Canucks' Leevi Merilainen: Humbled by defending champs
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Merilainen stopped 38 of 43 shots in Tuesday's 6-3 loss to the Hurricanes. The sixth goal was an empty-netter.
Merilainen was under siege for much of the game as the Canucks got out-shot 44-17. It's the fourth outing in a row where Merilainen has faced more than 30 shots. That's likely to happen a lot behind a shaky and young defense. Merilainen is 1-2-1 with a 2.95 GAA and a .917 save percentage over seven outings this season. He's starting to gain an edge over Kevin Lankinen for playing time, but neither goalie is a reliable fantasy option in most formats. The Canucks are set to host the Red Wings on Thursday.
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Canucks' Leevi Merilainen: Set to face Hurricanes
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Merilainen will guard the home crease in Tuesday's contest against the Hurricanes, per Canucks play-by-play announcer Brendan Batchelor.
After a three-outing stretch where he allowed just one goal, Merilainen has yielded three goals across each of his last three outings. Regardless, the 24-year-old netminder has far outplayed Kevin Lankinen in the 2026-27 campaign, which has led to the former securing the majority of opportunities between the pipes as of late. Overall, Merialinen holds a 1-1-1 record, a 2.51 GAA and a .925 save percentage across six appearances. He'll have his work cut out for him Tuesday against the defending champs, relegating Merilainen's fantasy value to being a spot start for fantasy managers in a pinch. If he can come out with the win Tuesday, Merilainen would be a priority waiver-wire addition for teams in all deep leagues.
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Canucks' Leevi Merilainen: Starting against Florida
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Merilainen was the first goalie off during Thursday's morning skate, Thomas Drance of The Athletic reports, indicating that he'll draw the road start against Florida.
Merilainen will draw a second consecutive start after he allowed three goals on 38 shots during a 3-2 regulation loss to the Islanders on the road Tuesday. He's appeared in five games to begin the regular season, going 1-1-0 with a 2.40 GAA and .927 save percentage.
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Canucks' Leevi Merilainen: Battles in narrow loss
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Merilainen halted 33 of 36 shots on net in Tuesday's 3-2 loss to the Islanders.
While the end result of Tuesday's contest didn't go his way, Merilainen continued to be a bright spot for the Canucks with his performance in net. He allowed just three goals against 36 shots on net, which helped Vancouver have a chance at winning throughout the entire contest. With Tuesday's contest in the books, the 24-year-old goalie now has a 1-1-0 record, a 2.40 GAA and a .926 save percentage across five appearances. He's proven to be the more-reliable option between the pipes for the Canucks compared to Kevin Lankinen, who has struggled mightily to open the 2026-27 campaign. If Merialinen's rise in production continues, he'll not only be on the fantasy radar in standard formats, but also one of the best waiver claims in recent memory. For now, he's a solid spot start in deep fantasy leagues with a bundle of upside.
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Canucks' Leevi Merilainen: Tending twine Tuesday
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Merilainen will patrol the road paint in Tuesday's clash against the Islanders, per Thomas Drance of The Athletic.
Merilainen will return to action Tuesday after avoiding his first loss of the season in Saturday's clash, where he was off the ice having his skate repaired when Kevin Lankinen allowed the game-winning goal. Outside of Saturday's game, the 24-year-old Merilainen has fared well to begin the new season, where he has a 1-0-0 record, a 2.18 GAA and a .929 save percentage across four appearances. While the young netminder's fantasy stock is on the rise, he'll have to prove himself in a tough matchup with the Islanders on Tuesday. He's a spot start option for fantasy managers in a pinch, but he should be left on waivers for the time being in standard formats.
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Canucks' Leevi Merilainen: Busy day in New Jersey
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Merilainen stopped 31 of 34 shots for the Canucks during a 4-1 loss to the Devils on Saturday.
The 24-year-old netminder managed to avoid having the loss go on his record -- Merilainen left the ice late in the first period to get his skate repaired, and Kevin Lankinen wound up allowing the game-winning goal during his brief relief stint. All three pucks that got past Merilainen came on Devil power plays, and he made a number of big saves just to keep the game as close as it was. Through four appearances (two starts) this season, he boasts a .929 save percentage, compared to Lankinen's woeful .783 mark in five outings (four starts). Lankinen should get the start for Sunday's road contest against the Rangers, but Merilainen is making a strong case to take over the larger share of the workload in the crease for Vancouver.
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Canucks' Leevi Merilainen: Guarding road goal
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Merilainen is set to start on the road against the Devils on Saturday, per Mike Morreale of NHL.com.
Merilainen has a 1-0-0 record, 1.62 GAA and .941 save percentage across three appearances this season. That's in stark contrast to Vancouver's other goaltender, Kevin Lankinen, who is 1-3-0 with a 7.06 GAA and a .786 save percentage in four outings. With that in mind, there might be an opportunity here for Merilainen to earn a bigger share of Vancouver's starts. New Jersey has gotten off to a slow start offensively, averaging just 2.00 goals through three games.
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Canucks' Leevi Merilainen: Needed in relief again
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Merilainen turned aside 15 of 16 shots after replacing Kevin Lankinen to begin the third period of Thursday's 7-2 loss to the Hurricanes.
It's already the second time this season that Lankinen has gotten an early hook, and Merilainen has looked sharp in a low-pressure relief situation. While Lankinen has faced the tougher assignments, the difference in their numbers so far couldn't be more stark -- Merilainen has won his only start while producing a 1.62 GAA and .941 save percentage in five periods of action, while Lankinen is 1-3-0 with a hideous 7.06 GAA and .786 save percentage. The Canucks play back-to-back games this weekend on the road against the Devils and Rangers as they continue an east coast swing, and if Merilainen outplays Lankinen once again, he could make a quick push to the top of the depth chart.
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Canucks' Leevi Merilainen: Keeps Flames under control
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Merilainen stopped 23 of 24 shots in Saturday's 4-1 win over the Flames.
Getting away from the Oilers made things look a lot better for the Canucks. Merilainen presumably got the start as a reward for his decent relief performance versus Edmonton on Thursday. The 24-year-old netminder has allowed just two goals on 35 shots over his two appearances for the Canucks. He probably won't be that good in the long run, given the rebuilding team in front of him, but he could unseat Kevin Lankinen for the No. 1 job. It'll likely be Lankinen who gets the harder matchup of the weekend Sunday at home versus the Golden Knights.
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Senators' Leevi Merilainen: Struggles in preseason start
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Merilainen allowed six goals on 27 shots in a 6-1 loss to the Maple Leafs on Wednesday.
Merilainen played into the third period, but he was pulled after giving up a sixth goal. He may get one more chance to audition during preseason action, but this wasn't a particularly encouraging effort put forth for a goalie who needed to impress to win a roster spot. Expect Merilainen to start 2026-27 with AHL Belleville.
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Senators' Leevi Merilainen: Up from minors
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Merilainen was called up by Ottawa on Friday.
Merilainen had an 8-10-1 record, 3.51 GAA and .860 save percentage in 20 appearances with Ottawa during the 2025-26 regular season. He's joining Ottawa as the squad's No. 3 goaltender going into its first-round series against Carolina. Merilainen shouldn't be expected to man the net in a 2026 playoff game for the Senators unless Linus Ullmark and James Reimer run into injury problems.
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Senators' Leevi Merilainen: Regaining confidence in Belleville
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Merilainen posted a 40-save shutout in AHL Belleville's 1-0 win over Springfield on Saturday.
Merilainen improved to 4-1-0 this season in the AHL, with wins in each of the last two games since he returned to Belleville. This was his first shutout of the season, and he's allowed just 13 goals on 166 shots for a .927 save percentage with Belleville. That said, his chances to return to the NHL don't look great at this time, as the Senators are carrying three goalies and have Linus Ullmark (personal) on the non-roster list.
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Senators' Leevi Merilainen: Falls in OT
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Merilainen stopped 13 of 19 shots on net in Saturday's 6-5 overtime loss to the Canadiens.
Merilainen allowed at least one goal in each period leading up to overtime, where he surrendered the winning tally to Montreal's Cole Caufield. With the OT loss, Merilainen now has an 8-10-1 record, a 3.51 GAA and an .860 save percentage across 20 appearances this season. He has appeared in each of Ottawa's last 11 games in the absence of Linus Ullmark (personal). With Ullmark back at practice, Merilainen could shift to a much lighter workload over the next few games, which would diminish the latter's already modest fantasy value. The Senators will be right back in action Sunday in Detroit.
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Senators' Leevi Merilainen: Starting again Wednesday
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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: Set to face Colorado
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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
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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.
