It’s been well documented what Elvis Merzlikins has gone through since he joined the Columbus Blue Jackets. From hot-shot rookie to losing his best friend and then going through long stretches of inconsistent play, his NHL career is one that has seen some highs but also the very lowest of lows.
Friday afternoon’s performance in Newark will rank up there as one of Merzlikins’ best performances of the last couple of seasons. It was shades of the hot-shot rookie who looked comfortable from start to finish and helped carry the Blue Jackets to victory.
Merzlikins had 37 saves and allowed goals by Boone Jenner and Eric Robinson in the first period to stand up in the Blue Jackets’ 2-1 win over the New Jersey Devils. The story of this game was not only Merzlikins’ performance but how he’s going about finding his form again.
Merzlikins Leaning on Fun
Any goaltender will tell you they want to do enough for their team to get the win. For Merzlikins though, he’s taking a slightly different approach to getting his wins. Winning is not his main focus if that makes sense. Let him explain.
“That was my main problem last year, that it was focusing more or worrying about what others would think about,” Merzlikins said. “Obviously the season was going bad for all of us. This year, like I said in previous injuries, I had to work quite a bit with myself during the summer. And right now, I don’t care. I just wanna play hockey and I listen what says my wife and my little beautiful son.”
“Honestly, I’m going there not to win the games. I’m gonna be honest. I’m going there to have fun and do well my job, my performance, because I know if I’m gonna do well, my job or my performance, the win automatically is gonna come. That’s like a little treat, a little gift for you. So I am more focusing on my job, but it’s not about me. All these wins are coming from my team, like Robinson, that was huge.”
Merzlikins was dialed in all game long against the Devils especially in the third period. He stopped all 20 shots faced to secure the win which gave the Blue Jackets their second in a row. Another way to tell he was having fun was the fact that he wanted to see the shots.
“Keep shooting, baby. I’m warm,” Merzlikins said with a laugh. “I mean, I was kind of like, wow. I was reading well the game. My defensemen, they were cleaning the vision for me so that was perfect. The two or three times they didn’t (was) because there was a scramble or something that hit the post. Obviously it’s hard when the shots are coming and coming. But at the same time, I love it. Just keep shooting. I love when they shoot 40 times on me. That’s the work I hate. I hate when they don’t shoot that. That’s the worst part.”
Team Showing Signs of Improvement
The Blue Jackets lost nine games in a row going 0-7-2 before their huge 7-3 win over the Chicago Blackhawks on Wednesday. Merzlikins sees the overall improvement of the team even if the scoreboard doesn’t always reflect it.
“This year we’re a different team obviously, right? We played an amazing game against Chicago. It’s not about the seven we scored. It’s about what we did on the ice. We were all together. Every single player was doing his own job. We knew what to do and we were there supporting each other. Today it was exactly the same thing. The first two periods, we put the pressure and the third period they put the pressure on us.”
“And the good part, we were blocking the shots. We were doing everything perfectly in the defensive zone. That was huge and that’s why we got this one.”
The Blue Jackets are showing improvement because they are getting better performances in net overall between Merzlikins and Spencer Martin. Merzlikins knows what his job is and what he has to do to be that number one the team is hoping he becomes. He is shutting off the outside noise.
“I wanna be that guy. I know that I am that guy since I was in Switzerland. I stole a lot of games. I stole a lot of shots from the really good players. What was last year and what’s now and what’s in the future? I’m not thinking about the future. I completely do not care about the past and what happened. And I still don’t care what people are saying and what they’re talking (about.)”
Blue Jackets Noticing Merzlikins’ Play
Thanks to his 37-save performance on Friday, Merzlikins is up to a .905 save percentage on this season in his 15 games played while carrying a 3.12 goals-against average. It’s a marked improvement from his .876 save percentage and 4.23 goals-against average last season. His teammates are enjoying what they’re seeing in the early going.
“It’s awesome,” Johnny Gaudreau said of Merzlikins. “We all went through some hard times last year. It was a long season. So to see him play great tonight and make some big, timely saves for us and help us get the win was huge. Hopefully keep building that confidence and keep playing well for us and hopefully turn the season around.”
“It’s huge,” Eric Robinson said. “When your goalie’s playing like that. You’re gonna get some wins like that when you only score two on the road. But those are key road wins and ways you have to win. We know what he’s capable of and it’s really nice to see him play a game like that.”
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Coach Pascal Vincent went a step further with Merzlikins praising his overall preparation for the games. Buying in is a huge component to what these Blue Jackets are trying to build. But it’s just the beginning.
“It is great. We talk about a guy who’s been through a lot in the last few years. Elvis has been through a lot,” Vincent said. “And it’s good to see the team grouping around him too and then playing the right way in front of him tells me a lot about our dressing room. But I look at Elvis in the practices and the way he prepares. He’s working. Nick Backstrom has done a fantastic job with him, I think.”
“But also the team. Elvis is buying in as well. It’s really good for him. He needs that kind of success. We know he’s talented. But now it’s short sample, right? But we know he’s becoming more and more confident in his abilities and that’s good for him.”
The biggest question coming into the new season for the Blue Jackets was their goaltending and how much improvement they would have. It’s been better statistically but it wasn’t resulting in improvement in the standings. With two wins in a row and coming off one of Merzlikins’ best games in his last couple of seasons, it’s clear there is some glimmer of confidence in the goaltending that they hope to continue to build on.
The biggest reason for that? Elvis is having fun again. Whatever he needs to do to stay having fun, that’s where his focus should be. In his words, the results will follow.