Joonas Korpisalo ‘Felt Ok’ In Rangers Debut After Long IR Stint

Joonas Korpisalo made his long-awaited return on Saturday night, helping propel the New York Rangers to a 4-3 win over the Seattle Kraken.

After the Rangers’ opening-night game on Sept. 29, Korpisalo was placed on injured reserve due to a lower-body injury.

Dylan Garand was forced to start 10 of the Rangers’ 11 games leading into Saturday night in the wake of Igor Shesterkin’s season-ending injury.

Now, with Korpisalo healthy, the Rangers intend to split the goaltending load.

“To get Korpy back is huge for us. He’s obviously a quality goaltender,” Mike Sullivan said. “It gives us the ability to share the workload a little bit. We’re excited to get him back in the mix, but I think the guys did a great job. Nobody’s looking for excuses.

“We’re trying to win with the group that we have, and the expectations don’t change. That’s the mindset. That’s the approach we’ve all taken.”

Prior to Saturday night’s game, Korpisalo joined the Hartford Wolf Pack for a conditioning stint, starting in the team’s 4-1 loss to the Hershey Bears on Wednesday night, in which he made 34 saves on 37 shots.

“I had that one game in Hartford, and that helped me a lot,” Korpisalo said. “Conditioning and all that felt awesome. I think it's more like just these tiny, tiny details (from a) goalie standpoint.”

The 32-year-old goaltender made 25 saves on 28 shots in his debut with the Rangers, holding a shutout going into the third period before giving up three unanswered goals.

“Felt ok," Korpisalo said after Saturday night’s game. "There's stuff to clean up, but it's going to get better as we move on.”

The Rangers acquired Korpisalo from the Boston Bruins on July 1 in exchange for a 2028 fourth-round pick and prospect Kalle Väisänen.