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by RotoWire Staff | RotoWire
Blue Jackets' Elvis Merzlikins: Bends but doesn't break in OT win
Elvis 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 Columbus 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.
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by RotoWire Staff | RotoWire
Blue Jackets' Elvis Merzlikins: Draws home start
Elvis Merzlikins will start Thursday's home game against the Lightning, Jeff Svoboda of the Columbus 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.
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by RotoWire Staff | RotoWire
Blue Jackets' Elvis Merzlikins: Sharp in Monday's win
Elvis 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.
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by RotoWire Staff | RotoWire
Blue Jackets' Elvis Merzlikins: In goal Monday
Elvis Merzlikins will get the starting nod on the road against Boston on Monday, Jeff Svoboda of the Columbus 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.
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by RotoWire Staff | RotoWire
Blue Jackets' Elvis Merzlikins: Earns win Friday
Elvis 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.
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by RotoWire Staff | RotoWire
Blue Jackets' Elvis Merzlikins: Facing Penguins
Elvis Merzlikins will defend the home crease versus Pittsburgh on Friday, Jeff Svoboda of the Columbus Blue Jackets' official site reports.Merzlikins is 2-5-1 with one shutout, a 3.03 GAA and an .896 save percentage this season for the lowly Blue Jackets. He has started six of the previous eight games ahead of Friday's tilt. The Penguins are averaging 2.72 goals, 21st in the NHL.
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by RotoWire Staff | RotoWire
Blue Jackets' Elvis Merzlikins: Can't sustain strong start
Elvis Merzlikins allowed four goals on 32 shots in Tuesday's 5-2 loss to the Kraken. The fifth goal was an empty-netter.Merzlikins took his fourth straight loss (0-3-1). He couldn't make a 2-0 lead after one period hold up, as the Kraken rallied for four goals in the middle frame. The 30-year-old netminder has given up 16 goals during his four-game skid, dropping to 2-5-1 with a 3.03 GAA and an .896 save percentage over eight appearances. The Columbus Blue Jackets have a back-to-back up next, with a home game versus the Penguins on Friday followed by a visit to Montreal on Saturday. Expect Merzlikins and Daniil Tarasov to split those starts.
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by RotoWire Staff | RotoWire
Blue Jackets' Elvis Merzlikins: Facing Seattle
Elvis Merzlikins will be between the pipes for Tuesday's road contest versus the Kraken, per Jeff Svoboda of the Columbus Blue Jackets' official site.Merzlikins will make his eighth start of the season against a Seattle club that's put up 2.87 goals per game through 15 contests. The Latvian netminder is 0-2-1 over his last three appearances, and he's conceded 12 goals during that span. Prior to that three-game stretch, Merzlikins had allowed one goal combined over two games in back-to-back wins, so he makes for a risky play for fantasy managers due to his inconsistency.
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by RotoWire Staff | RotoWire
Blue Jackets' Elvis Merzlikins: Rough outing against Kings
Elvis Merzlikins allowed four goals on 22 shots in Saturday's 5-2 loss to the Kings. The fifth goal was an empty-netter.Merzlikins has now lost three straight games (0-2-1), allowing 12 goals on 93 shots in that span. The 30-year-old netminder looked good at the tail of October, but he's still stuck playing behind a mediocre defense and doesn't exactly have a long history of personal success. He's now 2-4-1 with a 2.89 GAA and an .899 save percentage through seven starts this season. Look for Daniil Tarasov to draw the start Sunday in Anaheim before Merzlikins potentially reclaims the crease for Tuesday's road-trip finale versus the Kraken.
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by RotoWire Staff | RotoWire
Blue Jackets' Elvis Merzlikins: Tending twine Saturday
Elvis Merzlikins will defend the visiting crease in LA on Saturday, Jeff Svoboda of the Columbus Blue Jackets' official site reports.Merzlikins is off to a nice start this season, as he is 2-3-1 with a 2.69 GAA and a .910 save percentage. That is miles better than his previous two campaigns in which he combined for a 3.77 GAA and an .889 save percentage across 71 appearances. The Kings have averaged 3.27 goals this season.