-19. Drawing attention At the start of camp, the Jackets were divided into two practice groups — the first filled with NHL players and the second comprised mainly of players from the Cleveland Monsters. Among those in Group 2 were forwards Nathan Gerbe, Shore and Kevin Stenlund, each of whom played roles in keeping the Jackets in playoff contention despite a mountain of injuries. 4 The four-month break allowed most of those injuries to heal, so there is limited space within the Jackets’ rotation for those not in the main practice group. Gerbe, Shore and Stenlund all stood out — and scored — in a 7-3 victory for Shore’s "visiting" team on Tuesday. Gerbe, who had hernia surgery in March, has scored two scrimmage goals thus far. Shore’s play is picking up and Stenlund is beginning to show off a hard, accurate wrist shot, which he used to beat goalie Elvis Merzlikins from the top of the right face-off circle Tuesday. This and that Four of the 10 goals Tuesday were scored by Swedish forwards (Bemstrom, Stenlund, Gustav Nyquist and Alexander Wennberg). … Rookies Alexandre Texier and Liam Foudy switched teams before the third period. Coach John Tortorella declined to speak with reporters afterward and the Jackets were off Wednesday, so the reason is unknown. … About 30 masked spectators watched the scrimmage by looking through the exterior windows of the Ice Haus. 5 The Athletic / Sticking around: Jackets, goalie coach Manny Legace agree to multiyear extension By Aaron Portzline – July 24, 2020 COLUMBUS, Ohio — Goaltending coach Manny Legace has been with the Blue Jackets organization for seven years now, including the last two at the NHL level, where he helped steer the position through a turbulent transition with mostly stellar results.