Fatigued Blue Jackets goalie Elvis Merzlikins gets a break, cedes starter's net to Jet Greaves

COLUMBUS, Ohio One year later, Elvis Merzlikins is back to being a No.

3 goaltender for the Columbus Blue Jackets , at least for now.

The Blue Jackets on Wednesday recalled Jet Greaves from AHL Cleveland, and coach Dean Evason said Greaves will start on Thursday when Columbus hosts the Eastern Conference-leading Washington Capitals in Nationwide Arena.

Advertisement (Its) earned, Evason said.

You guys see the record, Im sure, down (in the AHL).

Hes earned the right to be here, thats why hes here.

Greaves is 8-4-2 with a .902 save percentage in the AHL this season.

He actually got the call late Tuesday after the Blue Jackets listless 5-3 loss to Philadelphia, allowing him to be at the rink in time for Wednesdays practice, during which the clubs goaltending plans for at least the next game became clear.

Greaves and Daniil Tarasov took almost all of the practice reps, while Merzlikins worked off to the side before spending the final minutes of practice sitting on the bench.

Merzlikins isnt injured, or he would not have been skating.

Asked if Greaves recall entirely about his play in Cleveland, or if the Blue Jackets struggles in net were a contributing factor, Evasons answer was rather cryptic.

When you call a guy up, theres something that has happened, Evason said.

Its earned (by Greaves), but theres an opportunity thats been created somehow.

Read whatever you want into it, Im not going to get into all of that.

A club source, reached after practice, said a determination was made by Merzlikins play on Tuesday he allowed five goals on 25 shots that he is fatigued and needs a break after starting 17 of the Blue Jackets last 21 games, including seven starts in a row before he had a night off early last week in Edmonton.

Merzlikins did not play well against the Flyers , with at least two goals getting past him that hed probably be expected to save.

At 19:00 of the second period, just after the Blue Jackets had scored to pull within 3-1, the Flyers Travis Konecny scored on a wide-open wrister from low in the right circle that sneaked through Merzlikins pads.

Early in the third, Merzlikins ended up way out in his crease after making an initial save, allowing Morgan Frost to score an easy goal into a wide-open cage behind him.

It was 5-1, and Nationwide Arena started clearing out of fans.

Advertisement In fairness, the entire Blue Jackets lineup played at about 60 percent of their normal pace on Thursday.

The forecheck, which has been a relentless part of their attack on their best nights, was nonexistent.

Obviously, leaving Konecny wide open with a clear path toward any goaltender is not ideal.

Merzlikins has been better this year by some measures.

Hes 9-8-2, on pace for his first winning record since 2021-22.

Over the previous two seasons, he won just 20 of 67 starts.

Merzlikins didnt win his ninth game last season until Jan.

30.

But other numbers are not so hot.

His save percentage (.888) is ranked 32nd in the league among goaltenders with 12 or more starts, while his goals saved above expected (-5.0) is 33rd and his goals saved above expected on the penalty kill (-7.7) is dead last at 38th.

Tarasov, who has a 3-5-1 record and an .881 save percentage, has fared even worse.

The Blue Jackets are giving Merzlikins his latest break less than one year since he was demoted to a No.

3 role by then-coach Pascal Vincent after a tough start to the season.

That time, in mid-January, it erupted into a public mess with Merzlikins asking for a change of scenery while insisting he hadnt requested a trade.

Later that month, when he returned to action, Merzlikins told reporters he had in fact requested a trade.

Then, after a conversation with his agent Gerry Johannson, the agent told reporters that Merzlikins had not requested a trade, that he simply misspoke.

The Blue Jackets, under a new GM (Don Waddell) and coach (Evason), have demanded from Merzlikins first and foremost that he be a good teammate.

Evason has raved about his efforts and performance to that end, and its been clear that veteran players in the dressing room have tried to embrace him.

Last Friday in Vancouver, Merzlikins made a dreadful decision to come way out of his net to play a play a puck late in the second period of a game the Blue Jackets led 2-1.

When the Canucks scored to tie it before Merzlikins could scramble back in position, veteran defenseman Zach Werenski circled back and gave Merzlikins a hug in the net.

Advertisement Who can say how long this current break will last? It could be up to Merzlikins.

It could also be up to Greaves, who will be making his first NHL start this season and the 11th of his career.

He was an AHL All-Star last season, and this summer signed a two-year contract with Columbus that includes a one-way salary next season.

Greaves has probably deserved a better fate, on the whole, so far in his NHL career.

He has a 3-7-0 record despite a .912 save percentage.

(Top photo of Elvis Merzlikins: Michael Reaves / Getty Images).

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