What has been the cause of Leevi Merilainen’s struggles?

Things have not been going well in the nation’s capital, and the man behind the mask is wearing the brunt of the team’s criticism.

The Ottawa Senators have gone from a team projected to be in the top three in the Atlantic Division to a squad that might be in the running for a lottery spot. There have been multiple factors for the team’s struggles, but goaltending certainly has been the focal point.

With veteran netminder Linus Ullmark on leave, Leevi Meriläinen has played the majority of the games in his absence. The Finnish netminder started 11 consecutive games over the past few weeks, but has been anything but stellar. During that span, Meriläinen went 4-5-1, giving up three-or-more goals in all but one of those games, including six in an overtime loss to the Montreal Canadiens this past Saturday.

While teammates like captain Brady Tkachuk have come to Meriläinen’s defense, others, like defenseman Jake Sanderson, have been critical of his play.

On Monday’s edition of Daily Faceoff LIVE, former NHL goaltender Carter Hutton explains what might be the issue for Meriläinen during this long stretch of games.

Carter Hutton:  I think there is frustration that bleeds out by Jake Sanderson. Again, I’m always a big believer in keeping it in-house. That being said, everything in Ottawa seems to be out there, airing out all their dirty laundry every which way.

It is frustrating, right? We look at a team that’s buzzing with an .870 save percentage. They haven’t had their starting goalie Linus Ullmark in 12 games. And Leevi Meriläinen has not been good enough at all this year. His preseason was horrible. He had signs of life. But that being said, he was supposed to be in a protected situation. When you watch these goals go in on him…this is something from a goalie standpoint where, if I’m in the center of my net, I need to be able to shift into pucks. I watch Leevi Meriläinen play – there is no shift in his game. He is questioning where the puck is going. So, everything becomes a reach…whether it’s tipped or deflected or it’s not necessarily making that save, it’s from there, it creates chaos. He’s never shifting with his knees toward the puck, which makes you understand that he’s not tracking the puck very well.

I think this is very concerning for a younger goalie that you’re trying to groom. I know he’s not supposed to be in this situation, but this happens to guys. You get thrust into situations where you don’t need to be and you need to be ready. … You can just tell he’s doubting and questioning himself. I think from a team, you feel it. Like they show the bench after these goals and you can see the defeatedness in this team.

You can watch the full segment and entire episode here…