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: 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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Blue Jackets' Elvis Merzlikins: Ready to rock for camp
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Merzlikins (concussion) is not listed with an injury on the Blue Jackets' training camp roster released Wednesday, Mark Scheig of The Hockey Writers reports.
Merzlikins was out for the last five games of the regular season in 2024-25. He's healthy after the offseason, and he'll now turn his attention to competing with Jet Greaves for the No. 1 job during camp. Merzlikins has posted a sub-.900 save percentage in three straight years, so he'll need to make significant improvements to avoid losing playing time.
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Blue Jackets' Elvis Merzlikins: Not available Tuesday
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Merzlikins (upper body) will not be an option for Tuesday's divisional matchup in Philadelphia, per Jeff Svoboda of the Blue Jackets' official site.
Merzlikins will miss his fourth consecutive game, and it's unclear if he'll be available for Thursday's regular-season finale against the Islanders. Jet Greaves is getting the starting nod Tuesday against the Flyers, while Daniil Tarasov will continue to serve as the No. 2 netminder due to Merzlikins' absence.
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Blue Jackets' Elvis Merzlikins: Out Sunday
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Merzlikins (undisclosed) won't play Sunday in Washington, per Jeff Svoboda of the Blue Jackets' official site.
Merzlikins hasn't been in net since Tuesday, when he stopped 33 of 35 shots to beat Ottawa. He has a 26-21-5 record, 3.18 GAA and .892 save percentage in 53 appearances this campaign. Jet Greaves is expected to start against the Capitals, while Daniil Tarasov will serve as the backup netminder.
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Blue Jackets' Elvis Merzlikins: Won't play Saturday
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Merzlikins (undisclosed) will not be in the lineup against the Capitals on Saturday, Jeff Svoboda of the Blue Jackets' official site reports.
Head coach Dean Evason didn't provide a specific timeline for Merzlikins to get back into the crease, but at this point, it seems unlikely he would immediately jump back in for the second of a back-to-back against the Capitals on Sunday. Still, as long as the Jackets have an outside chance of making the postseason, they'll likely want to utilize their No. 1 netminder between the pipes. Jet Greaves got the starting nod in a win over Buffalo on Thursday, so Evason may have to consider going back to the 24-year-old Saturday.
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Blue Jackets' Elvis Merzlikins: Ruled out Thursday
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Merzlikins will miss Thursday's clash with Buffalo due to an undisclosed injury, Aaron Portzline of The Athletic reports.
Merzlikins was originally expected to get the starting nod after being the first goalie to leave the ice, but it appears he won't even be available to serve as the backup. While not yet confirmed, Daniil Tarasov figures to be between the pipes instead, while Jet Greaves was promoted from AHL Cleveland on Thursday. While the Jackets haven't provided a more concrete update on Merzlikins, he will have just four more games to get back on the ice this season after Thursday's tilt.
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Blue Jackets' Elvis Merzlikins: First goaltender off Thursday
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Merzlikins was the first goalie off the ice during Thursday's morning skate, Mark Scheig of The Hockey Writers reports, indicating that he's expected to draw the home start against the Sabres.
Although head coach Dean Evason said after Thursday's morning skate that Merzlikins would "maybe" be the team's starting netminder against Buffalo, the fact that the 30-year-old was the first goaltender off the ice during the team's morning skate indicates that he'll presumably defend the home crease. Over five appearances this month, Merzlikins has gone 2-2-0 with a 4.10 GAA and .865 save percentage.
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Blue Jackets' Elvis Merzlikins: Strong game in win
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Merzlikins made 32 saves in a 5-2 win over the Senators on Tuesday.
The Jackets played desperate hockey -- they're eight points behind the Canadiens for the second wild-card spot with five games remaining. Merzlikins will be the man in the twine tent for Columbus until they're officially eliminated. He played well Tuesday but had been particularly porous since the end of March. Elvis is 3-2-0 across his past five starts (six appearances), and prior to Tuesday, he had allowed 22 goals over his last four starts. Merzlikins could deliver a few wins for you, as long as you can absorb the high goals allowed.
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Blue Jackets' Elvis Merzlikins: Strong performance in relief
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Merzlikins made 22 out of 23 saves in Sunday's 4-0 loss to the Senators.
Merzlikins entered the game in relief of Daniil Tarasov after the latter conceded two goals in the first 4:26 of Sunday's contest. With his strong outing in net, Merzlikins did enough to keep the decision off his record. Overall, the 30-year-old netminder has a 25-21-5 record with a 3.20 GAA and a .891 save percentage in 52 games this season. Despite holding inflated numbers this season, Merzlikins has a chance to post his best GAA in a season since the 2021-22 campaign. There are likely better options on the waiver wire in most fantasy formats. Depending on the matchup, however, Merzlikins could be a strong spot starter in deeper leagues.
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Blue Jackets' Elvis Merzlikins: Receives no help in loss
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Merzlikins allowed five goals on 27 shots in Saturday's 5-0 loss to the Maple Leafs.
Merzlikins looks to be wearing down under a heavy workload late in the season -- he's allowed 30 goals over his last six outings, though he's somehow gone 3-3-0 in that span. He didn't get any help Saturday, which saw him on the wrong side of a shutout loss. For the season, he's now 25-21-5 with a 3.24 GAA and an .890 save percentage over 51 outings. The Blue Jackets visit the Senators on Sunday, so look for Daniil Tarasov to get that start in what's essentially a must-win game for Columbus' fading playoff chances.
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Blue Jackets' Elvis Merzlikins: Buried by Avs
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Merzlikins gave up seven goals on 28 shots before being replaced by Daniil Tarasov early in the third period of Thursday's 7-3 loss to Colorado.
The Blue Jackets actually took a 3-2 lead when Boone Jenner scored midway through the second period, but the game was all Avs after that, with Merzlikins getting beaten on a number of long-range attempts before he got the hook. The 30-year-old netminder saw his three-start winning streak snapped, but he was hardly playing at an elite level -- Merzlikins has allowed at least three goals in five straight outings, stumbling to a brutal 5.11 GAA and .843 save percentage during that stretch.
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Blue Jackets' Elvis Merzlikins: Facing Avalanche
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Merzlikins will defend the home crease versus Colorado on Thursday, Jeff Svoboda of the Blue Jackets' official site reports.
Merzlikins has won three straight games despite allowing 14 goals on 98 shots (.867 save percentage). Overall, the 30-year-old netminder is 25-15 with one shutout, a 3.11 GAA and an .894 save percentage. The Avalanche are generating 3.30 goals per game, which ranks sixth in the NHL this season.
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Blue Jackets' Elvis Merzlikins: Third straight win
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Merzlikins made 24 saves Tuesday in an 8-4 win over Nashville.
Merzlikins still plays sieve far too often -- he has allowed four or more goals in five of his last 10 starts (3-5-1). All three of those victories have come on a three-game run over the last week, but at the same time, Merzlikins has also allowed 13 goals in that span and 18 in his last four (3-0-1). The Jackets are pushing for the second wild card, and Elvis could keep winning with the kind of goal support he gets. The team is tied for fourth in the East with 242 goals for, and they're in the top-10 overall.
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Blue Jackets' Elvis Merzlikins: Earns win in high-scoring affair
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Merzlikins stopped 31 of 37 shots in Friday's 7-6 shootout win over Vancouver.
The 30-year-old netminder secured his second consecutive win, but while he came out on top in this thrilling offensive showcase, it's not much of a silver lining for fantasy managers on a night in which he conceded six goals. Merzlikins' numbers haven't been impressive of late. In nine starts since the beginning of March, he's gone 3-5-1 with a 3.64 GAA and an .893 save percentage.
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Blue Jackets' Elvis Merzlikins: Starting Friday
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Merzlikins will be between the home pipes versus Vancouver on Friday, according to Mark Scheig of The Hockey Writers.
Merzlikins picked up his first win since March 1 on Monday, turning aside 30 shots in a 4-3 overtime win over the Islanders. He is 23-19-5 with a 3.03 GAA and an .896 save percentage over 47 appearances this season. The Canucks are averaging 2.82 goals per game this season, 22nd in the NHL.
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Blue Jackets' Elvis Merzlikins: Tending twine Monday
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Merzlikins will defend the road net against the Islanders on Monday, per Jeff Svoboda of the Blue Jackets' official site.
Merzlikins has surrendered 21 goals on 192 shots during his six-game losing skid (0-5-1). He has a 22-19-5 record with one shutout, a 3.04 GAA and an .896 save percentage through 46 appearances this season. The Islanders sit 25th in the league with 2.72 goals per game in 2024-25.
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Blue Jackets' Elvis Merzlikins: No match for Penguins
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Merzlikins allowed five goals on 33 shots in Friday's 6-3 loss to the Penguins. The sixth goal was an empty-netter.
Merzlikins started for the second day in a row, and the results weren't pretty. The Blue Jackets outshot the Penguins 47-34, but the defense wasn't sound and the offense had a tough time converting its chances, while Merzlikins wasn't able to keep things close. This was his sixth straight defeat, dropping him to 1-5-1 with 24 goals allowed over seven games in March. Overall, the 30-year-old netminder has a 22-19-5 record with a 3.04 GAA and an .896 save percentage through 46 appearances this season. The Blue Jackets have the rest of the weekend off before visiting the Islanders on Monday, giving Merzlikins enough time to be ready for his next attempt to snap his skid.
