Merilainen made 21 saves in a 4-2 loss to Dallas on Thursday.
It was a tough night for Merilainen, who had won both of his starts so far this season. However, his teammates mustered just 13 shots on Jake Oettinger at the other end of the ice, and few goalies can win with that little effort from his teammates. Anton Forsberg, who hadn't dressed for six games due to a lower-body injury, returned as his backup and will likely get the team's next start.