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by RotoWire Staff | RotoWire
Senators' Leevi Merilainen: Takes loss in relief appearance
Leevi Merilainen stopped 12 of 14 shots in relief of Linus Ullmark (upper body) in Sunday's 3-1 loss to the Oilers.The Ottawa Senators tied the game at 1-1 early in the second period, but Merilainen gave up goals to Zach Hyman and Adam Henrique en route to taking the loss in his relief appearance. With due respect to the 22-year-old Merilainen, Ullmark's injury has put the Senators' goaltending depth in a worst-case scenario -- Anton Forsberg (undisclosed) is also out, and the team is on its longest road trip of the season. Merilianen has given up six goals on 39 shots across his two appearances. If both Ullmark and Forsberg are unavailable when the Senators' schedule resumes Saturday in Winnipeg, Merilainen would temporarily take over as the No. 1 goalie, and Mads Sogaard would likely rise to the NHL to fill the backup role.
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by RotoWire Staff | RotoWire
Senators' Leevi Merilainen: Wins in overtime
Leevi Merilainen allowed four goals on 25 shots in Saturday's 5-4 overtime win over the Canucks.Merilainen allowed the Canucks to bounce back from three deficits but still came away with the win when Jake Sanderson scored 13 seconds into the extra session. Merilainen made his first NHL appearance since the 2022-23 season and earned his first career win. The 22-year-old has been backing up the red-hot Linus Ullmark since Anton Forsberg (undisclosed) went down with an injury last weekend. Don't expect Merilainen to get many starts, though he could make another appearance when the Ottawa Senators resume playing after the holiday break in a road back-to-back against Winnipeg (Dec. 28) and Minnesota (Dec. 29).
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by RotoWire Staff | RotoWire
Senators' Leevi Merilainen: Starting in Vancouver
Leevi Merilainen will guard the road net Saturday against the Canucks, TSN 1200 Ottawa reports.It'll be the first start of the year for Merilainen. The 22-year-old netminder last appeared in the NHL in 2022, when he went 0-1-1 while stopping 43 of 49 shots across two games. Merilainen will be tasked with facing a Vancouver team that's averaging 3.09 goals per game this season.
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by RotoWire Staff | RotoWire
Senators' Leevi Merilainen: Brought up from minors
Leevi Merilainen was recalled from AHL Belleville on Sunday.Merilainen will accompany Ottawa on the team's four-game road trip before the holiday break. Anton Forsberg (undisclosed) didn't make his scheduled start against Pittsburgh on Saturday after suffering an injury while warming up for the game. With Forsberg staying behind for the trip, Linus Ullmark will likely see an increased workload.
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by RotoWire Staff | RotoWire
Senators' Leevi Merilainen: Returned to AHL affiliate
Leevi Merilainen was sent down to AHL Belleville on Friday.Merilainen was recalled Tuesday to back up Anton Forsberg as Linus Ullmark (strain) was unable to play. Merilainen was 2-1-0 with a 3.47 GAA and an .852 save percentage with Belleville this season before being recalled.
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by RotoWire Staff | RotoWire
Senators' Leevi Merilainen: Elevated from minors
Leevi Merilainen was recalled from AHL Belleville on Tuesday to serve as the backup against Utah, TSN 1200 Ottawa reports.Merilainen's promotion comes as Anton Forsberg was confirmed as the starter Tuesday while Linus Ullmark (strain) remains on the shelf. With the team calling Ullmark day-to-day and no back-to-backs on the short-term schedule, Merilainen is unlikely to see any starts while up in the NHL.
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by RotoWire Staff | RotoWire
Senators' Leevi Merilainen: Suiting up Sunday
Leevi Merilainen (groin) will be in the lineup for Sunday's preseason contest against Pittsburgh.Merilainen had been unable to practice for most of training camp after injuring his groin during Ottawa's rookie camp, but he could get his first game action of the preseason in Sunday's matchup. Merilainen will probably begin the 2024-25 campaign with AHL Belleville.
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by RotoWire Staff | RotoWire
Senators' Leevi Merilainen: Yet to take part in camp
Leevi Merilainen has not participated in training camp yet due to a groin injury that occurred during rookie camp, per TSN 1200 Ottawa.Merilainen was expected to compete with Mads Sogaard for the No. 1 goaltending gig with AHL Belleville, but it's unclear when the former will be ready to return. Merilainen appeared in two NHL contests with Ottawa during the 2022-23 campaign, going 0-1-1 with an .878 save percentage and a 4.23 GAA. The 22-year-old was a third-round selection by Ottawa in the 2020 NHL Draft.
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by RotoWire Staff | RotoWire
Senators' Leevi Merilainen: Dealing with groin issue
Leevi Merilainen is dealing with a groin injury that isn't expected to be serious, Bruce Garrioch of Postmedia reports.It's unclear when Merilainen suffered the injury, but it doesn't look to be a long-term concern. The 22-year-old goalie is likely to spend much of this season at AHL Belleville as a No. 3 option in goal for the Ottawa Senators' organization. Linus Ullmark and Anton Forsberg are likely to get the bulk of the NHL starts.
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by RotoWire Staff | RotoWire
Senators' Leevi Merilainen: Returns to AHL
Leevi Merilainen was reassigned to AHL Belleville on Saturday.Merilainen was called up as the backup due to the Ottawa Senators' top two goalies being out Saturday. The 21-year-old will probably not be called back up if Joonas Korpisalo (illness) heads west on the team's road trip.