Merzlikins stopped 29 of 35 shots in Tuesday's 6-2 loss to the Coyotes.
Merzlikins just can't find a groove, allowing six goals in each of the last three games. He's surrendered 23 tallies during his five-game losing streak. The 29-year-old is at 12-17-8 with a 3.47 GAA and an .897 save percentage through 40 outings overall. The Blue Jackets have mainly rotated goalies over the last two weeks, so Daniil Tarasov seems likely to start Thursday in Pittsburgh.