‘You’ve got to make more than 10 saves to win a game’: Senators’ Sanderson on Merilainen’s struggles
The problems continue to pile up for the Ottawa Senators.
The last two weeks have been straight out of a nightmare for the Senators, largely related to their goaltending, whether the problem has been on the ice or off it. Saturday’s 6-5 overtime loss to the Montreal Canadiens certainly didn’t help, and Senators defenseman Jake Sanderson certainly agrees, as he was quite blunt about goaltender Leevi Merilainen’s performance in the game.
Jake Sanderson, when asked how he felt about his team’s goaltending tonight:
“I think Leevi made some good saves. But I think, at the end of the day, you’ve got to make more than 10 saves to win a game.”
“I think Leevi made some good saves,” said Sanderson in a post-game media scrum. “But I think, at the end of the day, you’ve got to make more than 10 saves to win a game.”
The Senators currently find themselves in a stretch of 4-6-2 in their last 12 games, one which has seen them plummet to last place in the Atlantic Division and second-last in the Eastern Conference with an overall record of 22-19-6. A large portion of their losing is due to their goaltending, as starting goaltender Linus Ullmark has been away from the team for the last 10 games while on a personal leave, while Merilainen has struggled in the Swede’s absence.
Merilainen’s .847 save percentage is the fifth-worst among goalies with five starts in that span, and his -6.33 5v5 goals saved above expected is the fourth-worst. The six goals against on 19 shots that he faced on Saturday is the worst performance he’s had in a full game during this stretch.
On the season as a whole, Merilainen hasn’t been much better with an 8-10-1 record, an .860 SV% (which is the third-worst in the league among goalies with at least 10 starts) and a -10.22 5v5 GSAx (worst in the league) in 20 games.
While those issues may be beginning to resolve themselves with Ullmark returning to practice, the Senators looked at other outlets to solve their problems, as they also signed James Reimer to a one-year, $850,000 contract on Monday. Reimer has yet to play a game for the Senators, but is set to debut for the team on Sunday in their matchup against the Detroit Red Wings. He played one game in the AHL while signed to an AHL contract, where he allowed six goals on 28 shots.