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Blue Jackets juggling another goaltending shortage amid spate of injuries
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- Blue Jackets juggling another goaltending shortage amid spate of injuries
Losing your starting goalie is never good, especially when the backup is already out.
It's a rare scenario, but the Blue Jackets have now dealt with it twice this season. Elvis Merzlikins , the top netminder, has been ruled out against the Buffalo Sabres on Sunday with a lower-body injury and backup Joonas Korpisalo (lower body) was set to miss his second straight game with his own issue.
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Both are listed as "day-to-day," and neither can back up AHL journeyman Jean-Francois Berube, who got the nod after being recalled Wednesday in Chicago as an emergency replacement for Korpisalo.
"It's been a long time since I was back in the NHL," Berube noted after the Jackets' morning meeting Sunday. "Obviously, I'm more than ready for this opportunity and I'll make the best of it."
Indeed, Berube, 30, hasn't played in the NHL since April 6, 2018 with the Chicago Blackhawks , a four-year span covering 1,416 days. He spent one previous season (18-19) with the Blue Jackets' organization but didn't log NHL time in net.
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Berube then played for the AHL's Lehigh Valley Phantoms, Hartford Wolf Pack and Ontario Reign before returning to the Blue Jackets this season with a professional tryout offer in training camp . He earned a one-year, two-way deal with a solid showing in the preseason and has played 17 games for the Monsters at the AHL level.
His opportunity to start would've gone to Daniil Tarasov, who made his NHL debut Dec. 2 in Dallas under similar circumstances , but the Russian rookie is out indefinitely with a lower-body injury. That means the Blue Jackets are playing Buffalo without their starter, backup and backup-to-the-backup, which is less than ideal for a team looking to build on a 4-1-0 road trip.
Berube's numbers for the Monsters this year are less than impressive — a bloated 3.37 goals-against average and .891 save percentage — but should be considered in the context of Cleveland's struggles as a team.
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"At the end of the day, I'm always preparing to be back here," Berube said. "Whether I'm in the AHL or whatever, I know I'm always just a call away from being back here. My preparation has been the same. It's just another hockey game for me. I'm definitely excited for this moment … it's been a lot of hard work."
As for Berube's backup, the Jackets announced that Monsters rookie Jet Greaves, 20, signed a three-year NHL entry-level contract and would join the team in Columbus for the game.
Jet Greaves adds goaltending depth for Blue Jackets
Greaves signed an AHL deal with the Monsters in July as an undrafted free agent out of the Ontario Hockey League.
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He was solid during NHL training camp in Columbus and has split the season between the Monsters and ECHL's Kalamazoo Wings. The Jackets' decision to sign Greaves, rather than recalling journeyman Cam Johnson, says a lot about both goalies.
Greaves, who's undersized at 6-foot, 170 pounds, is now officially a Blue Jackets prospect. Johnson, 27, remains in the team's doghouse for not meeting the team's standards for physical conditioning in September. He was sent away from camp after the first day because of it.
Johnson's NHL deal runs out after this season, and it's now clear the Blue Jackets have no designs on recalling him, unless another injury forces that decision.
Johnson excelled with the ECHL's Florida Everblades starting out, going 8-3-2 with a 1.85 GAA and .923 save percentage, but is 1-3-1 with a 2.88 GAA and .877 save percentage with Cleveland. Greaves went 10-5-0 with a 3.05 GAA and .907 save percentage in Kalamazoo, but is 4-6-0 with a 3.10 GAA and .898 save percentage for the Monsters.
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The Monsters signed ECHL goalie Chris Nell to a PTO on Sunday to fill out their roster with Johnson.
Blue Jackets forward Justin Danforth returns from knee injury
It took longer than expected, but first-year forward Justin Danforth has returned to the Blue Jackets' lineup. Danforth was activated off injured reserve Saturday and will play Sunday against the Sabres, prompting rookie Trey Fix-Wolansky's reassignment to Cleveland.
Danforth, 28, missed seven-plus weeks with a sprained MCL in his left knee, which occurred Dec. 30 against the Nashville Predators. He'd worked his way into a semi-regular spot in the Blue Jackets' lineup prior to the injury, skating on either the third or fourth lines as a fast, hard-nosed forechecker.
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"It feels great," said Danforth, who chipped in two goals and two assists in 13 games before the injury. "It's tough when you get injured, and seven weeks is a long time not to have a game. I'm looking forward to (playing again)."
bhedger@dispatch.com
@BrianHedger
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This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Merzlikins, Korpisalo injuries leave Blue Jackets short on goalies
