ELVIS MERZLIKINS NEWS

Sharp in Monday's win Merzlikins made 28 saves in Monday's 5-1 win over the Bruins.

Impact He lost his shutout bid in the second period on a Boston power play, but Merzlikins otherwise gave the home squad no chance to mount a comeback after Columbus jumped out to an early lead. The 30-year-old netminder is showing flashes of the form he displayed early in his career but is still searching for consistency -- Elvis has allowed two goals or less in five of his 10 starts but four goals or more in four outings, leaving him with a 2.72 GAA and .905 save percentage to go along with a 4-5-1 record.

1 DAY AGO • ROTOWIRE

Blue Jackets score two short-handed goals to beat Bruins 5-1

Mathieu Olivier scored short-handed in a three-goal first period and the last-place Columbus Blue Jackets beat the Bruins 5-1

2 DAYS AGO • ASSOCIATED PRESS

In goal Monday Merzlikins will get the starting nod on the road against Boston on Monday, Jeff Svoboda of the Blue Jackets' official site reports.

Impact Merzlikins has won just once in his last five outings, posting a 1-3-1 record to go with a 3.60 GAA. Historically, the Latvian backstop has put up decent numbers versus Boston, going 2-2-2 with a .924 save percentage and one shutout in six career matchups. Perhaps he can celebrate Latvian Independence Day with a victory.

2 DAYS AGO • ROTOWIRE

Earns win Friday Merzlikins stopped 21 of 23 shots in Friday's 6-2 win over the Penguins.

Impact Merzlikins snapped a four-game winless skid Friday with a solid performance between the pipes. He went 0-3-1 with a 3.99 GAA and a disappointing .872 save percentage during that winless skid, but Merzlikins will hope to continue the turnaround in his next start. The Blue Jackets have scheduled Daniil Tarasov to face the Canadiens on Saturday, so Merzlikins could return to defend Columbus' crease against Boston on Monday.

4 DAYS AGO • ROTOWIRE

Blue Jackets rout the Penguins 6-2 to snap a 6-game skid

Zac Werenski and Dmitri Voronkov each had a goal and an assist, Elvis Merzlikins made 23 saves and the Columbus Blue Jackets snapped a six-game skid with a 6-2 victory over the Pit...

5 DAYS AGO • ASSOCIATED PRESS

Facing Penguins Merzlikins will defend the home crease versus Pittsburgh on Friday, Jeff Svoboda of the Blue Jackets' official site reports.

Impact Merzlikins is 2-5-1 with one shutout, a 3.03 GAA and an .896 save percentage this season for the lowly Blue Jackets. He has started six of the previous eight games ahead of Friday's tilt. The Penguins are averaging 2.72 goals, 21st in the NHL.

5 DAYS AGO • ROTOWIRE

Can't sustain strong start Merzlikins allowed four goals on 32 shots in Tuesday's 5-2 loss to the Kraken. The fifth goal was an empty-netter.

Impact Merzlikins took his fourth straight loss (0-3-1). He couldn't make a 2-0 lead after one period hold up, as the Kraken rallied for four goals in the middle frame. The 30-year-old netminder has given up 16 goals during his skid, dropping to 2-5-1 with a 3.03 GAA and an .896 save percentage over eight appearances. The Blue Jackets have a back-to-back up next, with a home game versus the Penguins on Friday followed by a visit to Montreal on Saturday. Expect Merzlikins and Daniil Tarasov to split those starts.

NOVEMBER 13 • ROTOWIRE

Kraken score twice in 10 seconds, defeat Blue Jackets 5-2

The Seattle Kraken scored twice in 10 seconds as part of a four-goal second period, coming back from a two-goal deficit to defeat the Columbus Blue Jackets 5-2 on Tuesday night

NOVEMBER 13 • ASSOCIATED PRESS

Facing Seattle Merzlikins will be between the pipes for Tuesday's road contest versus the Kraken, per Jeff Svoboda of the Blue Jackets' official site.

Impact Merzlikins will make his eighth start of the season against a Seattle club that's put up 2.87 goals per game through 15 contests. The Latvian netminder is 0-2-1 over his last three appearances, and he's conceded 12 goals during that span. Prior to that three-game stretch, Merzlikins had allowed one goal combined over two games in back-to-back wins, so he makes for a risky play for fantasy managers due to his inconsistency.

NOVEMBER 12 • ROTOWIRE

Rough outing against Kings Merzlikins allowed four goals on 22 shots in Saturday's 5-2 loss to the Kings. The fifth goal was an empty-netter.

Impact Merzlikins has now lost three straight games (0-2-1), allowing 12 goals on 93 shots in that span. The 30-year-old netminder looked good at the tail of October, but he's still stuck playing behind a mediocre defense and doesn't exactly have a long history of personal success. He's now 2-4-1 with a 2.89 GAA and an .899 save percentage through seven starts this season. Look for Daniil Tarasov to draw the start Sunday in Anaheim before Merzlikins potentially reclaims the crease for Tuesday's road-trip finale versus the Kraken.

NOVEMBER 10 • ROTOWIRE

Tending twine Saturday Merzlikins will defend the visiting crease in LA on Saturday, Jeff Svoboda of the Blue Jackets' official site reports.

Impact Merzlikins is off to a nice start this season, as he is 2-3-1 with a 2.69 GAA and a .910 save percentage. That is miles better than the last two campaigns as Merzlikins had a 4.23 and 3.45 GAA's in the last two seasons respectively. The Kings average 3.27 goals this season.

NOVEMBER 9 • ROTOWIRE

Loses in overtime Merzlikins stopped 25 of 27 shots in Tuesday's 2-1 overtime loss to the Sharks.

Impact While the Blue Jackets controlled play, they had trouble solving Vitek Vanecek, leaving the game to be decided on an Alexander Wennberg tally in overtime. This was still a good bounce-back performance for Merzlikins, who allowed six goals on 44 shots in his previous start versus the Jets. The 30-year-old has done fairly well between the pipes this year with a 2-3-1 record, a 2.69 GAA and a .910 save percentage over six starts. Both Merzlikins and Daniil Tarasov are likely to start one of the next two games, as the Blue Jackets have a back-to-back this weekend with stops in Los Angeles on Saturday and Anaheim on Sunday.

NOVEMBER 6 • ROTOWIRE

CBJ@SJS: Grundstrom scores goal against Elvis Merzlikins | San Jose Sharks CBJ@SJS: Grundstrom scores goal against Elvis Merzlikins

NOVEMBER 6 • NHL.COM

CBJ@SJS: Thompson scores goal against Elvis Merzlikins | San Jose Sharks CBJ@SJS: Thompson scores goal against Elvis Merzlikins

NOVEMBER 6 • NHL.COM

In blue paint Tuesday Merzlikins will be in net for Tuesday's road matchup with San Jose, according to Jeff Svoboda of the Blue Jackets' official site.

Impact Merzlikins had his worst performance of the 2024-25 campaign Friday -- he allowed six goals on 44 shots in a loss to Winnipeg. Through five appearances, the Latvian netminder is up to a 2-3-0 record, .907 save percentage and 2.86 GAA. The Sharks sit 28th in the NHL with 2.46 goals per game over 13 contests.

NOVEMBER 5 • ROTOWIRE

Can't handle Jets Merzlikins stopped 38 of 44 shots in Friday's 6-2 loss to the Jets.

Impact While the Blue Jackets have proved some doubters wrong early on, the Jets' relentless offense was too much for Merzlikins to handle Friday. He had won his last two starts, including a shutout over the Islanders on Wednesday. The 30-year-old is now 2-3-0 with a 2.86 GAA and a .907 save percentage over five starts this season. Merzlikins will likely get Saturday off with Daniil Tarasov expected to start on the road against the Capitals. Merzlikins is likely to start two of three games during the Blue Jackets' swing through California next week.

NOVEMBER 2 • ROTOWIRE

Ehlers scores 3 goals to lead Jets to 6-2 win over Blue Jackets to improve to 6-0-0 on the road

Nikolaj Ehlers scored three goals for his fifth career hat trick and the Winnipeg Jets beat the Columbus Blue Jackets 6-2 to stay perfect on the road

NOVEMBER 2 • ASSOCIATED PRESS

WPG@CBJ: Morrissey scores PPG against Elvis Merzlikins | Winnipeg Jets WPG@CBJ: Morrissey scores PPG against Elvis Merzlikins

NOVEMBER 2 • NHL.COM

WPG@CBJ: Vilardi scores goal against Elvis Merzlikins | Winnipeg Jets WPG@CBJ: Vilardi scores goal against Elvis Merzlikins

NOVEMBER 2 • NHL.COM

WPG@CBJ: Appleton scores goal against Elvis Merzlikins | Winnipeg Jets WPG@CBJ: Appleton scores goal against Elvis Merzlikins

NOVEMBER 2 • NHL.COM

WPG@CBJ: Ehlers scores goal against Elvis Merzlikins | Winnipeg Jets WPG@CBJ: Ehlers scores goal against Elvis Merzlikins

NOVEMBER 1 • NHL.COM

Between pipes Friday Merzlikins will tend the twine in Friday's home game against the Jets, Jeff Svoboda of the Blue Jackets' official site reports.

Impact Merzlikins is riding a two-game winning streak during which he has given up just one goal on 58 shots (.983 save percentage). While that streak does include a win over the Oilers, Friday's matchup will likely be the 30-year-old backstop's toughest test of the season, as he squares off with a Winnipeg team that is scoring a league-high 4.60 goals per game. With a back-to-back on the schedule, look for Daniil Tarasov to guard the cage on the road versus Washington on Saturday.

NOVEMBER 1 • ROTOWIRE

Blanks Isles on Wednesday Merzlikins made 26 saves in Wednesday's 2-0 win over the Islanders.

Impact It's the first shutout of the season for Merzlikins, and after a few rough years the 30-year-old netminder may be slowly regaining his confidence while working behind the tighter defensive structure of new head coach Dean Evason. Merzlikins has won two straight starts, allowing just one goal on 58 shots, and he's building a case to break out of a timeshare with Daniil Tarasov and reclaim the No. 1 job for the Blue Jackets.

OCTOBER 31 • ROTOWIRE

Elvis Merzlikins, Blue Jackets shut out struggling Islanders Elvis Merzlikins made 28 saves for the Columbus Blue Jackets in a 2-0 win against the visiting New York Islanders on Wednesday night.Merzlik...

OCTOBER 31 • NEWSOBSERVER.COM