Senators' Leevi Merilainen: Expected to start Saturday

Merilainen is slated to defend the home crease versus Florida on Saturday, TSN 1200 Ottawa reports.

Merilainen has struggled of late, as he has been pulled in two of his last three starting assignments. Merilainen is 6-9-0 with a 3.50 GAA and an .867 save percentage, a far cry from last season, when he was 8-3-1 with a 1.99 GAA. The Panthers are 19th in NHL scoring, generating 3.02 goals per game.