Merzlikins was expected to start Friday vs. Calgary but was pulled late as he was still dealing with an illness and is expected to start Saturday vs. Minnesota. The 29-year-old has had an incredible two starts so far in 2023-24, with his 1-1-0 record, .950 SV% and 1.84 GAA. He takes on the Minnesota Wild, who have lost two of their last three games but are eighth in the NHL in goals per game (3.5).
Jet Greaves has been called up from the AHL on an emergency basis as Merzlinkins continues to battle a stomach bug. Merzlinkins has played well in two games this season (1-1-0), recording a 1.84 GAA and .950 SV%. If Merzlinkins is indeed unable to play on Monday night, Spencer Martin will likely get his first start as a Blue Jacket.
Merzlikins stopped 33 of 35 shots in the Blue Jackets' season-opening loss to the Flyers. Despite the loss, it was an encouraging outing for Merzlikins, who struggled mightily during the 2022-23 season. Tonight he'll face a difficult test with the Rangers in town. They had an impressive opening night win over the Sabres.
After a fantastic rookie season in 2019-20, where he posted a 2.35 GAA and .923 SV% in 33 games (13-9-8), Merzlinkins has performed progressively worse each year. In 30 games last season (7-18-2), Merzlinkins had a horrendous 4.23 GAA and a .876 SV%. His league-worst GAA (minimum 10 starts) will need to be improved significantly or he will likely find himself battling for starts with backup goalie Spencer Martin. The Blue Jackets go into their season-opener listed as -113 home favourites against the Philadelphia Flyers.
After a fantastic rookie season in 2019-20, where he posted a 2.35 GAA and .923 SV% in 33 games (13-9-8), Merzlinkins has performed progressively worse each year. In 30 games last season (7-18-2), Merzlinkins had a horrendous 4.23 GAA and a .876 SV%. His league-worst GAA (minimum 10 starts) will need to be improved significantly or he will likely find himself battling for starts with backup goalie Spencer Martin. The Blue Jackets go into their season-opener listed as -113 home favourites against the Philadelphia Flyers.
Merlikins was pulled after just 37:02 and six goals on 24 shots (.750 SV%) in his last start vs. Montreal and is now considered day-to-day as he deals with a lower-body injury. The 28-year-old is having a historically bad season between the Blue Jackets' pipes, with his 7-18-2 record, 4.23 GAA and .876 SV%.
Merlikins had been having a historically bad season, with his 7-17-2 record, 4.10 GAA and .880 SV% and had left the Blue Jackets' to return to Latvia for personal reasons. The 28-year-old returned Wednesday resulting in Daniil Tarasov returning to Cleveland (AHL).
Goaltender Elvis Merzlikins will be away from the team temporarily. His grandmother is seriously ill and he has returned to Latvia to be with family. The 28-year-old has struggled all season, with his 7-17-2 record, 4.1 GAA and .880 SV%.
Merzlkins allowed four goals on 23 shots (.826 SV%) for his fifth loss in six starts as he was defeated by the Ottawa Senators last game. Merzlikins has been historically bad this season, with his 7-17-2 record, 4.15 GAA and .879 SV%. He takes on the Pittsburgh Penguins, who just snapped a four-game winning streak with a 4-1 loss to Florida last game.
Merzlikins stopped 38 of 41 shots (.927 SV%) to snap a three-game losing streak as he beat Buffalo in his previous start. The 28-year-old has been historically bad this season, with his .879 SV%, 4.10 GAA and 7-15-2 record. He will face the Seattle Kraken, who have won their last two games and are sixth in the NHL in goals per game (3.49).
Merzlikins allowed three goals on 44 shots (.932 SV%) for his third straight loss as he was defeated by Minnesota in his previous start. The 28-year-old has had a horrendous 2022-23 campaign, with his 6-15-2 record, 4.14 GAA and .876 SV%. He will face the Buffalo Sabres, who have won five of their last six games and are 2nd in the NHL in goals per game (3.78).
Merzlikins allowed three goals on 44 shots (.932 SV%) for his third straight loss as he was defeated by Minnesota in his previous start. The 28-year-old has had a horrendous 2022-23 campaign, with his 6-15-2 record, 4.14 GAA and .876 SV%. He will face the Buffalo Sabres, who have won five of their last six games and are 2nd in the NHL in goals per game (3.78).
Merzlikins stopped 26 of 29 shots (.897 SV%) to snap a three-game losing streak with a victory over the Toronto Maple Leaf's last start. The 28-year-old has a historically bad SV% this season, ranking bottom-five all-time with his .871 SV%, leading to his 6-14-0 record and 4.34 GAA. He will face the New Jersey Devils, who had a three-game winning streak snapped after a 3-2 shootout loss to Minnesota last game and are fourth in the NHL in shots per game (34.1).
Merzlikins allowed three goals on 33 shots (.909 SV%) for his fifth loss in six starts as he was defeated by the New York Rangers in his previous game. The 28-year-old has been one of the league's worst goaltenders, with his 5-12-0 record, 4.44 GAA and .869 SV%. He will face the Anaheim Ducks, who are in the middle of a five-game losing skid after a 5-2 loss to Philadelphia last game.
