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: Shipped down to minors
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Merilainen was reassigned to AHL Belleville on Tuesday.
Merilainen appeared in 11 straight games for the Senators coming out of the Christmas break, but now finds himself headed down to the minors. In those outings, the 23-year-old netminder went 4-5-1 with a 3.61 GAA, including giving up six goals on 19 shots versus Montreal on Saturday. Hunter Shepard was recalled from Belleville in a corresponding move and figures to serve as the No. 2 option behind James Reimer for Tuesday's tilt with Columbus.
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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.
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Senators' Leevi Merilainen: Bad performance in Colorado
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Merilainen allowed three goals on 18 shots in Thursday's 8-2 loss to the Avalanche.
Merilainen was initially pulled after giving up a goal to Cale Makar at 2:35 of the second period. That stood as the game-winner, but after Mads Sogaard gave up five goals in the middle frame, Merilainen returned to crease in the third and finished the contest. The Senators are in an untenable position in goal while Linus Ullmark (personal) is away from the team. Merilainen has allowed at least three goals in five of his last six outings and is now 6-9-0 with a 3.50 GAA and an .867 save percentage over 16 appearances. The Senators return home Saturday for another tough matchup against the Panthers.
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Senators' Leevi Merilainen: Set to face Colorado
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Merilainen is set to start on the road against Colorado on Thursday.
Merilainen has a 6-8-0 record, 3.46 GAA and .868 save percentage in 15 appearances this campaign. He has allowed at least three goals in four of his past five outings. Colorado leads the league in goals per game with 3.95.
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Senators' Leevi Merilainen: Gives up three goals in loss
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Merilainen stopped 18 of 21 shots in Wednesday's 3-1 loss to the Mammoth.
Merilainen has allowed at least three goals in four of his last six outings. It's tough to blame him too much for this loss, but he dug the Senators an early hole that the offense couldn't get out of. The 23-year-old netminder is 6-8-0 with a 3.47 GAA and an .868 save percentage over 15 appearances this season. The Senators' next game is Thursday versus the Avalanche, which will be a brutally tough matchup for either of Merilainen or Mads Sogaard.
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Senators' Leevi Merilainen: Gets the hook Monday
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Merilainen stopped five of the eight shots on net he saw in Monday's 5-3 loss to the Red Wings.
Merilainen struggled throughout the first period of Monday's contest, allowing three total goals, with one just 17 seconds away from the end of the period. He would ultimately be replaced by Hunter Shepard when the Senators came out for the second period. Merilainen now has a 6-7-0 record, a 3.49 GAA and an .869 save percentage through 14 appearances this season. After a strong rookie campaign, the second-year netminder has been inconsistent this year, making him and the rest of Ottawa's options in the crease tough to trust in fantasy. With Linus Ullmark (personal) on a leave of absence, Merilainen will likely continue to operate as the lead option unless he continues to struggle.
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Senators' Leevi Merilainen: Defending home net
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Merilainen will patrol the home crease Monday against the Red Wings, according to Bruce Garrioch of Postmedia.
Merilainen has won back-to-back outings against the Capitals and Jets following a two-game skid. The 23-year-old netminder owns a 6-7-0 record, 3.34 GAA and .875 save percentage through 13 outings in 2025-26. The Red Wings are 2-2-1 in their last five games, a stretch in which they have netted 11 goals.
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Senators' Leevi Merilainen: First off Saturday
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Merilainen was the first goalie off the ice at the morning skate, Bruce Garrioch of Postmedia reports, indicating he will patrol the home crease against Winnipeg on Saturday.
Merilainen is coming off a 26-save performance in Thursday's 4-3 win over Washington. He has posted a 5-7-0 record with a 3.46 GAA and an .872 save percentage across 12 appearances this campaign. The struggling Jets rank 22nd in the league with 2.87 goals per game this season.
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Senators' Leevi Merilainen: Facing Blue Jackets
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Merilainen will patrol the home crease against Columbus on Monday, according to Bruce Garrioch of Postmedia.
Merilainen has gone 1-5-0 in his last six appearances while allowing 18 goals on 147 shots. He has a 4-6-0 record with a 3.43 GAA and an .874 save percentage through 10 outings this season. After being recalled from AHL Belleville on Monday, Hunter Shepard will be the backup goalie due to the absence of Linus Ullmark (personal). Columbus is tied for 20th in the league this year with 2.92 goals per game.
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Senators' Leevi Merilainen: Hangs on for fourth win
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Merilainen made 20 saves in Saturday's 6-4 win over Chicago.
The 23-year-old netminder gave up three goals on 13 shots in the second period to level the game at 3-3, but Ottawa roared back with three of its own in the third. The win was Merilainen's first since Nov. 13, snapping a four-start losing streak, and on the season he's managed a 4-5-0 record in nine outings with a shaky 3.40 GAA and .872 save percentage.
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Senators' Leevi Merilainen: Can't tame Wild on Saturday
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Merilainen made 22 saves in Saturday's 3-2 loss to Minnesota.
The 23-year-old netminder had little chance on the two pucks that got past him in the second period, one on a Wild power play, but Merilainen got faked out late in the third period by Marcus Johansson, leaving him way out of position for a sharp-angle game-winner by Joel Eriksson Ek. Merilainen has lost four straight starts since Nov. 24, giving up 12 goals on 105 shots (.886 save percentage) over that stretch.
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Senators' Leevi Merilainen: Stuck with third straight loss
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Merilainen stopped 23 of 26 shots in Thursday's 4-2 loss to the Rangers, with New York's final tally getting scored into an empty net.
Merilainen has seen his workload pick up of late, as he's started three of the last six games for the Sens. The results haven't been there -- the 23-year-old has lost all three of those starts, giving up nine goals on 79 shots (3.13 GAA and .886 save percentage) during the skid, but those numbers are actually an improvement on his 3.36 GAA and .876 save percentage for the season. Ottawa seems intent on making sure Linus Ullmark doesn't get overworked, but Merilainen isn't inspiring much confidence when he does find himself in the crease.
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Senators' Leevi Merilainen: Fades late in St. Louis
Rotowire
Merilainen made 27 saves in Friday's 4-3 loss to the Blues.
Ottawa took a 2-1 lead into the third period, but Merilainen couldn't make it stick as a Jordan Kyrou tally early in the final frame launched the home side toward a victory. Merilainen has lost two straight starts on the heels of a three-start win streak, leveling his record at 3-3-0 on the season with a 3.40 GAA and an .874 save percentage.
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Senators' Leevi Merilainen: In goal versus Kings
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Merilainen will get the starting nod on the road versus Los Angeles on Monday, Senators on-air host Jackson Starr reports.
Merilainen is riding a three-game winning streak, during which he has allowed just seven goals on 80 shots for a .912 save pecentage. While his run of wins is impressive, it has come over the course of about four weeks, which means he still won't provide much fantasy value. The Senators don't have any upcoming back-to-backs, so it could be a while before Merilainen gets the net again.
