Merzlikins gave up four goals on 32 shots in the Blue Jackets shootout loss to the Bruins one Saturday. Merzlikins started both games of the Blue Jackets' back-to-back last week and will be starting his third game in four nights on Monday. He's 1-1-2 with a .905 SV% in four games since returning from injury.
Merzlikins was moved to IR yesterday to open up a roster spot for a call-up but was activated on Friday and will serve as J-F Berube's backup in Carolina. Merzlikins' playing time could be a little bit limited moving forward, as long as Berube is playing as well as he has been lately.
Merzlikins was at practice on Wednesday and travelled with the team to Florida and was expected to start on this road trip. It's unclear if he suffered a setback or if this is just a move to create a spot to call up Jake Christiansen. The move is retroactive, so he's eligible to be activated for tomorrow's game if he's ready to start.
Merzlikins left Saturday's practice with a lower-body injury and will not be available for Sunday's game vs. the Sabres. With Joonas Korpisalo also hurt, J-F Berube will get the start for Columbus.
Merzlikins missed the last three games with a lower-body injury but will serve as Joonas Korpisalo's backup on Tuesday. This is a positive step for Merzlikins, who is likely in line to start Thursday in Carolina.
