Player News
-
Merzlikins made 24 saves in a 7-6 overtime win over Tampa Bay on Thursday. The Bolts jumped out to a 3-0 lead by the 11:52 mark of the first period, but Merzlikins battened down the proverbial hatches and made a few keys saves to help ignite a Blue Jackets comeback. It wasn't a great ratio night for daily players, but Merzlikins has won three consecutive games. Overall, he's 5-5-1 with a 3.02 GAA, .895 save percentage and one shutout in 11 starts this season.
-
Merzlikins will start Thursday's home game against the Lightning, Jeff Svoboda of the Blue Jackets' official site reports. Merzlikins has been effective across his last two starts, posting a 2-0-0 record, 1.50 GAA and .942 save percentage in games against the Penguins and Bruins. The 30-year-old will attempt to keep his momentum up Thursday but will face a tough test against the Lightning, who rank seventh in the league with 3.53 goals per game.
-
Merzlikins made 28 saves in Monday's 5-1 win over the Bruins. He lost his shutout bid in the second period on a Boston power play, but Merzlikins otherwise gave the home squad no chance to mount a comeback after Columbus jumped out to an early lead. The 30-year-old netminder is showing flashes of the form he displayed early in his career but is still searching for consistency. Although Elvis has allowed two goals or less in five of his 10 starts, he's also surrendered four goals or more in four outings, leaving him with a 2.72 GAA and a .905 save percentage to go along with a 4-5-1 record.
-
Merzlikins will get the starting nod on the road against Boston on Monday, Jeff Svoboda of the Blue Jackets' official site reports. Merzlikins has won just once in his last five outings, posting a 1-3-1 record to go with a 3.60 GAA in that span. Historically, the Latvian backstop has put up decent numbers versus Boston, going 2-2-2 with a .924 save percentage and one shutout in six career matchups. Perhaps he can celebrate Latvian Independence Day with a victory.
-
Merzlikins stopped 21 of 23 shots in Friday's 6-2 win over the Penguins. Merzlikins snapped a four-game winless skid Friday with a solid performance between the pipes. He went 0-3-1 with a 3.99 GAA and a disappointing .872 save percentage before Friday's performance. Daniil Tarasov will face the Canadiens in Montreal on Saturday, which could lead to Merzlikins defending the crease in Monday's road matchup against Boston.
Recent Tweets
Last 7 Games
| DATE | Opp | Result | W | L | GA | SA | SV | SV% | FPTS |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 11/21 | vs  |
W 7-6 | 1 | 0 | 6 | 30 | 24 | 0.800 | 3.8 |
| 11/18 | @  |
W 5-1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 29 | 28 | 0.966 | 9.6 |
| 11/16 | @  |
L 5-1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.000 | 0 |
| 11/15 | vs  |
W 6-2 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 23 | 21 | 0.913 | 7.2 |
| 11/12 | @  |
L 5-2 | 0 | 1 | 4 | 32 | 28 | 0.875 | 1.6 |
| 11/10 | @  |
L 4-2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.000 | 0 |
| 11/09 | @  |
L 5-2 | 0 | 1 | 4 | 22 | 18 | 0.818 | -0.4 |
Upcoming Games
| date | Opp | time |
|---|---|---|
| 11/23 | vs  |
8:00 PM |
| 11/27 | vs |
8:30 PM |
| 11/29 | vs  |
4:00 PM |
| 12/01 | @  |
4:00 PM |
| 12/03 | @ |
10:00 PM |
| 12/05 | @  |
10:00 PM |
| 12/06 | @  |
11:00 PM |
Career Stats
| Year | GP | W | L | OTL | Min | GA | SO | GAA | PIM | FPTS |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | 11 | 5 | 5 | 1 | 656 | 33 | 1 | 3.02 | 0 | 51 |
| 2023 | 41 | 13 | 17 | 6 | 2259 | 130 | 1 | 3.45 | 4 | 166.2 |
| 2022 | 30 | 7 | 18 | 2 | 1560 | 110 | 0 | 4.23 | 4 | 84.8 |
| 2021 | 59 | 27 | 23 | 4 | 3320 | 178 | 2 | 3.22 | 8 | 319.4 |
| 2020 | 28 | 8 | 12 | 5 | 1497 | 69 | 2 | 2.77 | 0 | 131.2 |
| 2019 | 32 | 13 | 9 | 4 | 1815 | 71 | 5 | 2.35 | 0 | 178.6 |
| 3 Year Avg | 43 | 16 | 19 | 4 | 2380 | 139 | 1 | 3.50 | 5 | 192 |
| Career | 200 | 72 | 84 | 22 | 11045 | 585 | 11 | 3.18 | 16 |