Blue Jackets' Elvis Merzlikins: Can't steal win in south Florida
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Merzlikins stopped 19 shots in Thursday's 2-1 overtime loss to the Panthers.
The Blue Jackets grabbed a 1-0 lead past the midway point of the second period on an Adam Fantilli tally, but Merzlikins couldn't make it stick as Sam Bennett and Sam Reinhart scored on power plays in the third period and OT. Merzlikins has turned things around over the last couple months while working behind a stingier Columbus blue line, going 7-2-2 in his last 12 outings with a 2.54 GAA and .898 save percentage.
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Blue Jackets' Elvis Merzlikins: Between pipes Thursday
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Merzlikins will patrol the visiting crease in Florida on Thursday, according to Jeff Svoboda of the Blue Jackets' official site.
Merzlikins will make his second straight start after stopping 16 shots in a 5-2 win in Tampa Bay on Tuesday. Merzlikins is 13-9-2 with a 3.47 GAA and an .884 save percentage over 26 appearances this season. The Panthers are 19th in NHL scoring, averaging 2.98 goals per contest.
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Blue Jackets' Elvis Merzlikins: Extinguishes Lightning on Tuesday
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Merzlikins made 16 saves in a 5-2 win over Tampa Bay on Tuesday. He put up an assist.
Merzlikins was sharp all night. He had no chance on the first goal, which was a sharp tip over his left shoulder. The second came through a screen off a point shot. Merzlikins and Jet Greaves have been pretty much alternating starts since the end of January. If that pattern continues, Greaves will see time against Florida on Thursday, and Merzlikins will be in net Saturday. Wait for the official update Thursday before setting your daily roster.
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Blue Jackets' Elvis Merzlikins: Defending crease Tuesday
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Merzlikins will start Tuesday's road matchup against Tampa Bay, Jeff Svoboda of the Blue Jackets' official site reports.
Merzlikins will get the second half of the Blue Jackets' back-to-back after Jet Greaves played in Monday's 5-4 overtime loss to the Kings. The 31-year-old Merzlikins has a 12-9-2 record this campaign with one shutout, a 3.53 GAA and an .884 save percentage through 25 appearances. Tampa Bay ranks fourth in the league with 3.53 goals per game this season.
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Blue Jackets' Elvis Merzlikins: Subpar showing in OT loss
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Merzlikins stopped 18 of 23 shots in Saturday's 5-4 overtime loss to the Mammoth.
It wouldn't be a stretch to say that Merzlikins has been subpar since the regular season resumed following the Olympic break. The 31-year-old netminder has made four appearances, going 1-1-1 with a 3.79 GAA and an .850 save percentage over that span. Perhaps more worrying is the fact that he's posted a save percentage below .880 in each of his three starts over that span. The Blue Jackets will take on the Kings on Monday before starting a three-game road trip between March 10 and March 14.
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Blue Jackets' Elvis Merzlikins: In goal Saturday
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Merzlikins will patrol the home crease against Utah on Saturday, according to Aaron Portzline of The Athletic.
Merzlikins has posted a 12-9-1 record this season with one shutout, a 3.47 GAA and an .887 save percentage through 24 appearances. Utah is tied for 14th in the league with 3.16 goals per game during the 2025-26 campaign.
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Blue Jackets' Elvis Merzlikins: Needed briefly in relief Tuesday
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Merzlikins turned aside both shots he faced during a brief relief appearance in Tuesday's 3-2 win over the Predators.
Jet Greaves left the game midway through the first period to get checked for a concussion and missed a little over eight minutes, with Merzlikins holding down the fort in the meantime. Both netminders have put up impressive numbers lately, as they work in a timeshare. Over his last nine outings, Merzlikins has gone 6-2-0 with a 2.39 GAA and .911 save percentage.
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Blue Jackets' Elvis Merzlikins: Defending road crease Monday
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Merzlikins will start Monday's road game against the Rangers, Jeff Svoboda of the Blue Jackets' official site reports.
Over eight appearances since the start of the calendar year, Merzlikins has gone 5-3-0 with a 2.44 GAA and .909 save percentage. He'll make his second start since the Olympic break during Monday's matchup and will face a favorable opponent, as the Rangers are scoring just 2.59 goals per game this year, which is the sixth-worst mark in the league.
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Blue Jackets' Elvis Merzlikins: Takes loss in Boston
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Merzlikins stopped 19 of 22 shots in Thursday's 4-2 loss to the Bruins, with Boston's final goal getting scored into an empty net.
The 31-year-old had won three straight outings and five of six prior to the Olympic break, but his first start after the break got off to an inauspicious start when Viktor Arvidsson flipped a seemingly harmless shot toward the net late in the first period, and it deflected past Merzlikins off Isac Lundestrom's stick. Merzlikins has still given up three goals or fewer in seven straight appearances dating back to Jan. 15, posting a 2.19 GAA and .916 save percentage over that stretch.
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Blue Jackets' Elvis Merzlikins: Starting in Boston
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Merzlikins will start Thursday's road game against Boston, The Hockey News reports.
Merzlikins was effective heading into the Olympic break, going 5-1-0 with a 2.03 GAA and .924 save percentage over his last six starts. He'll draw the start in the Blue Jackets' first game following the layoff but will face a tough test in the Bruins, who are tied for sixth in the NHL with 3.39 goals per game.
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Blue Jackets' Elvis Merzlikins: Struggles in loss to Sweden
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Merzlikins stopped 23 of 28 shots in Latvia's 5-1 loss to Sweden in the 2026 Winter Olympics on Tuesday.
Latvia's Olympic campaign came to an end Tuesday in a loss to Sweden, though that outcome was totally expected given the difference in quality between the two teams. Merzlikins allowed 10 goals on 66 shots faced in two starts in the Olympics. He'll report back to the Blue Jackets, as Columbus will resume its regular-season campaign on the road against the Bruins on Feb. 26.
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Blue Jackets' Elvis Merzlikins: Yields five goals in Olympic opener
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Merzlikins stopped 33 of 38 shots on goal in Latvia's 5-1 loss to the United States in Olympic round-robin play Thursday.
Merzlikins had the odds stacked against him in Thursday's contest and played well to not allow the game-winning goal before the 30-minute mark. His early effort Thursday reflected where he left off with Columbus before the Olympic break, as he had a 3-0-0 record, a 1.67 GAA, a .933 save percentage and a shutout across his last three starts. He'll likely receive one more start during Olympic round-robin play and should get a game of rest if Latvia turns to Penguins netminder Arturs Silovs to change things up.
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Blue Jackets' Elvis Merzlikins: Facing Americans
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Merzlikins will defend the Latvian crease against the United States at the 2026 Winter Olympics on Thursday, according to Jeff Svoboda of the Blue Jackets' official site.
Merzlikins won his last three starts in a Columbus uniform prior to the Olympic break, turning aside 70 of 75 shots. He is 11-8-1 with a 3.48 GAA and an .888 save percentage over 21 contests this season. Merzlikins has a tough matchup against the mighty American team, which includes Blue Jackets teammate Zach Werenski.
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Blue Jackets' Elvis Merzlikins: Blanks Jersey for first shutout
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Merzlikins turned aside all 24 shots he faced in Tuesday's 3-0 win over the Devils.
It was the first shutout of the season for the 31-year-old netminder, and the 12th of his career. Merzlikins has won three straight starts and five of his last six, posting a sharp 2.03 GAA and .924 save percentage over that latter stretch. He has been making a push to wrest the starting job away from Jet Greaves.
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Blue Jackets' Elvis Merzlikins: Gets starting nod against Devils
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Merzlikins will be between the pipes on the road versus New Jersey on Tuesday, Jeff Svoboda of the Blue Jackets' official site reports.
Merzlikins has been forcing his way into a larger share of the workload in Columbus, featuring in five of the club's last eight contests. In those outings, the 31-year-old netminder has posted a 4-1-0 record and a 2.49 GAA. With Merzlikins going Tuesday, the Jackets figure to deploy Jet Greaves in Wednesday's clash with the Blackhawks.
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Blue Jackets' Elvis Merzlikins: Secures 10th win
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Merzlikins stopped 22 of 24 shots in Friday's 4-2 win over the Blackhawks.
Merzlikins earned his 10th win of the season and his fourth victory in his last five outings with this performance. The Blackhawks' top line accounted for both goals against, but Charlie Coyle's hat trick was plenty of help for Merzlikins and the Blue Jackets. On the season, Merzlikins is 10-8-1 with a 3.67 GAA and an .883 save percentage over 20 appearances. The Blue Jackets will likely turn to Jet Greaves for Saturday's game in St. Louis, but Merzlikins has done well to work himself back into a timeshare in the crease.
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Blue Jackets' Elvis Merzlikins: Facing Blackhawks
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Merzlikins will defend the road cage in Chicago on Friday, Mark Scheig of The Hockey Writers reports.
Merzlikins will make his second straight start, as he stopped 24 shots in a 5-3 win over Philadelphia on Wednesday. The netminder is 9-8-1 with poor peripherals, including a 3.76 GAA and an .882 save percentage across 19 appearances this season. The Blackhawks are 26th in NHL scoring, tallying 143 goals in 54 games.
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Blue Jackets' Elvis Merzlikins: Gets win over Flyers
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Merzlikins stopped 24 of 27 shots in Wednesday's 5-3 win over the Flyers.
Merzlikins was originally scheduled to start Monday versus the Kings before that game was postponed due to severe winter weather. The extra time off didn't hurt Merzlikins, as he picked up his third win in four outings despite giving up a hat trick to Travis Konecny in this contest. Merzlikins is now 9-8-1 with a 3.76 GAA and an .882 save percentage over 19 starts this season. The Blue Jackets have a road back-to-back up next with games in Chicago on Friday and St. Louis on Saturday. Expect Merzlikins and Jet Greaves to split those starts.
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Blue Jackets' Elvis Merzlikins: Game against Los Angeles postponed
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Merzlikins and the Blue Jackets won't play against the Kings on Monday since the game was postponed due to severe winter weather in the Columbus area.
Merzlikins was slated to draw the start at home Monday, but the game will be rescheduled for March 9. The next game on the Blue Jackets' schedule is a home matchup against the Flyers on Wednesday, but it's not yet clear who will start in net during that game.
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Blue Jackets' Elvis Merzlikins: Set to start Monday
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Merzlikins was the first goalie off the ice at the morning skate, according to Mark Scheig of The Hockey Writers, indicating he will protect the home net against the Kings on Monday.
Merzlikins is poised to return to the crease after leaving Tuesday's 4-1 loss to Ottawa because of an illness. He has been healthy enough to be in the lineup as Jet Greaves' backup for the last two games. The 31-year-old Merzlikins has gone 8-8-1 with a 3.81 GAA and an .882 save percentage across 18 appearances this campaign. Los Angeles is tied for 28th in the league with 2.60 goals per game this campaign.
