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Senators' Leevi Merilainen: Takes advantage of easy matchup
Rotowire
Merilainen stopped 18 of 22 shots in Wednesday's 8-4 win over the Rangers.
The Senators took care of business early, which made Merilainen's poor third period (three goals against) a non-issue. He's won his last two starts, but he has allowed five goals on 42 shots in that span. The 23-year-old is at an 8-10-0 record with a 3.37 GAA and an .868 save percentage over 19 appearances. Merilainen's time as the Senators' primary starter should be nearing a close, as James Reimer is now with the team and Linus Ullmark (personal) should be approaching his return. It's unclear if the Senators will keep Merilainen on the roster for a weekend back-to-back with games at home versus the Canadiens on Saturday and in Detroit on Sunday.
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Senators' Leevi Merilainen: Starting again Wednesday
Rotowire
Merilainen is slated to start on the road versus the Rangers on Wednesday, Stephen Whyno of the Associated Press reports.
Merilainen will start back-to-back games, but James Reimer is set to back him up in this one after Hunter Shepard was reassigned to AHL Belleville earlier in the day. Merilainen stopped 19 of 20 shots in Tuesday's win over the Canucks, but he received an early hook the last time he started consecutive days, which was versus the Avalanche on Jan. 8.
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Senators' Leevi Merilainen: First win in five games
Rotowire
Merilainen made 19 saves in a 2-1 win over Vancouver on Tuesday.
The young netminder hadn't won since Jan. 3, so the victory was a huge weight lifted off. Merilainen has played eight straight, but he could get time off this week. There is a good chance free agent signee James Reimer will play this week, and Linus Ullmark (personal) skated Tuesday. Merilainen's future remains bright, but he could be sent down to the AHL for a more structured development experience.
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Senators' Leevi Merilainen: Protecting home net
Rotowire
Merilainen is drawing the home start against the Canucks on Tuesday, per Bruce Garrioch of Postmedia.
Merilainen has seen workhorse usage since Linus Ullmark left the team for personal reasons. This will be the 23-year-old Merilainen's eighth consecutive start Tuesday -- he's 2-4-0 with a 3.56 GAA and an .853 save percentage over his last seven outings. The Finnish netminder should have a favorable matchup against a Vancouver club that lost in Montreal on Monday by a 6-3 score, while the Senators haven't played since Saturday.
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Senators' Leevi Merilainen: Allows trio of goals Saturday
Rotowire
Merilainen turned away 18 of 21 shots on net in Saturday's 3-2 loss to the Panthers.
Merilainen struggled across the middle of Saturday's contest as he allowed three consecutive goals en route to the loss. Overall, he now has a 6-10-0 record with a 3.48 GAA and an .866 save percentage across 17 appearances this season. The 23-year-old goaltender has lost each of his last three outings amidst the Senators' four-game losing streak. With Linus Ullmark (personal) still away from the team, Merilainen should continue to see a decent chunk of starts but remains a risky option in fantasy.
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Senators' Leevi Merilainen: Expected to start Saturday
Rotowire
Merilainen is slated to defend the home crease versus Florida on Saturday, TSN 1200 Ottawa reports.
Merilainen has struggled of late, as he has been pulled in two of his last three starting assignments. Merilainen is 6-9-0 with a 3.50 GAA and an .867 save percentage, a far cry from last season, when he was 8-3-1 with a 1.99 GAA. The Panthers are 19th in NHL scoring, generating 3.02 goals per game.
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Senators' Leevi Merilainen: Bad performance in Colorado
Rotowire
Merilainen allowed three goals on 18 shots in Thursday's 8-2 loss to the Avalanche.
Merilainen was initially pulled after giving up a goal to Cale Makar at 2:35 of the second period. That stood as the game-winner, but after Mads Sogaard gave up five goals in the middle frame, Merilainen returned to crease in the third and finished the contest. The Senators are in an untenable position in goal while Linus Ullmark (personal) is away from the team. Merilainen has allowed at least three goals in five of his last six outings and is now 6-9-0 with a 3.50 GAA and an .867 save percentage over 16 appearances. The Senators return home Saturday for another tough matchup against the Panthers.
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Senators' Leevi Merilainen: Set to face Colorado
Rotowire
Merilainen is set to start on the road against Colorado on Thursday.
Merilainen has a 6-8-0 record, 3.46 GAA and .868 save percentage in 15 appearances this campaign. He has allowed at least three goals in four of his past five outings. Colorado leads the league in goals per game with 3.95.
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Senators' Leevi Merilainen: Gives up three goals in loss
Rotowire
Merilainen stopped 18 of 21 shots in Wednesday's 3-1 loss to the Mammoth.
Merilainen has allowed at least three goals in four of his last six outings. It's tough to blame him too much for this loss, but he dug the Senators an early hole that the offense couldn't get out of. The 23-year-old netminder is 6-8-0 with a 3.47 GAA and an .868 save percentage over 15 appearances this season. The Senators' next game is Thursday versus the Avalanche, which will be a brutally tough matchup for either of Merilainen or Mads Sogaard.
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Senators' Leevi Merilainen: Starting again Wednesday
Rotowire
Merilainen will guard the road goal versus the Mammoth on Wednesday, per the NHL media site.
Merilainen was pulled from his outing Monday versus the Red Wings after giving up three goals on nine shots. He's gone 2-2-0 with 14 goals allowed on 101 shots over his last five starts. This is the first half of a back-to-back that concludes Thursday in Colorado, but it's unclear who between Merilainen or Mads Sogaard will get the nod against the Avalanche.
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Senators' Leevi Merilainen: Gets the hook Monday
Rotowire
Merilainen stopped five of the eight shots on net he saw in Monday's 5-3 loss to the Red Wings.
Merilainen struggled throughout the first period of Monday's contest, allowing three total goals, with one just 17 seconds away from the end of the period. He would ultimately be replaced by Hunter Shepard when the Senators came out for the second period. Merilainen now has a 6-7-0 record, a 3.49 GAA and an .869 save percentage through 14 appearances this season. After a strong rookie campaign, the second-year netminder has been inconsistent this year, making him and the rest of Ottawa's options in the crease tough to trust in fantasy. With Linus Ullmark (personal) on a leave of absence, Merilainen will likely continue to operate as the lead option unless he continues to struggle.
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Senators' Leevi Merilainen: Defending home net
Rotowire
Merilainen will patrol the home crease Monday against the Red Wings, according to Bruce Garrioch of Postmedia.
Merilainen has won back-to-back outings against the Capitals and Jets following a two-game skid. The 23-year-old netminder owns a 6-7-0 record, 3.34 GAA and .875 save percentage through 13 outings in 2025-26. The Red Wings are 2-2-1 in their last five games, a stretch in which they have netted 11 goals.
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Senators' Leevi Merilainen: Earns win over Winnipeg
Rotowire
Merilainen stopped 21 of 23 shots in Saturday's 4-2 win over the Jets.
Merilainen was beaten in the first and third periods, but the offense provided him enough support to cruise to an easy win. This was Merilainen's second straight victory, but even more importantly, he snapped a streak of seven outings in which he hadn't posted a save percentage of .900 or higher. Expect the 23-year-old to remain as the Senators' No. 1 goaltender as long as Linus Ullmark (personal) remains away from the team.
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Senators' Leevi Merilainen: First off Saturday
Rotowire
Merilainen was the first goalie off the ice at the morning skate, Bruce Garrioch of Postmedia reports, indicating he will patrol the home crease against Winnipeg on Saturday.
Merilainen is coming off a 26-save performance in Thursday's 4-3 win over Washington. He has posted a 5-7-0 record with a 3.46 GAA and an .872 save percentage across 12 appearances this campaign. The struggling Jets rank 22nd in the league with 2.87 goals per game this season.
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Senators' Leevi Merilainen: Nabs fifth win
Rotowire
Merilainen stopped 26 shots in Thursday's 4-3 win over the Capitals.
Washington struck twice in the first period to put Ottawa in an early hole, but Merilainen kept his focus and didn't get beaten again until late in the third. The 23-year-old netminder is handling No. 1 duties for the Senators while Linus Ullmark (personal) is away from the team, and on the season Merilainen is 5-7-0 in 12 outings with a 3.46 GAA and .872 save percentage.
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Senators' Leevi Merilainen: Set to start Thursday
Rotowire
Merilainen will start Thursday's home game against the Capitals, Graeme Nichols of The Hockey News reports.
Merilainen has seen limited playing time in recent weeks, but he'll draw a second consecutive start for the first time this season during Thursday's matchup. Over his last seven appearances, he's gone 1-6-0 with a 3.49 GAA and .870 save percentage.
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Senators' Leevi Merilainen: Jolted by Jackets
Rotowire
Merilainen turned aside 18 shots in Monday's 4-1 loss to Columbus.
The Senators' skaters gave Merilainen little help at either end of the ice, but the 23-year-old netminder also looked a little shaky on a pair of third-period tallies. Merilainen is in line to be Ottawa's top option between the pipes while Linus Ullmark (personal) is away from the team, but if he struggles, Hunter Shepard could cut into his workload. Through 11 NHL outings this season, Merilainen has a 4-7-0 record with a 3.51 GAA and an .869 save percentage.
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Senators' Leevi Merilainen: Facing Blue Jackets
Rotowire
Merilainen will patrol the home crease against Columbus on Monday, according to Bruce Garrioch of Postmedia.
Merilainen has gone 1-5-0 in his last six appearances while allowing 18 goals on 147 shots. He has a 4-6-0 record with a 3.43 GAA and an .874 save percentage through 10 outings this season. After being recalled from AHL Belleville on Monday, Hunter Shepard will be the backup goalie due to the absence of Linus Ullmark (personal). Columbus is tied for 20th in the league this year with 2.92 goals per game.
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Senators' Leevi Merilainen: Appears in relief
Rotowire
Merilainen made 10 saves in relief in Saturday's 7-5 loss to the Maple Leafs. He allowed four goals.
The Sens faced an aggressive Toronto squad out to prove that the firing of assistant coach Marc Savard was the antidote to that team's offensive malaise. Merilainen is 1-5-0 in his last six starts with 18 goals allowed. His future is brighter than his redraft value right now.
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Senators' Leevi Merilainen: Hangs on for fourth win
Rotowire
Merilainen made 20 saves in Saturday's 6-4 win over Chicago.
The 23-year-old netminder gave up three goals on 13 shots in the second period to level the game at 3-3, but Ottawa roared back with three of its own in the third. The win was Merilainen's first since Nov. 13, snapping a four-start losing streak, and on the season he's managed a 4-5-0 record in nine outings with a shaky 3.40 GAA and .872 save percentage.
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