Merzlikins made 21 saves in Thursday's 5-4 loss to the Red Wings.
It was a bad night for the Blue Jackets' special teams units. Two of Detroit's goals were scored with the man advantage, while Jonatan Berggren's game-winner with 36 seconds left in the third period came on a breakaway as he stepped out of the penalty box at the end of the Columbus power play. Merzlikins has given up at least four goals in five of his last nine starts, stumbling to a 4-4-1 record with a 3.40 GAA and .877 save percentage over that stretch, but head coach Dean Evason seems content to keep him in the No. 1 spot in the crease for now.