Merilainen posted a 16-save shutout in Saturday's 6-0 win over the Wild.
The Senators kept traffic away from Merilainen, outshooting the Wild 52-16 in the contest. This was Merilainen's third career shutout, all of which have come this season. The 22-year-old has won six of his last eight outings, and he's allowed more than two goals in just one of those contests. Overall, the Finn is 8-3-1 with a 1.99 GAA and a .925 save percentage over 12 games. Linus Ullmark (back) is close to a return, but Merilainen has outplayed Anton Forsberg -- it's unclear who the Senators will tab to take on the backup role once Ullmark is healthy.