Blue Jackets' Elvis Merzlikins: Brilliant in Thursday's win

Merzlikins made 40 saves in Thursday's 4-2 win over the Devils.

The 40 stops were a season high for the 30-year-old netminder, and he nearly notched his second shutout of the season, as Luke Hughes didn't get New Jersey on the board until there were less than three minutes left in the third period. Merzlikins remains tough to rely on -- he'd allowed four or more goals in three of his prior four outings -- but he still shows occasional flashes of his early-career form. On the season, Merzlikins is 10-9-2 with a 3.05 GAA and .891 save percentage as Columbus' No. 1 goalie.