Canucks' Leevi Merilainen: Strong performance again
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Merilainen stopped 24 shots in a 4-2 loss to the Maple Leafs on Saturday. He allowed three goals.
Merilainen has badly outplayed starter, Kevin Lankinen, and is 2-5-1 with a 3.31 GAA and .897 save percentage in nine starts (11 appearances). Those numbers aren't as bad as they look -- the NHL average for save percentage is .891. Merilainen is typically hung out to dry most nights, but he hangs in there and gives the Orcas a chance. Plus his 5.45 GSAx is 16th in the NHL. He's making the most of this opportunity and is worth monitoring for future drafts when the team improves.
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Canucks' Leevi Merilainen: In goal Saturday
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Merilainen will tend the home twine versus the Maple Leafs on Saturday, Jeff Paterson of the Sekeres and Price podcast reports.
Merilainen will make his fourth straight start. He's allowed 12 goals on 81 shots over his last three outings, though he's managed to go 1-2-0 in that span. The 24-year-old netminder looks to have built some trust with head coach Manny Malhotra, but Merilainen's performance lately hasn't made him a reliable fantasy option.
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Canucks' Leevi Merilainen: Stumbles in third period
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Merilainen stopped 21 of 24 shots in Thursday's 3-2 loss to the Sharks.
Merilainen gave up all three goals in a span of 2:50 during the third period, turning a 2-0 lead into the 3-2 deficit that held to the end of the game. That's not a great look, but this was the first time in his last four outings that he kept a team under four goals. Merilainen is at a 2-4-1 record with a 3.33 GAA and an .898 save percentage across 10 appearances this season. The Canucks return home to face the Maple Leafs on Saturday. Considering Merilainen has played in a season-high three straight games, Kevin Lankinen may be due for a start soon.
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Canucks' Leevi Merilainen: First goalie off Thursday
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Merilainen was the first goalie off during Thursday's morning skate, Max Miller of NHL.com reports, indicating that he'll draw the road start against San Jose.
Merilainen returned to the win column Tuesday against Anaheim for the first time since Oct. 3, and he'll draw a third consecutive start Thursday. Across his nine appearances to begin the regular season, he's gone 2-3-1 with a 3.35 GAA and .900 save percentage.
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Canucks' Leevi Merilainen: Surrenders five goals in overtime win
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Merilainen stopped 18 of 23 shots in Tuesday's 6-5 overtime win over the Ducks.
Merilainen's performance didn't inspire much confidence, but he was able to lock in late as the Canucks pulled off an improbable comeback. This was his first win since Oct. 3 versus the Flames. The 24-year-old netminder is 2-3-1 with a 3.35 GAA and a .900 save percentage across nine games (seven starts) this season. Merilainen is still a massively risky option in fantasy even if he's able to run with the starting job in Vancouver. The Canucks' next game is Thursday in San Jose.
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Canucks' Leevi Merilainen: Guarding goal in Anaheim
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Merilainen will protect the road goal versus the Ducks on Tuesday, Canucks play-by-play announcer Brendan Batchelor reports.
Merilainen will start consecutive games for the first time in about two weeks. He'll get the nod despite having lost his last four outings with a total of 15 goals allowed in that span. The Ducks have won just one of their last six games, scoring 14 times during that stretch, so this could be a chance for Merilainen to return to the win column.
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Canucks' Leevi Merilainen: Set to face Hurricanes
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Merilainen will guard the home crease in Tuesday's contest against the Hurricanes, per Canucks play-by-play announcer Brendan Batchelor.
After a three-outing stretch where he allowed just one goal, Merilainen has yielded three goals across each of his last three outings. Regardless, the 24-year-old netminder has far outplayed Kevin Lankinen in the 2026-27 campaign, which has led to the former securing the majority of opportunities between the pipes as of late. Overall, Merialinen holds a 1-1-1 record, a 2.51 GAA and a .925 save percentage across six appearances. He'll have his work cut out for him Tuesday against the defending champs, relegating Merilainen's fantasy value to being a spot start for fantasy managers in a pinch. If he can come out with the win Tuesday, Merilainen would be a priority waiver-wire addition for teams in all deep leagues.
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Canucks' Leevi Merilainen: Starting against Florida
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Merilainen was the first goalie off during Thursday's morning skate, Thomas Drance of The Athletic reports, indicating that he'll draw the road start against Florida.
Merilainen will draw a second consecutive start after he allowed three goals on 38 shots during a 3-2 regulation loss to the Islanders on the road Tuesday. He's appeared in five games to begin the regular season, going 1-1-0 with a 2.40 GAA and .927 save percentage.
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Canucks' Leevi Merilainen: Battles in narrow loss
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Merilainen halted 33 of 36 shots on net in Tuesday's 3-2 loss to the Islanders.
While the end result of Tuesday's contest didn't go his way, Merilainen continued to be a bright spot for the Canucks with his performance in net. He allowed just three goals against 36 shots on net, which helped Vancouver have a chance at winning throughout the entire contest. With Tuesday's contest in the books, the 24-year-old goalie now has a 1-1-0 record, a 2.40 GAA and a .926 save percentage across five appearances. He's proven to be the more-reliable option between the pipes for the Canucks compared to Kevin Lankinen, who has struggled mightily to open the 2026-27 campaign. If Merialinen's rise in production continues, he'll not only be on the fantasy radar in standard formats, but also one of the best waiver claims in recent memory. For now, he's a solid spot start in deep fantasy leagues with a bundle of upside.
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Canucks' Leevi Merilainen: Busy day in New Jersey
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Merilainen stopped 31 of 34 shots for the Canucks during a 4-1 loss to the Devils on Saturday.
The 24-year-old netminder managed to avoid having the loss go on his record -- Merilainen left the ice late in the first period to get his skate repaired, and Kevin Lankinen wound up allowing the game-winning goal during his brief relief stint. All three pucks that got past Merilainen came on Devil power plays, and he made a number of big saves just to keep the game as close as it was. Through four appearances (two starts) this season, he boasts a .929 save percentage, compared to Lankinen's woeful .783 mark in five outings (four starts). Lankinen should get the start for Sunday's road contest against the Rangers, but Merilainen is making a strong case to take over the larger share of the workload in the crease for Vancouver.
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Canucks' Leevi Merilainen: Keeps Flames under control
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Merilainen stopped 23 of 24 shots in Saturday's 4-1 win over the Flames.
Getting away from the Oilers made things look a lot better for the Canucks. Merilainen presumably got the start as a reward for his decent relief performance versus Edmonton on Thursday. The 24-year-old netminder has allowed just two goals on 35 shots over his two appearances for the Canucks. He probably won't be that good in the long run, given the rebuilding team in front of him, but he could unseat Kevin Lankinen for the No. 1 job. It'll likely be Lankinen who gets the harder matchup of the weekend Sunday at home versus the Golden Knights.
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Senators' Leevi Merilainen: Struggles in preseason start
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Merilainen allowed six goals on 27 shots in a 6-1 loss to the Maple Leafs on Wednesday.
Merilainen played into the third period, but he was pulled after giving up a sixth goal. He may get one more chance to audition during preseason action, but this wasn't a particularly encouraging effort put forth for a goalie who needed to impress to win a roster spot. Expect Merilainen to start 2026-27 with AHL Belleville.
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Senators' Leevi Merilainen: Up from minors
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Merilainen was called up by Ottawa on Friday.
Merilainen had an 8-10-1 record, 3.51 GAA and .860 save percentage in 20 appearances with Ottawa during the 2025-26 regular season. He's joining Ottawa as the squad's No. 3 goaltender going into its first-round series against Carolina. Merilainen shouldn't be expected to man the net in a 2026 playoff game for the Senators unless Linus Ullmark and James Reimer run into injury problems.
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Senators' Leevi Merilainen: Regaining confidence in Belleville
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Merilainen posted a 40-save shutout in AHL Belleville's 1-0 win over Springfield on Saturday.
Merilainen improved to 4-1-0 this season in the AHL, with wins in each of the last two games since he returned to Belleville. This was his first shutout of the season, and he's allowed just 13 goals on 166 shots for a .927 save percentage with Belleville. That said, his chances to return to the NHL don't look great at this time, as the Senators are carrying three goalies and have Linus Ullmark (personal) on the non-roster list.
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Senators' Leevi Merilainen: Falls in OT
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Merilainen stopped 13 of 19 shots on net in Saturday's 6-5 overtime loss to the Canadiens.
Merilainen allowed at least one goal in each period leading up to overtime, where he surrendered the winning tally to Montreal's Cole Caufield. With the OT loss, Merilainen now has an 8-10-1 record, a 3.51 GAA and an .860 save percentage across 20 appearances this season. He has appeared in each of Ottawa's last 11 games in the absence of Linus Ullmark (personal). With Ullmark back at practice, Merilainen could shift to a much lighter workload over the next few games, which would diminish the latter's already modest fantasy value. The Senators will be right back in action Sunday in Detroit.
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Senators' Leevi Merilainen: Starting again Wednesday
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Merilainen is slated to start on the road versus the Rangers on Wednesday, Stephen Whyno of the Associated Press reports.
Merilainen will start back-to-back games, but James Reimer is set to back him up in this one after Hunter Shepard was reassigned to AHL Belleville earlier in the day. Merilainen stopped 19 of 20 shots in Tuesday's win over the Canucks, but he received an early hook the last time he started consecutive days, which was versus the Avalanche on Jan. 8.
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Senators' Leevi Merilainen: First win in five games
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Merilainen made 19 saves in a 2-1 win over Vancouver on Tuesday.
The young netminder hadn't won since Jan. 3, so the victory was a huge weight lifted off. Merilainen has played eight straight, but he could get time off this week. There is a good chance free agent signee James Reimer will play this week, and Linus Ullmark (personal) skated Tuesday. Merilainen's future remains bright, but he could be sent down to the AHL for a more structured development experience.
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Senators' Leevi Merilainen: Protecting home net
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Merilainen is drawing the home start against the Canucks on Tuesday, per Bruce Garrioch of Postmedia.
Merilainen has seen workhorse usage since Linus Ullmark left the team for personal reasons. This will be the 23-year-old Merilainen's eighth consecutive start Tuesday -- he's 2-4-0 with a 3.56 GAA and an .853 save percentage over his last seven outings. The Finnish netminder should have a favorable matchup against a Vancouver club that lost in Montreal on Monday by a 6-3 score, while the Senators haven't played since Saturday.
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Senators' Leevi Merilainen: Allows trio of goals Saturday
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Merilainen turned away 18 of 21 shots on net in Saturday's 3-2 loss to the Panthers.
Merilainen struggled across the middle of Saturday's contest as he allowed three consecutive goals en route to the loss. Overall, he now has a 6-10-0 record with a 3.48 GAA and an .866 save percentage across 17 appearances this season. The 23-year-old goaltender has lost each of his last three outings amidst the Senators' four-game losing streak. With Linus Ullmark (personal) still away from the team, Merilainen should continue to see a decent chunk of starts but remains a risky option in fantasy.
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Senators' Leevi Merilainen: Expected to start Saturday
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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.
