CBJ Today: The mental game inside a shootout

Each weekday this season, BlueJackets.com will post CBJ Today, a look at news, notes, analysis and fun stuff from around the Blue Jackets world. It's everything you need to know if you're a fan going into the day.

A Little Shootout Insight

I'm not a professional athlete by any stretch of the imagination. But something that always intrigues me is just how much strategic preparation to put into a certain part of the game.
There are times when I hit the links or the ice and think through what I'm about to do and it pays dividends. There are other times where sometimes I just let instinct take over, and that can work, too.
It's a fine line teams and players always walk. In the NHL, for example, you have every possible piece of data available to you to prepare for the opposition, but at one point does it become too much? That's why head coach John Tortorella's strategy for regular season games is simple -- prepare the Jackets for what the opponent will do on special teams but otherwise just let Columbus play its game, preferring not to overwhelm the team with tailored strategic info at 5-on-5.
Another fascinating place this comes into play is in the shootout. As a goalie and a shooter, how much do you want to know about the opposite man's tendencies vs. just letting it rip and trusting your skills?
For CBJ goalie Joonas Korpisalo, experience has told him to go toward the latter.
"I used to do shootout videos before every game and I don't think it helped me too much," the CBJ goalie said after Dallas' Alex Radulov scored the lone goal in the shootout yesterday. "I started thinking about what they could do so I'm not watching them at all. I try to go out there and trust my instincts and not think too much about what they could do."
So far this year, Korpisalo has stopped six of 10 shootout shots against, a save percentage of .600 that places him tied for 27th among the 45 NHL goalies that have taken part in a shootout. Of course, this is a small sample size, so it's hard to read too much into it; in his NHL career, Korpisalo is 6-6 in shootouts with a .691 save percentage, a number that falls right around the league average.
He was left disappointed he couldn't stop Radulov's move, though he had to admit the quick backhand shot was a nifty move by someone with some of the best hands in the league.
"A great move," Korpisalo said. "He got me stuck there. I took the bait. I thought he was gonna go low blocker, and he pulled it on the backhand and scored over my pad. Good move."
On the other side, the bigger frustration is Columbus went 0-for-3 on its shots and didn't hit the net with any of them, though they came close. Cam Atkinson, one of the team's best breakaway players for years, tried to play against type and take a slap shot but missed the top corner. Patrik Laine, whose shot has made him one of the best shootout players in the NHL in recent years, just shot wide of the left post.
Then Max Domi made the best move of them all, deking and cleanly beating Dallas goalie Jake Oettinger only to fire just high of the net with his shot.
Tortorella has said the Blue Jackets don't practice shootouts a ton, which is true, though they seemingly have done a few more shootout competitions in recent weeks as they've tried to have more fun in practice. He has his list, though, but doesn't interfere too much with players as they get ready to go.
"I leave it up to the players," he said when asked if he was disappointed to see the Jackets miss the net Sunday. "They're trying (to score). I think Max's move, Max has the best chance. I thought it was the right move, he just shot it over the net. But they're trying."

Welcome Mikko, Josh

In case you missed it, the Blue Jackets have made a pair of acquisitions since late Friday,
trading for NHL-ready defenseman Mikko Lehtonen
and also
inking college free agent Josh Dunne
.
Lehtonen is the player who could have a much more immediate impact on the Blue Jackets, as he will join the team's taxi squad once the former Toronto defenseman arrives and clears quarantine. He has played nine games this year with the Maple Leafs, totaling three assists for Toronto.
He was added in a trade that sent goalie Veini Vevhilainen, a 2018 sixth-round draft pick of the CBJ who made his NHL debut just six days prior, to the Leafs. But it's a calculated gamble for the Blue Jackets, who went hard after Lehtonen when he wanted to come to North America last summer after a standout run overseas.
The Turku, Finland, native spent the 2019-20 season with Jokerit -- the team that CBJ general manager Jarmo Kekalainen used to lead in Finland -- of the KHL, where he impressed with a 17-32-49 line in 60 games a year ago. That made him quite an intriguing free agent, but he ended up signing with Toronto this offseason.
Lehtonen started this year on loan with Jokerit again thanks to the pandemic then came over to join the Leafs, where he found consistent playing time hard to come by. At 27 years old, he's not exactly a spring chicken, but he possesses good skills running a power play and is a reasonable bet to at least earn some NHL playing time at some point.
Dunne, meanwhile, is a bit of a familiar name. He came to Columbus for the team's 2019 development camp, though he didn't see the ice because of a physical issue, and is the brother of Jessica Dunne and Jincy Dunne, both of whom played for the Ohio State women's hockey program. Jincy, in particular, is a notable name as she has a great chance to make the U.S. Olympic team in 2022.
The Dunnes hail from St. Louis but have become quite comfortable in Columbus, and the Clarkson connection - Kekalainen played his college hockey there, among other ties - continues. Josh was a standout for the Golden Knights last year, totaling a 13-14-27 line in 32 games, but had just two goals and five points in 12 games this season.
He brings a big body, though, at 6-foot-4 and could be a good addition with some polish a la Eric Robinson. He'll report to Cleveland and add immediate depth to the Monsters.

One Last Preps Note

OK, this isn't a CBJ note, but I do think it's cool that the Blue Jackets have made it a point to host the state high school championship weekend in recent years. What can I say? I'm an Ohioan. High school sports are part of my blood.
While this year's championship had to move to the OhioHealth Ice Haus rather than Nationwide Arena because of COVID protocols, it was still a spirted event, capping off by a great state championship game Sunday. It was a tight affair throughout, with Toledo St. Francis earning its third crown in school history with a 2-1 victory over traditional power Lakewood St. Edward.

I must admit I've watched the dogpile of Toledo St. Francis more than a few times since Sunday afternoon. The coolest thing about sports is seeing how it can bring people together, and to get to see a high school community celebrating a state title like St. Francis did Sunday will always be enjoyable. It's even more true after what's happened over the past year with COVID, with last year's state championship canceled because of the virus after the Knights already had qualified.
Congrats to not just St. Francis as well as all four teams who competed in the state championship weekend.