Elvis Merzlikins News

Merzlikins had a tough start to the season, but has settled in since the Blue Jackets made a coaching change. Overall, he's 11-8-1 with a 3.49 GAA and .888 SV% in 21 games. The last time he suited up for Latvia, he struggled, going 2-2-0 with a 4.80 GAA and .826 SV% at the 2024 World Championships.

The Blue Jackets are 9-1-0 in their last 10 games, coinciding with Rick Bowness taking over head coaching duties and improved play by Merzlikins between the pipes. Since the coaching change, the 31-year-old Latvian goalie is sporting a solid 2.49 GAA and .909 SV% in five games. The Blue Jackets enter Tuesday's contest as slight -107 road favourites against a struggling New Jersey Devils team that has lost three of its last four games (1-3-0).

The Blue Jackets' new Head Coach Rick Bowness continues to show his trust in Elvis Merzlikins, who will return to the crease for the fifth time in eight games since the coaching change. The 31-year-old Latvian goalie has also played better with his uptick in deployment, posting a 2.63 GAA and .907 SV% in his last four outings (3-1-0). The Blue Jackets enter the action on Friday as -147 road favourites against a Chicago Blackhawks team on a four-game losing streak (0-2-2).

The Blue Jackets' new Head Coach Rick Bowness continues to show his trust in Elvis Merzlikins, who will return to the crease for the fifth time in eight games since the coaching change. The 31-year-old Latvian goalie has also played better with his uptick in deployment, posting a 2.63 GAA and .907 SV% in his last four outings (3-1-0). The Blue Jackets enter the action on Friday as -147 road favourites against a Chicago Blackhawks team on a four-game losing streak (0-2-2).

Merzlikins has not played in over a week but has seen more action lately, after playing only three times in the previous month. The 31-year-old Merzlikins has played better since Rick Bowness took over as the Blue Jackets' new Head Coach, saving 64 of 70 shots (.914 SV%) in three games (2-1-0), but consistency has been a significant issue for the Latvian goalie. The Blue Jackets enter Wednesday's contest as -135 home favorites against a Philadelphia Flyers team that is coming off a 4-0 loss to the New York Islanders.

Jet Greaves started two consecutive games for Columbus, but the team will revert to Merzlikins on Monday against the Los Angeles Kings. The 31-year-old Merzlikins has played better since Rick Bowness took over as the Blue Jackets' new Head Coach, saving 64 of 70 shots (.914 SV%) in three games (2-1-0), but consistency has been a major issue for the Latvian goalie. The Blue Jackets enter Monday's contest with even -105 odds at home against a Kings team with points in five straight games (2-0-3).

Merzlikins has seen an increased workload since Rick Bowness took over as the Blue Jackets' head coach, seemingly regaining the trust of the coaching staff, but he was absent from practice on Wednesday because of an illness. The 31-year-old Latvian goalie has a 2.04 GAA and .914 SV% in three games since the coaching chance (2-1-0). It's unclear if Merzlikins will be ready with Columbus returns to action on Thursday against the Dallas Stars.

Before Rick Bowness assumed head coaching duties in Columbus, Merzlikins had been an afterthought between the pipes, starting only three games in over a month. The 31-year-old Latvian goalie seems to have, at least temporarily, gained the trust of the new coaching staff, as he is poised to start for a third straight game. He has won two straight and saved 59 of 63 shots (.937 SV%) in the process.

Before Rick Bowness assumed head coaching duties in Columbus, Merzlikins had been an afterthought between the pipes, starting only three games in over a month. The 31-year-old Latvian goalie seems to have, at least temporarily, gained the trust of the new coaching staff, as he is poised to start for a third straight game. He has won two straight and saved 59 of 63 shots (.937 SV%) in the process.

Merzlikins has only played two games in the last five weeks, but he will get a chance to showcase his abilities in Rick Bowness' second game as the Head Coach of the Columbus Blue Jackets. The 31-year-old Merzlikins started the season in a timeshare with Jet Greaves, but quickly lost the trust of the coaching staff, allowing three or more goals in his last 12 games (4-7-1) while posting a dreadful 4.24 GAA and .861 SV%. The Blue Jackets enter Thursday's contest as -159 home favorites against a plummeting Vancouver Canucks team that is on an eight-game losing streak (0-6-2).

Merzlikins has not played since December 20th, but will return to the crease on Saturday in a challenging contest against the league-leading Colorado Avalanche. The 31-year-old Latvian goalie started the season in a rotation with Jet Greaves, but poor play quickly made the coaching staff lose trust in him. Merzlikins has an abysmal 4.54 GAA and .839 SV% in his last eight games (2-5-1).

Jet Greaves has proven to be the more reliable Blue Jackets goalie this season, but Merzlikins will get another look on Thursday against the Ottawa Senators. The 31-year-old Merzlikins allowed a season-high seven goals on 40 shots (.825 SV%) in his most recent game, a 7-6 overtime loss to the Florida Panthers. He has an ugly 3.87 GAA and .885 SV% in 12 games (6-5-1). Despite his poor statistics, Merzlikins has quality starts in 50 percent of his games, his best rate in the last five seasons. The Blue Jackets enter Thursday's contest as +102 home underdogs against a Senators team that has lost five of its last six games (1-5-0).

The Blue Jackets have leaned heavily on Jet Greaves in recent weeks, but will turn to Merzlikins on Thursday in a rare consecutive start for the Latvian goalie after a solid 30-save performance (.909 SV%) in Monday's 5-3 win over the New Jersey Devils. The 31-year-old Merzlikins has a subpar 3.50 GAA and .895 SV% in 10 games (5-5-0) this season. He has not had a sub-3.00 GAA since the COVID-shortened 2020-21 season. The Blue Jackets enter Thursday's contest as -114 home favorites against a Detroit Red Wings team coming off a 5-4 win over the Boston Bruins.