Blue Jackets' Elvis Merzlikins: Dealing with illness
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Merzlikins was placed on injured reserve Wednesday and is expected to miss a week of action due to an illness.
With Merzlikins sidelined, look for Spencer Martin to jump into the No.1 role for the Blue Jackets. Merzlikins, who's gone 6-8-4 while posting a 3.10 GAA and a .910 save percentage through 19 games this season, will be eligible to return Dec. 14 against the Maple Leafs.
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Blue Jackets' Elvis Merzlikins: Late collapse in OT loss
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Merzlikins stopped 35 shots in Tuesday's 4-3 overtime loss to the Kings.
It's been a pattern this season for Columbus to crack in the third period while trying to hold a lead, and Tuesday's game was no exception -- Merzlikins actually had a shutout going after 40 minutes, but the Blue Jackets got out shot 15-7 in the third while giving up three straight goals. The netminder then couldn't get a glove on a Drew Doughty blast from the faceoff circle just 33 seconds into OT. Merzlikins has a .918 save percentage over his last 10 starts, but it's resulted in just a 3-5-2 record and 3.01 GAA as he's faced a whopping 36.7 shots a game during that stretch.
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Blue Jackets' Elvis Merzlikins: Facing Kings
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Merzlikins will patrol the home crease Tuesday against the Kings, according to Zach Dooley of the Kings' official site.
Merzlikins is coming off a 41-save performance in Friday's 4-2 win over Ottawa. He has posted a 6-8-3 record this season with a 3.04 GAA and a .911 save percentage through 18 appearances this season. The Kings rank first in the league this campaign with 3.86 goals per game.
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Blue Jackets' Elvis Merzlikins: Strong in win
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Merzlikins stopped 41 of 43 shots in Friday's 4-2 win over the Senators.
Merzlikins had lost each of his last two outings, but he was able to bounce back after allowing two early goals to the Senators in this one. The 29-year-old has faced 40-plus shots four times this season, and Friday was the first time he'd picked up a win while doing so. He's now at a 6-8-3 record with a 3.04 GAA and a .911 save percentage through 18 starts this season. The Blue Jackets' next game is a tough one Sunday in Boston.
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Blue Jackets' Elvis Merzlikins: Expected to start Friday
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Merzlikins was the first goaltender off the ice at morning practice, indicating he will patrol the home crease versus Ottawa on Friday, according to Jeff Svoboda of the Blue Jackets' official site.
It will be a battle of friends as Merzlikins will face his former teammate of four seasons, Joonas Korpisalo. Merzlikins is 5-8-3 with a 3.11 GAA and .907 save percentage, a huge improvement over last season when he went 7-18-2 with a 4.23 GAA and .876 save percentage. Ottawa should fire plenty of pucks at Merzlikins, as they are averaging 32.1 shots per game, ninth-best in the NHL.
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Blue Jackets' Elvis Merzlikins: Falls to Montreal
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Merzlikins stopped 27 of 30 shots in Wednesday's 4-2 loss to the Canadiens.
Montreal's final goal was scored into an empty net. Merzlikins was engaged in a spirited goaltending duel with Sam Montembeault all evening, but the Columbus netminder had little chance on the winning tally as Joel Armia tipped home a blast from the point by Mike Matheson with a little under three minutes left in the third period. Merzlikins has seen a heavy workload to begin the season, both in terms of games played and the amount of rubber he's seen -- only Tampa Bay's Jonas Johansson has faced more shots so far than Merzlikins' 527. He's held up relatively well though, posting a .912 save percentage in November despite a lackluster 3.09 GAA and 3-6-1 record. Daniil Tarasov (knee) still lacks a clear timeline for his return and Spencer Martin is purely a stopgap in the No. 2 role, so Merzlikins should continue to log big minutes for the time being.
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Blue Jackets' Elvis Merzlikins: Slated to start Wednesday
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Merzlikins is set to start at home against Montreal on Wednesday, according to Brian Hedger of The Columbus Dispatch.
Merzlikins has a 5-7-3 record, 3.11 GAA and .907 save percentage in 16 contests this season. He's saved an impressive 110 of 117 shots (.940 save percentage) over his last three appearances and collected two wins over that stretch. Montreal ranks 27th offensively this campaign with 2.71 goals per game, so this is a favorable matchup for Merzlikins.
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Blue Jackets' Elvis Merzlikins: Falls apart late in loss
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Merzlikins allowed three goals on 43 shots in Sunday's 3-2 loss to the Hurricanes.
Merzlikins kept the Hurricanes off the board for 50 minutes and not a second longer. Jesperi Kotkaniemi, Brady Skjei and Andrei Svechnikov had the goals to lift the Hurricanes to a victory on a late surge. Merzlikins had won his previous two outings, but this will be a particularly difficult one to reconcile. He's now at 5-7-3 with a 3.11 GAA and a .907 save percentage through 16 appearances. The Blue Jackets are back at home Monday versus the Bruins, but Merzlikins will likely cede the crease to Spencer Martin for that contest after a heavy workload Sunday.
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Blue Jackets' Elvis Merzlikins: Starting in Carolina
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Merzlikins will defend the road net Sunday against the Hurricanes, Jeff Svoboda of the Blue Jackets' official site reports.
Merzlikins has won his past two starts, including a 37-save performance in Friday's 2-1 victory over New Jersey. He has a 5-6-3 record this season with a 3.12 GAA and a .905 save percentage over 15 games played. Carolina ranks 14th in the league this campaign with 3.32 goals per contest.
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Blue Jackets' Elvis Merzlikins: Shuts down Devils
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Merzlikins made 37 saves in Friday's 2-1 win over New Jersey.
Alexander Holtz snapped a puck past Merzlikins midway through the first period after an ugly turnover by Jake Bean, but the 29-year-old netminder was brilliant the rest of the way. Merzlikins was especially strong during the third period when the Blue Jackets were outshot by a 20-9 margin. He has won two straight starts and is quietly putting together a solid November despite the struggles of the team around him. He's posted a .915 save percentage over his last six outings -- although that comes with a 2-3-1 record and a 3.01 GAA while facing 35.3 shots per game.
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Blue Jackets' Elvis Merzlikins: Facing New Jersey
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Merzlikins will be between the visiting pipes against New Jersey on Friday, according to Mark Scheig of The Hockey Writers.
Merzlikins snapped a three-game losing streak Wednesday, stopping 33 shots in a 7-3 win over Chicago. He is 4-6-3 with a 3.28 GAA and .899 save percentage this season. The Devils are averaging 3.47 goals per game, ninth best in the NHL.
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Blue Jackets' Elvis Merzlikins: Cruises to fourth win
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Merzlikins turned aside 33 of 36 shots in Wednesday's 7-3 win over Chicago.
While he lost focus a little bit in the third period after Columbus had built a 7-1 lead, Merzlikins was sharp for two periods and gave the visitors no hint of momentum toward a comeback. The win snapped a five-start losing streak in which the 29-year-old had gone 0-4-1 with a 3.76 GAA. While Merzlikins is playing better than he did in 2022-23, he has yet to lock into the form that made the Blue Jackets believe he could be Sergei Bobrovsky's replacement as the team's franchise goalie. On the season, Merzlikins is 4-6-3 with a 3.28 GAA and an .899 save percentage.
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Blue Jackets' Elvis Merzlikins: Between pipes Wednesday
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Merzlikins will tend the twine at home versus the Blackhawks on Wednesday, Jeff Svoboda of the Blue Jackets' official site reports.
Merzlikins hasn't secured a win in his last six appearances, posting an 0-4-1 record and a 3.76 GAA over that stretch. Despite his slump, the 29-year-old Latvian continues to see the majority of the starts ahead of Spencer Martin, who is mired in a five-game losing streak of his own. Given the struggling team around him -- the Jackets are allowing the fifth most shots per game this season (32.7) -- Merzlikins figures to struggle to pick up wins this year.
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Blue Jackets' Elvis Merzlikins: Allows four in loss
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Merlikins stopped 22 of 26 shots in a 4-3 loss to the Capitals on Saturday.
Merzlikins coughed up three goals in the second period before allowing the game-winning goal in the third. The Latvian goaltender has allowed at least three goals in each of his last five appearances while failing to pick up a win over that span. He drops to 3-6-3 with a 3.31 GAA and an .897 save percentage overall. Merzlikins will likely serve as the backup to Spencer Martin on Sunday against Philadelphia in the second half of a back-to-back.
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Blue Jackets' Elvis Merzlikins: Starting versus Washington
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Merzlikins will patrol the visiting crease versus Washington on Saturday, Tom Gulitti of NHL.com reports.
Merzlikins is 3-5-3 with a 3.24 GAA and .901 save percentage this season. He has lost his last two starts, giving up seven goals on 72 shots. Merzlikins will face the Capitals, who sit 31st in NHL with only 2.36 goals per game this campaign.
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Blue Jackets' Elvis Merzlikins: Exits ice first
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Merzlikins is expected to get the home start against Arizona on Thursday, as he was the first goaltender to leave the ice at morning practice, Jeff Svoboda of the Blue Jackets' official site reports.
Merzlikins is 3-4-3 with a 3.24 GAA and a .901 save percentage this season. He struggled last year, going 7-18-2 with a 4.23 GAA and .876 save percentage. Merzlikins will take on the Coyotes, who are averaging 3.47 goals per game.
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Blue Jackets' Elvis Merzlikins: Facing Pittsburgh
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Per Penguins play-by-play announcer Josh Getzoff, Merzlikins was the first goalie off the ice at morning skate, putting him on track to protect the home goal against the Penguins on Tuesday.
Merzlikins played pretty well in his last start Sunday against the Rangers, stopping 37 of 40 shots, but he still came away with a loss in overtime due to insufficient goal support from his teammates. He'll try to get back in the win column in a home matchup with a surging Pittsburgh team that's won four straight games.
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Blue Jackets' Elvis Merzlikins: Gives up three goals Sunday
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Merzlikins allowed three goals on 40 shots in Sunday's 4-3 shootout loss to the Rangers.
Merzlikins backed up Spencer Martin in the last two games, but the Blue Jackets haven't been able to shake a losing skid. Their shootout loss Sunday was their fifth straight defeat. Merzlikins is down to 3-3-3 with a 3.15 GAA and a .901 save percentage through 10 outings this season. The Blue Jackets will return home for Tuesday's game versus the Penguins.
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Blue Jackets' Elvis Merzlikins: Back in net vs. Rangers
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Merzlikins will get the road start Saturday against the Rangers, Jeff Svoboda of the Blue Jackets' official site reports.
Spencer Martin had started Columbus' previous two games after Merzlikins allowed three goals on just 10 shots in his last appearance vs. Florida on Monday. Merzlikins is 3-3-2 with an .897 save percentage this season. He'll have a tough task against a Rangers team averaging 3.31 goals per game to start the campaign.
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Blue Jackets' Elvis Merzlikins: Yanked after allowing three goals
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Merzlikins allowed three goals on 11 shots before being pulled during Columbus' 5-4 overtime loss to Florida on Monday.
Merzlikins lasted just 6:09 of ice time before the Panthers chased him from the game. Columbus would go on to rally, so Merzlikins wasn't charged with the eventual loss. He's 3-3-2 with a 3.20 GAA and an .897 save percentage in nine contests this year. After that rough start, Spencer Martin, who replaced Merzlikins on Monday, might be in net for Thursday's home contest versus Dallas.
