Merzlikins allowed five goals on 39 shots in Sunday's 5-3 loss to the Stars.
The Blue Jackets took the lead on three separate occasions, but Merzlikins didn't protect any of those advantages. Evgenii Dadonov then scored twice in the third period to seal the game in favor of the Stars. Merzlikins has had some notable struggles when flipping the calendar -- he is 1-4-0 and has allowed at least three goals in each of his first games of a month this season. He had gone 6-1-0 with just 13 goals allowed over his previous seven starts, and he can be given a pass for Sunday's clunker given the quality of the opponent. Merzlikins is 19-12-3 with a 2.96 GAA and an .895 save percentage through 34 outings this season. The Blue Jackets wrap up their four-game road trip Tuesday in Buffalo.