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Elvis Merzlikins to start for Columbus Blue Jackets vs. Minnesota Wild
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- Elvis Merzlikins to start for Columbus Blue Jackets vs. Minnesota Wild
BLOOMINGTON, Minn. — After Jet Greaves took a spin to open the Blue Jackets ' season Oct. 9 in Nashville , they'll start goalie Elvis Merzlikins on Oct. 11 at the Minnesota Wild .
It will be the season debut for Merzlikins, a who has handled the bulk of starting duties the past three years in Columbus . Greaves, 24, began his first full NHL season with a solid 29-save performance in the Jackets' 2-1 loss Oct. 9 to the Nashville Predators , but shifting to Merzlikins isn't a surprise.
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It's a plan that coach Dean Evason laid out when he, goaltending coach Niklas Backstrom and the rest of the coaching staff huddled to pick a starter in Nashville . Anything other than Greaves pitching a shutout or Merzlikins developing an injury would've likely resulted in a goaltending flip-flop, and that's how it will play out.
Columbus Blue Jackets goaltender Elvis Merzlikins (90) watches the puck against Buffalo Sabres during the second period of their preseason game at Nationwide Arena on Sept. 22, 2025.
It's now Merzlikins' turn to see if he can backstop the Blue Jackets (0-1-0) into a split of their first two games.
He went 0-3-0 with a 2.88 goals-against average and .896 save percentage in three preseason appearances, but two were road games without the Blue Jackets dressing their full NHL lineup. Evason said in Nashville that no goaltending has been made about which of the two will start the Jackets' home opener Oct. 13 against the New Jersey Devils .
Blue Jackets right wing Yegor Chinakhov (59) skates past Capitals defenseman Dylan McIlrath (52) on Sept. 30.
Columbus Blue Jackets forward Yegor Chinakhov could be scratched again
After watching the season opener in Nashville in street clothes, Yegor Chinakhov may watch another game as a healthy scratch when the Blue Jackets play the Wild.
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Chinakhov, chosen 21stoverall in 2020 by former Blue Jackets general manager Jarmo Kekalainen, made a trade request in the summer. It wasn't granted, and he's now the odd man out among 13 forwards despite finishing the preseason with three points (one goal, two assists) in five games.
Evason has talked with Chinakhov about it and said the decision to scratch him hasn't been easy.
"It's not cut-and-dry who's going to sit out each night," he said. "They can all play in the National Hockey League. ... It's a decision we have to make as a staff, and hopefully we make the correct one. We expect whoever is sitting out to work, to be a great teammate and to be ready if and when they get in."
Blue Jackets reporter Brian Hedger can be reached at bhedger@dispatch.com and @BrianHedger.bsky.social
This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Merzlikins to start for Columbus Blue Jackets vs. Minnesota Wild
