Blue Jackets' Elvis Merzlikins: Tending twine Monday
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Merzlikins will defend the road crease against Washington on Monday, Jeff Svoboda of the Blue Jackets' official site reports.
Merzlikins has seen limited playing time recently, starting just once in the Blue Jackets' last eight games while Jet Greaves has served as the primary netminder. However, Merzlikins will have a chance to tend the twine Monday against a tough opponent, as the Capitals rank seventh in the league with 3.23 goals per game this season.
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Blue Jackets' Elvis Merzlikins: Suffers third straight defeat
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Merzlikins stopped 25 of 30 shots in Tuesday's 5-2 loss to the Jets.
Merzlikins made his return to the crease for the first time since Nov. 8, when he allowed four goals on 24 shots in a loss to the Canucks. The results weren't encouraging this time around as Merzlikins received his third straight defeat. Even though he's gone 4-4-0 with a 3.37 GAA and a .900 save percentage in eight outings this season, his recent performances (0-3-0, 4.06 GAA, .871 percentage) show he's trending in the wrong direction.
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Blue Jackets' Elvis Merzlikins: Set to start Tuesday
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Merzlikins is slated to start Tuesday's road game against Winnipeg, Aaron Portzline of The Athletic reports.
Merzlikins has served as the Blue Jackets' No. 2 netminder recently, and he'll operate as the backup in a fifth consecutive game Monday at home against the Canadiens since Jet Greaves will remain in the net. However, Merzlikins will have an opportunity to tend the twine in the second half of the back-to-back set. Over seven appearances to begin the regular season, Merzlikins has gone 4-3-0 with a 3.14 GAA and .908 save percentage.
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Blue Jackets' Elvis Merzlikins: Surrenders four goals in loss
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Merzlikins stopped 21 of 25 shots in Saturday's 4-3 loss to the Canucks.
Merzlikins took his second straight loss, and this was the third time in seven outings that he's allowed four goals. The 31-year-old was playing from behind for a large part of this contest, including most of the third period. He's now 4-3-0 on the year, but his 3.14 GAA and .909 save percentage indicate some volatility in trusting him for fantasy. The Blue Jackets have alternated goalies all year, and if that pattern holds, Jet Greaves would start Monday in Edmonton while Merzlikins would get Tuesday's game in Seattle.
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Blue Jackets' Elvis Merzlikins: Starting in Vancouver
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Merzlikins will guard the road goal versus the Canucks on Saturday, Jeff Svoboda of the Blue Jackets' official site reports.
Merzlikins will take his turn in the goalie rotation after Jet Greaves' loss in Calgary on Wednesday. Merzlikins is also coming off a loss after stopping 36 of 39 shots versus the Islanders in a 3-2 defeat in his last start. The Canucks are still missing a few key players, and they've scored just 16 goals over their last six games, going 3-3-0 in that span.
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Blue Jackets' Elvis Merzlikins: Faces high volume in loss
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Merzlikins made 36 of 39 saves in Sunday's 3-2 loss to the Islanders.
After conceding just one goal in the first 58 minutes of regulation, Merzlikins looked as if he was in line for his fourth consecutive win. However, the Islanders would grab two goals in the final two minutes of regulation to pull the rug out from under Columbus, stealing a 3-2 win. With the loss, the 31-year-old netminder has a 4-2-0 record with a 2.98 GAA and a .917 save percentage across six appearances. Both Merzlikins and fellow goalie Jet Greaves have displayed reasons to be fantasy relevant despite the two evenly splitting starts through the Blue Jackets' first 12 games. In the case of Merzlikins, he has made the largest number of saves (198) among all netminders with six games or less. That fact, combined with the Blue Jackets winning two-thirds of their matchups when he starts, make him a solid streaming option in most fantasy formats. If the Blue Jackets continue to alternate starts, Merzlikins is projected to make his next start Saturday against the Canucks.
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Blue Jackets' Elvis Merzlikins: Starting against Isles
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Merzlikins will be the starting goaltender for Sunday's game against the Islanders, Jeff Svoboda of the Blue Jackets' official site reports.
It will be the 250th game of Merzlikins' career Sunday night. The 31-year-old is 98-101-35 with a 3.19 GAA and a .902 save percentage in his career. This season, he is outpacing those marks with a 4-1-0 record, 2.97 GAA and .915 save percentage. He next faces an Islanders team that's bringing up the rear in the Metropolitan Division standings.
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Blue Jackets' Elvis Merzlikins: Steady in win
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Merzlikins stopped 33 of 36 shots in Wednesday's 6-3 win over the Maple Leafs.
Merzlikins has won three straight starts. He was in control for this one, with the help of a big performance from the Blue Jackets' third line, though the Maple Leafs got a couple of goals back late in the game. Merzlikins improved to 4-1-0 with a 2.97 GAA and a .915 save percentage over five outings this season. He has alternated starts with Jet Greaves, and if that pattern holds, Greaves would play at home versus the Blues on Saturday, while Merzlikins would draw a road start Sunday against the Islanders.
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Blue Jackets' Elvis Merzlikins: Set to start Wednesday
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Merzlikins is expected to start at home against Toronto on Wednesday, per Jeff Svoboda of the Blue Jackets' official site.
Merzlikins is 3-1-0 with a 2.96 GAA and a .915 save percentage in four appearances this year. He faced the Maple Leafs twice during the 2024-25 regular season, going 1-1-0 while stopping 50 of 56 shots (.893 save percentage). Toronto is 5-4-1 and is tied for 10th in goals per game with 3.50 this year.
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Blue Jackets' Elvis Merzlikins: Nabs third win in shootout
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Merzlikins made 26 saves in regulation and overtime and denied one of three shootout attempts in Saturday's 5-4 win over the Penguins.
The 31-year-old netminder came up with some big stops but also got extremely lucky, as on three different occasions a puck came within a whisker of crossing the goal line behind Merzlikins before being knocked aside. The timeshare between Jet Greaves and Merzlikins is working out well for both goalies so far, and through four starts Elvis has a 3-1-0 record, 2.96 GAA and .914 save percentage.
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Blue Jackets' Elvis Merzlikins: Slated to start Saturday
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Merzlikins is set to start on the road against Pittsburgh on Saturday, according to Jeff Svoboda of the Blue Jackets' official site.
Merzlikins has a 2-1-0 record, 2.68 GAA and .927 save percentage in three appearances this season. He went 2-1-0 with a 3.28 GAA and an .873 save percentage in three regular-season outings versus Pittsburgh last year. Pittsburgh has looked good so far this season, posting a 6-2-0 record while averaging 3.50 goals per game.
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Blue Jackets' Elvis Merzlikins: Collects win over Stars
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Merzlikins stopped 22 of 23 shots in Tuesday's 5-1 win over the Stars.
Merzlikins has now won two of his three starts this season. The Blue Jackets' defense was a little sturdier in this game after allowing him to see 87 shots over his first two outings. He's turned aside 102 of 110 shots through three games, good for a .927 save percentage. Merzlikins and Jet Greaves have alternated starts, and while the results haven't been consistent yet, it seems to be working well for both goalies. If that pattern continues, Greaves would get a home game Friday versus the Capitals before Merzlikins would take the net Saturday in Pittsburgh.
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Blue Jackets' Elvis Merzlikins: Starting in Dallas
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Merzlikins will tend the road twine Tuesday versus the Stars, according to Jeff Svoboda of the Blue Jackets' official site.
Merzlikins will continue to split time in the crease with Jet Greaves, as the two netminders are alternating starts to begin the season. The 31-year-old Merzlikins has a 1-1-0 record, 3.53 GAA and .920 save percentage through two appearances. He made 32 saves on 35 shots in his last start during Thursday's 4-1 loss to Colorado.
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Blue Jackets' Elvis Merzlikins: Faces plenty of shots in loss
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Merzlikins made 32 saves in a 4-1 loss to Colorado on Thursday.
He allowed three goals. Merzlikins and Jet Greaves are splitting starts right now, and both netminders have great save percentages (.920 for Merzlikins; .932 for Greaves). Wins and GAA will be tough categories with Merzlikins, so use him in matchups as they present themselves.
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Blue Jackets' Elvis Merzlikins: Tending twine against Colorado
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Merzlikins will defend the home crease during Thursday's game against the Avalanche, Aaron Portzline of The Athletic reports.
Merzlikins and Jet Greaves have alternated starts in net for the Blue Jackets early in the 2025-26 campaign, and that trend will continue Thursday. Merzlikins made his season debut against the Wild on Saturday, allowing four goals on 52 shots (.923 save percentage) en route to the 7-4 victory.
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Blue Jackets' Elvis Merzlikins: Beaten four times
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Merzlikins allowed four goals on 52 shots faced in Saturday's 7-4 win over Minnesota.
Merzlikins didn't play in the 2-1 loss to Nashville, and while he earned the win in this high-scoring matchup, allowing four goals isn't going to do a lot of good in fantasy. It remains to be seen whether Merzlikins or Jet Greaves will get the nod when the Blue Jackets take on the Devils on Monday at home.
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Blue Jackets' Elvis Merzlikins: Set to start Saturday
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Merzlikins is expected to start on the road against Columbus on Saturday, per Aaron Portzline of The Athletic.
Merzlikins is making his first start of the campaign after Jet Greaves saved 29 of 31 shots in a 2-1 loss to Nashville on Thursday. Although Merzlikins didn't start in the opener, he still has an opportunity to claim the No. 1 gig, but he'll probably need to do better than he did in 2024-25 in order to secure the job. The 31-year-old posted a 26-21-5 record, 3.18 GAA and .892 save percentage in 53 outings with Columbus last year.
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Blue Jackets' Elvis Merzlikins: Starting Saturday
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Merzlikins will patrol the visiting cease in Washington on Saturday, Aaron Portzline of The Athletic reports.
Merzlikins is in a battle for the No. 1 job with the Blue Jackets, as Jet Greaves has been pushing the Russian veteran all training camp. Merzlikins made 53 regular-season appearances for Columbus last season, going 26-21-5 with a 3.18 GAA and an .892 save percentage.
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Blue Jackets' Elvis Merzlikins: Will start Saturday
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Merzlikins will be between the pipes on the road against the Penguins on Saturday, Aaron Portzline of The Athletic reports.
Merzlikins was underwhelming last year, going 26-21-5 with a 3.18 GAA and just one shutout in 53 regular-season outings. With Jet Greaves nipping at his heels, the 31-year-old Merzlikins will need to be on top of his game all season long to avoid losing starts to the youngster. Still, Merzlikins is the veteran option in the crease and enters the season as the No. 1 option.
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Blue Jackets' Elvis Merzlikins: Tending twine Monday
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Merzlikins will be between the home pipes for Monday's exhibition game versus the Sabres, per Jeff Svoboda of the Blue Jackets' official site.
Merzlikins will attempt to start the preseason on a high note, as he has competition in the crease this year in the form of Jet Greaves and newcomer Ivan Fedotov. Greaves played at a high level last season with a .938 save percentage and a 1.91 GAA, albeit in a small sample (11 games), so there's no guarantee Merzlikins starts the 2025-26 campaign as Columbus' No. 1 netminder. The 31-year-old Merzlikins posted a 26-21-5 record, 3.18 GAA and .892 save percentage over 53 appearances in 2024-25.
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