4 years agoColumbus Blue Jackets goaltender Elvis Merzlikins will start for Columbus on Friday, after earning an overtime win in relief Thursday night. Teammate Joonas Korpisalo was pulled from Game 3 after allowing three goals, pushing Merzlikins into the game in the second period. Merzlikins stopped all 21 shots that he faced in just under 50 minutes of play, helping Columbus erase a three-goal deficit. With Columbus playing on back to back nights there was a decent chance that Merzlikins would have started Game 4 regardless, but his play in Game 3 likely cemented those odds. As a 26-year-old rookie Merzlikins has had a solid regular season, posting a .923 save percentage in 33 appearances, but he recorded a save percentage below .900 in four of his final 10 starts. Streaky performances can be expected from a rookie goaltender, but when Merzlikins is on he can steal a game. --Russ Ivanac - RotoBaller
Source: Alison Lukan