Ottawa Senators rookie goaltender Leevi Merilainen stopped 34 of the 35 shots he faced en route to defeating the Utah Hockey Club on Sunday. Merilainen's lone blemish came in the second frame when Clayton Keller scored his 18th goal of the season on a wrist shot. Merilainen shut the door for the remainder of the contest, which set up Claude Giroux to score the game-winner in the third period. This was a much-needed bounce-back for the young netminder, as he held a .841% SV and a 4.83 GAA over his previous two outings. However, before this stretch, the 22-year-old posted an impressive .971% SV with a 0.74 GAA over his previous four outings. Fantasy managers should continue to expect Merilainen to see most of the starts in the Ottawa crease with Linus Ullmark (back) on long-term injured reserve.
Leevi Merilainen Wins Third Straight Contest On Tuesday
Ottawa Senators goaltender Leevi Merilainen won his third-straight contest on Tuesday evening against the New York Islanders. The 22-year-old netminder stopped all 24 shots he faced in Belmont. This was Merilainen's second shutout over this three-game stretch. Overall, he has posted a near-perfect 0.67 GAA and a .975% SV over this span and has taken full control over the Ottawa net. With Linus Ullmark (back) on the injured reserve, Merilainen and Anton Forsberg originally split time in the crease, but given his recent stretch of performances, fantasy managers should expect Merilainen to be deployed as the clear No.1 option. Merilainen should be added in all standard formats while he continues to perform at this level. However, he has a more formidable task ahead of him on Thursday evening against the Washington Capitals.
Ottawa Senators goaltender Leevi Merilainen stopped 24 of the 26 shots he faced en route to defeating the Dallas Stars on Sunday. Merilainen allowed the first goal of the game to Jason Robertson but was then able to keep Dallas off the scoresheet until late in the third period when Evgenii Dadonov would strike on the power-play. This was Merilainen's second-straight victory as he defeated the Pittsburgh Penguins earlier on Saturday in a shutout. This is an excellent sign for the 22-year-old as he posted a .884% SV and a 3.10 GAA over his first four starts of the season. With Linus Ullmark (back) still on the injured reserve, fantasy managers should expect Merilainen to continue to split the crease with Anton Forsberg. However, given Merilainen's current play, he could begin to earn the majority of the starts.
Ottawa Senators goaltender Leevi Merilainen stopped 30 of the 31 shots he faced in his victory over one of the top clubs in the sport, the Minnesota Wild. Merilainen's lone blemish came in the opening frame as Frederick Gaudreau scored on a tip-in. However, Merilainen was able to shut Minnesota down the rest of the way. Merilainen was promoted from the AHL due to Linus Ullmark (back) and Anton Forsberg (undisclosed) both sidelined. Over his first three starts of the season, he has posted a 2-1 record with a .900% SV and a 2.68 GAA. Merilainen should continue to split time with Mads Sogaard for the foreseeable future and may end up taking the majority of the starts if he has another strong showing in his next start. For now, he should only be started in deeper formats.
Ottawa Senators goaltender Leevi Merilainen will get his first taste of NHL action this season on Saturday on the road against Vancouver. Linus Ullmark has carried a heavy workload lately but will get the night off versus the Canucks, with Merilainen coming in for his third career NHL appearance. He's yet to win a game, going 0-1-1 and allowing 4.23 goals with a .878 save percentage. However, Merilainen has shown promise in the AHL, posting a 7-2-2 record this season with a 2.43 goals-against average and a .901 save percentage. The 22-year-old is in a tough spot on Saturday, but he'll be supported by a hot team that's scored at least three times in each game during its current five-game winning streak.