Columbus Blue Jackets rookie goalie Elvis Merzlikins is racking up some impressive stats since becoming the starter by attrition on New Year’s Eve.
Merzlikins, who took over after Joonas Korpisalo was injured, on Friday got a fifth shutout in his past eight games in a 2-0 win over the Detroit Red Wings.
He has gotten back-to-back shutouts and eight straight wins. He is 12-2-0 since becoming the starter. The five shutouts lead the NHL.
Photo: AFP
It was probably his easiest win of the season, with Columbus out-shooting the Red Wings 44-16.
“We didn’t give them much, but [Merzlikins] made some great saves for us,” Blue Jackets coach John Tortorella said.
Zach Werenski’s second-period goal, his 17th of the season, broke a season scoring record for defensemen in the Blue Jackets, who have won three straight.
The Blue Jackets dominated Detroit, but were clinging to a 1-0 lead as the clock ticked down under 2 minutes and the Red Wings pulled goalie Jimmy Howard for a sixth skater.
Columbus finally got to breathe easier when Boone Jenner got an empty-netter with 1:25 left.
Howard faced a shooting gallery at times, finishing with 42 saves and slipping to 2-21-2 on the season. The 35-year-old has lost 18 straight and has not won since October last year.
“They just throw pucks at the net,” Howard said. “They’re one of those teams that’s got big bodies up front. They like to work it down low and throw it to the middle and just crash. A lot of shots were in tight.”
Columbus have been on a roll for the past two months. They are 9-0-1 in the past 10 and 19-2-5 since Dec. 9, earning 43 of their 69 points in that stretch.
The win moved them back into third place in the Metropolitan Division, one point ahead of the New York Islanders and two behind the Pittsburgh Penguins.
“I think we played well. We didn’t really give up anything,” Werenski said. “We had a lot of chances, a lot of shots. It would be nice to score a couple more of those, but we’re saving those for tomorrow, I guess.”
Columbus were bound to have a tougher time of it yesterday against Colorado in the second half of a back-to-back.
Detroit are looking for answers in one of the worst seasons in years. The Red Wings had lost nine a row before a shoot-out win over the Buffalo Sabres on Thursday, but had difficulty generating many quality scoring attempts on Friday.
“We unfortunately had been in that situation, too, where you’re playing for pride and sometimes those are the hardest games,” Columbus captain Nick Foligno said. “But I’m proud of us. We’re playing to find ways to win hockey games as a team and you can see it. The commitment is there, the guys are playing hard for each other and we’re able to feel comfortable in uncomfortable situations.”
Also on Friday, it was:
‧ Wild 3, Stars 2
‧ Maple Leafs 5, Ducks 4 (OT)
‧ Sabres 3, Rangers 2
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