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: 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: 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: 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.
