Blue Jackets' Elvis Merzlikins: Still away from team
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Merzlikins (personal) didn't participate in Monday's morning skate and won't be in the lineup for Monday's home matchup versus New Jersey, Jeff Svoboda of the Blue Jackets' official site reports.
Merzlikins will miss his second straight game. Jet Greaves will start Monday's game versus the Devils, and Daniil Tarasov will be the backup netminder. Merzlikins has posted a 22-18-4 record with one shutout, a 3.04 GAA and an .896 save percentage through 44 appearances this season.
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Blue Jackets' Elvis Merzlikins: Gets little help in loss
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Merzlikins stopped 25 of 28 shots in Thursday's 4-0 loss to the Golden Knights, with Vegas' final goal getting scored into an empty net.
Columbus' skaters couldn't solve Adin Hill in the other crease, giving Merzlikins no margin for error. The loss was the fourth straight for the 30-year-old, a stretch in which the streaky netminder has a 3.82 GAA and an .885 save percentage. The Blue Jackets are still clinging to the final wild-card spot in the Eastern Conference, but they might need Merzlikins to get hot over the final weeks of the regular season if they're going to close the deal.
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Blue Jackets' Elvis Merzlikins: Unavailable for personal reasons
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Merzlikins (personal) is temporarily unavailable, Aaron Portzline of The Athletic reports Friday.
That would explain why Jet Greaves was recalled from the minors on an emergency basis. It seems Merzlikins won't be an option Saturday versus the Rangers, so look for either Greaves or Daniil Tarasov to get the start. Merzlikins has a 22-18-4 record, 3.04 GAA and .896 save percentage in 44 appearances in 2024-25.
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Blue Jackets' Elvis Merzlikins: Gets starting nod Thursday
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Merzlikins will defend the home crease versus Vegas on Thursday, Mark Scheig of The Hockey Writers reports.
Merzlikins has lost his last three games, allowing 12 goals on 102 shots (.882 save percentage). The losing streak has raised his GAA to 3.04, while lowering his save percentage to .896 this season. Merzlikins is 22-17-4 with one shutout. The Golden Knights are generating 3.34 goals per game in 2024-25, fifth in the NHL.
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Blue Jackets' Elvis Merzlikins: Burned in New Jersey
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Merzlikins turned aside 23 shots in Tuesday's 5-3 loss to the Devils.
New Jersey struck three times in the first period and Columbus was never able to get level, handing Merzlikins his third straight loss. The 30-year-old netminder has given up 12 goals on 102 shots during that skid, and he's allowed five goals on three different occasions since the beginning of February, posting a 3-6-1 record, 3.54 GAA and .894 save percentage across his last 10 outings.
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Blue Jackets' Elvis Merzlikins: Gets starting nod versus Devils
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Merzlikins will be between the pipes on the road against New Jersey on Tuesday, Jeff Svoboda of the Blue Jackets' official site reports.
Merzlikins has been all over the place in terms of consistency of late, winning three in a row, followed by a four-game skid, another three-game winning streak and now having lost his last two. During those swings, the netminder posted a 2.84 GAA and a .913 save percentage in 12 appearances, so it may come down to how much offensive support he can get from his teammates versus the Devils.
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Blue Jackets' Elvis Merzlikins: Makes 33 saves, still loses
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Merzlikins stopped 33 of 35 shots in Thursday's 3-0 loss to the Panthers. The third goal was an empty-netter with 2:12 left in the third period.
Based on the fact that the Blue Jackets suffered a 3-0 loss, there's not much more that the team could've asked out of Merzlikins in this game. The two goals he conceded came on the power play by Sam Reinhart and Mackie Samoskevich. He has now given up seven goals on 74 shots across his last two starts, losing both, but he'll aim to bounce back in his next start, presumably against the Rangers on Sunday.
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Blue Jackets' Elvis Merzlikins: Slated to start Thursday
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Merzlikins is expected to patrol the visiting crease in Florida on Thursday, according to Jeff Svoboda of the Blue Jackets' official site.
Merzlikins saw his three-game winning streak come to an end Tuesday in Tampa Bay, as he gave up five goals on 39 shots in a 6-2 loss. The 30-year-old netminder is 22-15-4 with a 3.02 GAA and an .896 save percentage over 41 contests in 2024-25. The Panthers are generating 3.26 goals per game this season, seventh in the NHL.
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Blue Jackets' Elvis Merzlikins: Three-game win streak snapped
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Merzlikins made 34 saves in a 6-2 loss to Tampa Bay on Tuesday. He allowed five goals.
The big guns had Merzlikins in a corner all night. Nikita Kucherov had a goal and two assists, while Victor Hedman and Jake Guentzel each had two goals and an assist. Elvis had won three straight (and the Jackets had won four in a row) prior to Tuesday. Merzlikins has the Blue Jackets in the top Wild Card spot; the team last made the postseason in 2020. Despite this rough start, he's a solid activation as Columbus surges.
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Blue Jackets' Elvis Merzlikins: Between pipes against Tampa
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Merzlikins will tend the twine on the road versus Tampa Bay on Tuesday, Jeff Svoboda of the Blue Jackets' official site reports.
Merzlikins has bounced back from a disappointing start to February, which saw him lose four straight, with a three-game winning streak. With no back-to-backs in the short-term schedule, the 30-year-old backstop figures to see plenty of starts down the stretch, especially with the Jackets currently in a playoff spot.
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Blue Jackets' Elvis Merzlikins: Comes up big in outdoor win
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Merzlikins made 43 saves in Saturday's 5-3 win over the Red Wings.
In the first ever outdoor game for the franchise, Columbus got out-shot a whopping 46-21 by Detroit, but Merzlikins set a new season high in saves to help secure his third straight win. The 30-year-old netminder is up to 22 wins on the season, his best total since he won a career-high 27 in 2021-22, but his overall performance hasn't really improved and he's mostly benefitted from better team play around him by the Jackets. On the season, Merzlikins sports a 2.97 GAA and .897 save percentage in 40 outings.
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Blue Jackets' Elvis Merzlikins: Facing Detroit
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Merzlikins will patrol the home crease against the Red Wings on Saturday, Mark Scheig of The Hockey Writers reports.
Merzlikins has won his last two outings, stopping 45 of 50 shots. He has a 21-14-4 record with one shutout, a 2.96 GAA and an .895 save percentage through 39 appearances this season. Detroit is tied for 17th in the league with 2.88 goals per game in 2024-25.
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Blue Jackets' Elvis Merzlikins: Earns win in subpar effort
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Merzlikins stopped 19 of 23 shots in Tuesday's 6-4 win over the Stars.
Merzlikins has won his two starts following the break while stopping 46 of the 51 shots he's faced. However, it's clear the offense bailed him out Tuesday, as he posted a .826 save percentage while facing a mere 19 shots -- it was only the eighth time he faced less than 20 shots in a game this season. Merzlikins will try to extend the winning streak to three games the next time he has to defend Columbus' crease. The team's upcoming two games are against the Red Wings on Thursday and Saturday, respectively.
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Blue Jackets' Elvis Merzlikins: Between pipes against Stars
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Merzlikins will tend the twine for Tuesday's home tilt versus Dallas, Mark Scheig of The Hockey Writers reports.
Merzlikins is coming off a 27-save victory over the Blackhawks on Saturday that ended a four-game losing streak for the backstop. Tuesday's tilt will be the sixth straight appearance for the 30-year-old netminder, a trend of heavy work that figures to continue into the closing weeks of the 2024-25 campaign.
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Blue Jackets' Elvis Merzlikins: Stops 27 shots in win
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Merzlikins stopped 27 of 28 shots in Saturday's 5-1 win over the Blackhawks.
Outside of the Blackhawks' lone goal in the second period, Merzlikins tended a clean game overall. With Saturday's win, the 30-year-old goaltender eclipsed the 20-win mark on the season. Across 38 appearances, Merzlikins has a 20-14-4 record with a 2.94 GAA and an .897 save percentage. Saturday was his first victory of February after winning nine of his previous 11 performances before that. In fantasy, Merzlikins doesn't distinguish himself, but Columbus has been better than expected in 2024-25, which has led to his record being adequate even if his GAA and save percentage leave plenty to be desired. His next opportunity to defend the net is Tuesday against the Stars.
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Blue Jackets' Elvis Merzlikins: Expected to start Saturday
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Merzlikins is slated to patrol the home crease versus Chicago on Saturday, per Mark Scheig of The Hockey Writers.
Merzlikins struggled in his last four games before the break, going 0-3-1 while allowing 15 goals on 133 shots (.887 save percentage). Merzlikins is 19-14-4 with one shutout, a 2.99 GAA and an .895 save percentage across 37 starts this season. The Blackhawks are averaging 2.69 goals per game, 28th in the league in 2024-25.
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Blue Jackets' Elvis Merzlikins: Busy in Saturday's loss
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Merzlikins stopped 36 shots in Saturday's 4-3 loss to the Rangers.
The Blue Jackets were out-shot 40-25 on the night, and Merzlikins was especially hung out to dry in the third period as he tried to protect a 3-2 lead -- Columbus managed only four shots on Jonathan Quick while surrendering 17. Merzlikins will get a much-needed rest as the NHL pauses for the 4 Nations Face-Off, as the 30-year-old netminder has gone 0-3-1 with a 3.79 GAA and .887 save percentage while starting four straight games.
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Blue Jackets' Elvis Merzlikins: Between pipes Saturday
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Merzlikins will guard the home cage against the Rangers on Saturday, according to Mark Scheig of The Hockey Writers.
Merzlikins hasn't been at his best over the last three games, as the 30-year-old netminder is 0-2-1 while allowing 11 goals on 93 shots (.882 save percentage). He is 19-13-4 with a 2.96 GAA and an .895 save percentage across 36 appearances this season. Merzlikins will face the Rangers, who dropped a 3-2 decision to Pittsburgh on Friday. New York is averaging 2.96 goals per game this season, 14th in the NHL.
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Blue Jackets' Elvis Merzlikins: Falls to Utah in OT
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Merzlikins made 30 saves in Thursday's 3-2 overtime loss to Utah.
There wasn't much Merzlikins could do on the game-winner -- Connor Ingram cleared the puck from his own end off the glass with less than a minute left in overtime, and it took a wild bounce off the glass to spring Dylan Guenther for a breakaway. Even then, Merzlikins denied Guenther's initial shot, but he couldn't get in front of the rebound. Merzlikins has dropped three straight decisions, but he's given up more than three goals only once in his last eight outings, going 4-3-1 over that stretch with a 2.38 GAA and .916 save percentage.
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Blue Jackets' Elvis Merzlikins: In goal Thursday
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Merzlikins will get the starting nod at home versus Utah on Thursday, Mark Scheig of The Hockey Writers reports.
Merzlikins has dropped two straight games in which he posted a combined 4.19 GAA and .867 save percentage. Despite the recent slump, the 30-year-old backstop needs just one more victory to reach the 20-win threshold for the first time since 2021-22 and the second time in his NHL career.
