Senators' Leevi Merilainen: Stuck with third straight loss
Rotowire
Merilainen stopped 23 of 26 shots in Thursday's 4-2 loss to the Rangers, with New York's final tally getting scored into an empty net.
The 23-year-old netminder has seen his workload pick up of late as he's started three of the last six games for the Sens, but the results haven't been there as Merilainen's lost all three starts, giving up nine goals on 79 shots (3.13 GAA and .886 save percentage) during the skid, but those numbers are actually an improvement on his 3.36 GAA and .876 save percentage for the season. Ottawa seems intent on making sure that Linus Ullmark doesn't get overworked, but Merilainen isn't inspiring much confidence when he does find himself in the crease.
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Senators' Leevi Merilainen: Slated to start Thursday
Rotowire
Merilainen was the first goaltender off the ice at morning practice, per TSN 1200 Ottawa, and is expected to start at home versus the Rangers on Thursday.
Merilainen is 3-3-0 with a 3.40 GAA and an .874 save percentage in six starts this season. The Rangers are 27th in scoring this season, scoring 2.64 goals per game, but they have been much stronger on the road, scoring 54 goals in 16 contests, tied with Dallas for the NHL lead.
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Senators' Leevi Merilainen: Fades late in St. Louis
Rotowire
Merilainen made 27 saves in Friday's 4-3 loss to the Blues.
Ottawa took a 2-1 lead into the third period, but Merilainen couldn't make it stick as a Jordan Kyrou tally early in the final frame launched the home side toward a victory. Merilainen has lost two straight starts on the heels of a three-start win streak, leveling his record at 3-3-0 on the season with a 3.40 GAA and an .874 save percentage.
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Senators' Leevi Merilainen: Set to face St. Louis
Rotowire
Merilainen is expected to start on the road against St. Louis on Friday, per Jackson Starr of the Senators' official site.
Merilainen has a 3-2-0 record, 3.24 GAA and .875 save percentage in five appearances this year. He stopped 20 of 22 shots in his last start Monday, but a lack of offensive support resulted in that being a 2-1 loss to the Kings. The Blues rank 28th in goals per game with 2.63.
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Senators' Leevi Merilainen: Decent in road loss
Rotowire
Merilainen allowed two goals on 22 shots in Monday's 2-1 loss to the Kings.
Both goals allowed came in the third period, as Warren Foegele and Brandt Clarke (on the power play) were able to get pucks past Merilainen. The 23-year-old goalie took just his second loss of the season (3-2-0), but he's allowed only two goals in three of his five outings. He's maintained a 3.24 GAA and an .875 save percentage on the year, numbers skewed by the seven-goal mishap in his season debut versus the Sabres on Oct. 15. Merilainen won't get a lot of chances to play, as Linus Ullmark has done fairly well in a starting role this season. The Senators reach the midpoint of their current seven-game road trip when they visit the Golden Knights on Wednesday.
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Senators' Leevi Merilainen: In goal versus Kings
Rotowire
Merilainen will get the starting nod on the road versus Los Angeles on Monday, Senators on-air host Jackson Starr reports.
Merilainen is riding a three-game winning streak, during which he has allowed just seven goals on 80 shots for a .912 save pecentage. While his run of wins is impressive, it has come over the course of about four weeks, which means he still won't provide much fantasy value. The Senators don't have any upcoming back-to-backs, so it could be a while before Merilainen gets the net again.
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Senators' Leevi Merilainen: Beaten three times Thursday
Rotowire
Merilainen stopped 18 of 21 shots in Thursday's 5-3 win over the Bruins.
Merilainen posted an .857 save percentage, and while that was a step in the wrong direction compared to his recent two outings, it was enough to earn the win thanks to the support provided by the offense. Merilainen has won each of his last three starts, going 3-0-0 with a 2.33 GAA and a .912 save percentage over that span.
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Senators' Leevi Merilainen: Starting versus Bruins
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Merilainen will occupy the home crease versus Boston on Thursday, according to TSN 1200 Ottawa.
Merilainen is 2-1-0 this season, allowing 11 goals on 85 shots. He was less than stellar in his first game of the season, giving up seven goals on 26 shots, but he has turned things around in his last two starts, winning both while allowing four goals on 59 shots over those games. The Bruins have won seven straight games and are sixth in NHL scoring, generating 3.39 goals per game.
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Senators' Leevi Merilainen: Gets starting nod
Rotowire
Merilainen will get the start against the Mammoth on Sunday, Bruce Garrioch of Postmedia reports.
Merilainen is back in the NHL for a second stint after briefly being sent down. The 23-year-old earned his way back up after a strong AHL start and now will have another chance to make a mark in an NHL crease. At the NHL level, he is 1-1-0 with a 4.58 GAA and an .833 save percentage. He faces a tough task in trying to slow down a Mammoth team that's averaging 3.27 goals per game this season.
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Senators' Leevi Merilainen: Earns win over Mammoth
Rotowire
Merilainen stopped 29 of 31 shots in Sunday's 4-2 win over the Mammoth.
Merilainen has now won two of his three outings at the NHL level this season. The 23-year-old has served as Linus Ullmark's backup, which hasn't led to much playing time, though Ullmark isn't exactly dominating between the pipes. Merilainen has allowed 11 goals on 85 shots, but seven of those goals against came in his season debut. He was sharp in a 12-game sample last year and can be an effective goalie in the right matchups. The Senators don't have a back-to-back ahead, so there's no telling when Merilainen's next NHL start could be.
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Senators' Leevi Merilainen: Recalled after strong outing
Rotowire
Merilainen has been recalled to the NHL by the Senators, the team announced Sunday.
Merilainen began the season in the NHL with very mixed results, and he was sent down to AHL Belleville. Following his second consecutive victory for Belleville, the 23-year-old is back up with Ottawa again; Hunter Shepard is moving down in the corresponding move. Merilainen will assume backup goaltender duties behind Linus Ullmark once again.
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Senators' Leevi Merilainen: Sent to AHL
Rotowire
Merilainen was reassigned to AHL Belleville on Saturday.
Merilainen has played only twice this season, allowing nine goals on 54 shots (.833 save percentage). The move will give him some playing time at the AHL level, and he will likely return to the big club in the near future. The Senators recalled Hunter Shepard to back up Linus Ullmark in a corresponding move.
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Senators' Leevi Merilainen: Beaten twice in win Monday
Rotowire
Merilainen stopped 26 of 28 shots in Monday's 7-2 win over the Bruins.
Merilainen was beaten at 3:06 of the first period, and then he was bested again with 10 seconds left in the final frame. However, Ottawa scored seven unanswered goals in between, meaning the 23-year-old was able to clinch his first win of the season. Merilainen is firmly entrenched as the backup behind Linus Ullmark, however, so he's not expected to carry a ton of fantasy upside any time soon. His value will probably be matchup-based until further notice.
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Senators' Leevi Merilainen: Set to face Bruins
Rotowire
Merilainen is expected to patrol the home crease against Boston on Monday, according to Bruce Garrioch of Postmedia.
Merilainen surrendered seven goals on 26 shots in an 8-4 blowout loss to Buffalo on Oct. 15 before heading to the minors for a brief stint. He made 23 saves in a 6-5 shootout win over Boston on Jan. 18 last season. The Bruins rank 15th in the league with 3.20 goals per game this campaign.
Merilainen was called up from AHL Belleville on Thursday.
Merilainen was sent down Sunday and picked up the start in goal Wednesday, turning aside 26 shots in a 6-2 win over Laval. Merilainen was outstanding last season in limited action for Ottawa, posting an 8-3-1 record with three shutouts, a 1.99 GAA and a .925 save percentage across 12 appearances. Merilainen got off to a horrible start this season, giving up seven goals on 26 shots in his lone start, prompting the Senators to banish him to the minors for one contest. Ottawa sent Mads Sogaard to Belleville in a corresponding move.
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Senators' Leevi Merilainen: Loaned back to AHL
Rotowire
Merilainen has been loaned back to AHL Belleville, the Senators announced Sunday.
Merilainen has been the number two goaltender this season behind Linus Ullmark, but the one start he got didn't go so well; he allowed seven goals to a previously struggling Sabres offense in an 8-4 loss. As a result, the 23-year-old is being subbed out for Mads Sogaard from the AHL, where Merilainen is headed in order to regain confidence and get more consistent playing time.
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Senators' Leevi Merilainen: Trampled by Buffalo
Rotowire
Merilainen stopped 19 of 26 shots in Wednesday's 8-4 loss to the Sabres. Buffalo's final goal was scored into an empty net.
The Senators actually held a brief 2-1 lead early in the second period, but Merilainen couldn't hold back the tide as the Sabres finished the night with three power-play goals, plus a shorthanded tally. It was a rough season debut for the 23-year-old netminder, but Ottawa is counting on Merilainen to show that his impressive 2024-25 numbers (1.99 GAA, .925 save percentage in 12 appearances) were no fluke as he handles No. 2 duties behind Linus Ullmark.
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Senators' Leevi Merilainen: Starting against Buffalo
Rotowire
Merilainen will draw the road start against Buffalo on Wednesday, Heather Engel of NHL.com reports.
Linus Ullmark started in each of the Senators' first three games of the season, but Merilainen will make his season debut Wednesday after Ullmark was charged with losses in his last two outings. Merilainen made 12 appearances for Ottawa last year, going 8-3-1 with a 1.99 GAA and .925 save percentage.
Merilainen will defend the road crease during Thursday's preseason game against the Blues, TSN 1200 Ottawa reports.
Merilainen is slated to play the full game in what will likely be his final tune-up ahead of the regular season. Once the 2025-26 campaign begins, Merilainen is expected to serve as Linus Ullmark's backup.
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