Merzlikins is now being considered out short-term with an upper-body injury, Brian Hedger of The Columbus Dispatch reports.
Merzlikins doesn't sound like he'll be available Thursday to face the Sabres, but it's unclear how long he'll be out beyond that. The 30-year-old goalie has gone 0-2-0 with seven goals allowed on 48 shots over his first two games of the season. Daniil Tarasov figures to see an uptick in playing time since the Blue Jackets don't have a back-to-back over the next week.