Elvis Merzlikins recorded his first shutout in more than two years in the Columbus Blue Jackets' narrow 1-0 victory over the St. Louis Blues on Tuesday night at Enterprise Center.
Unsatisfied with his performance at the start of the year, the Latvian goalkeeper is gradually regaining his reputation. After three consecutive defeats in which he had conceded at least three goals, he was ahead of the Blues with 21 goals.
• Also read: Connor McDavid isn't thinking about the Art Ross Trophy
• Also read: Sexual Assault Allegation: Flames didn't know about Dillon Dube
His last shutout – and that of the Jackets – dates back to January 13, 2022, in a 6-0 victory over the Carolina Hurricanes. He is the fifth goaltender on the team to reach the 10 shutout plateau, joining Marc Denis, Pascal Leclaire, Steve Mason and Sergei Bobrovsky.
“I think it’s huge, not just for me but for the whole team,” Merzlikins said in the press interview. Obviously I couldn't have done it without their help. Everyone did a good job.”
We had to wait until the third period to finally see a goal in this game, thanks to Dmitri Voronkov's stick. The first-year player scored his 12th goal of the season on a great counterattack orchestrated by Zach Werenski and Johnny Gaudreau.
“It was great. I'm happy. It was the perfect start to this break. The boys blocked shots, they ran, they moved well. I'm not going to lie, we're all tired. […] “It’s great that we played so well,” Merzlikins admitted.
The strong moments were few and far between in this game, but Mathieu Olivier added some spice by taking the gloves off against Tyler Tucker at the end of the second period. With several powerful punches hitting the target, he quickly caused his rival's knees to buckle.
It certainly set the tone outside the locker room as the Jackets scored just 4:11 in the third period.
The Blues' five-game winning streak ended abruptly. Nevertheless, they managed to climb to the fourth level of the central section and leave the Nashville Predators behind. They occupy the final spot, which grants access to the playoffs in the West.