Canucks' Leevi Merilainen: Beaten twice in loss Monday
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Merilainen stopped 14 of 16 shots in Monday's 3-1 loss to the Flyers. Philadelphia's third goal was an empty-netter.
Merilainen surrendered an early goal to Michael Bunting before Travis Konecny doubled Philadelphia's lead on the power play in the second period. The young netminder received limited offensive support as Vancouver suffered its sixth consecutive regulation defeat. This was Merilainen's eighth straight game with a single-game save percentage below .900, so even if he remains the Canucks' No. 1 goaltender for now, the individual and collective struggles limit his fantasy appeal considerably.
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Canucks' Leevi Merilainen: First goalie off Monday
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Merliainen was the first goalie off during Monday's morning skate, Canucks play-by-play announcer Brendan Batchelor reports, indicating that he'll draw the home start against the Flyers.
Merilainen has struggled to enter the win column early in the 2026-27 campaign, as he's gone 2-7-1 with a 3.52 GAA and .889 save percentage over his first 13 appearances of the regular season, including regulation losses in each of his last four outings. However, he'll draw a third consecutive start Monday and will have a favorable matchup against the Flyers, who have logged just 2.21 goals per game to begin the regular season, which is the second-worst mark in the league.
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Canucks' Leevi Merilainen: Decent effort in loss
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Merilainen stopped 26 of 29 shots in Saturday's 4-2 loss to the Oilers. The fourth goal was an empty-netter.
Merilainen took his fourth consecutive loss, but this was a passable effort against a tough opponent. The Oilers' top players lived up to the hype, but Merilainen was able to keep things close. For the season, he's at a 2-7-1 record with a 3.52 GAA and an .889 save percentage across 13 games (11 starts). He is the Canucks' preferred option in goal, though his performance still hasn't been reliable enough to earn much trust in fantasy. That said, he's a viable streaming option Monday at home versus the Flyers if he gets that start.
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Canucks' Leevi Merilainen: Facing Oilers Saturday
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Merilainen will patrol the road crease in Saturday's clash against the Oilers, per Iain MacIntyre of Sportsnet.
Merilainen will make his second consecutive start Saturday, where he'll look to bounce back after struggling against the Jets. Across 12 outings this season, the 24-year-old Merilainen has posted a 2-6-1 record, a 3.56 GAA and an .889 save percentage. Even though he's cooled off after a strong start to the season, he's outplayed Kevin Lankinen so far this season and remains the top option for the Canucks. However, he'll be a difficult fantasy option to trust Saturday against the league's top offense.
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Canucks' Leevi Merilainen: Unsupported by teammates
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Merilainen made 23 saves in a 6-2 loss to the Jets on Thursday.
This was not on Levi -- the Orcas lacked compete and effort in a lot of places Thursday, and Merilainen is not a miracle worker. He's 1-4-1 with an .847 save percentage in his last five games and 2-6-1 in 10 starts overall (.889 save percentage). The Canucks have lost four straight, and both Merilainen and Kevin Lankinen will continue to struggle behind the NHL's last-place team. The team has a minus-30 goal differential in just 18 games.
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Canucks' Leevi Merilainen: Tending twine Thursday
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Merilainen will start Thursday's road game against the Jets, Ken Wiebe of The Winnipeg Free Press reports.
Merilainen got the night off Tuesday against the Ducks, but he'll start for the fifth time in the Canucks' last six games Thursday. Across 11 appearances to begin the regular season, the 24-year-old has gone 2-5-1 with a 3.30 GAA and .897 save percentage.
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Canucks' Leevi Merilainen: Strong performance again
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Merilainen stopped 24 shots in a 4-2 loss to the Maple Leafs on Saturday. He allowed three goals.
Merilainen has badly outplayed starter, Kevin Lankinen, and is 2-5-1 with a 3.31 GAA and .897 save percentage in nine starts (11 appearances). Those numbers aren't as bad as they look -- the NHL average for save percentage is .891. Merilainen is typically hung out to dry most nights, but he hangs in there and gives the Orcas a chance. Plus his 5.45 GSAx is 16th in the NHL. He's making the most of this opportunity and is worth monitoring for future drafts when the team improves.
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Canucks' Leevi Merilainen: In goal Saturday
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Merilainen will tend the home twine versus the Maple Leafs on Saturday, Jeff Paterson of the Sekeres and Price podcast reports.
Merilainen will make his fourth straight start. He's allowed 12 goals on 81 shots over his last three outings, though he's managed to go 1-2-0 in that span. The 24-year-old netminder looks to have built some trust with head coach Manny Malhotra, but Merilainen's performance lately hasn't made him a reliable fantasy option.
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Canucks' Leevi Merilainen: Stumbles in third period
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Merilainen stopped 21 of 24 shots in Thursday's 3-2 loss to the Sharks.
Merilainen gave up all three goals in a span of 2:50 during the third period, turning a 2-0 lead into the 3-2 deficit that held to the end of the game. That's not a great look, but this was the first time in his last four outings that he kept a team under four goals. Merilainen is at a 2-4-1 record with a 3.33 GAA and an .898 save percentage across 10 appearances this season. The Canucks return home to face the Maple Leafs on Saturday. Considering Merilainen has played in a season-high three straight games, Kevin Lankinen may be due for a start soon.
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Canucks' Leevi Merilainen: First goalie off Thursday
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Merilainen was the first goalie off during Thursday's morning skate, Max Miller of NHL.com reports, indicating that he'll draw the road start against San Jose.
Merilainen returned to the win column Tuesday against Anaheim for the first time since Oct. 3, and he'll draw a third consecutive start Thursday. Across his nine appearances to begin the regular season, he's gone 2-3-1 with a 3.35 GAA and .900 save percentage.
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Canucks' Leevi Merilainen: Surrenders five goals in overtime win
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Merilainen stopped 18 of 23 shots in Tuesday's 6-5 overtime win over the Ducks.
Merilainen's performance didn't inspire much confidence, but he was able to lock in late as the Canucks pulled off an improbable comeback. This was his first win since Oct. 3 versus the Flames. The 24-year-old netminder is 2-3-1 with a 3.35 GAA and a .900 save percentage across nine games (seven starts) this season. Merilainen is still a massively risky option in fantasy even if he's able to run with the starting job in Vancouver. The Canucks' next game is Thursday in San Jose.
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Canucks' Leevi Merilainen: Guarding goal in Anaheim
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Merilainen will protect the road goal versus the Ducks on Tuesday, Canucks play-by-play announcer Brendan Batchelor reports.
Merilainen will start consecutive games for the first time in about two weeks. He'll get the nod despite having lost his last four outings with a total of 15 goals allowed in that span. The Ducks have won just one of their last six games, scoring 14 times during that stretch, so this could be a chance for Merilainen to return to the win column.
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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: 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: 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.
