Merilainen quickly making name for himself in Senators net

OTTAWA -- An unflappable rookie goalie is helping keep the Ottawa Senators in the hunt for the Stanley Cup Playoffs while their Vezina-winning starter remains injured.

Leevi Merilainen has taken control of the crease from regular backup Anton Forsberg during the absence of Senators No. 1 goalie Linus Ullmark, who has not played since leaving a 3-1 loss at the Edmonton Oilers on Dec. 22 with a back injury. Merilainen, who is 3-0-1 with a .972 save percentage and 0.74 goals-against-average in his past four games, could make his fifth straight start when Ottawa (22-18-4) hosts the Boston Bruins (22-19-5) at Canadian Tire Centre on Saturday (3 p.m. ET; CBC, TVAS, SN, NESN).

The game is part of the commemoration of Hockey Day in Canada on Saturday, hosted by Canmore, Alberta, with all seven Canada-based NHL teams in action.

Ask anyone in the Senators organization about what makes the 22-year-old special and they’ll point to his mental fortitude.

"The differentiator with Leevi is his mindset,” general manager and president of hockey operations Steve Staios said during a Sunday press conference at the halfway point of the season. “It doesn't seem like the moment is too big for him. He's got a real calm demeanor about him. I think that gives our group confidence and it gives him confidence that he can step into these types of situations."

Selected by Ottawa in the third round (No. 71) of the 2020 NHL Draft, Merilainen was handed the reins by coach Travis Green last weekend. He made 29 saves for his first NHL shutout in a 5-0 win at the Pittsburgh Penguins on Saturday, and followed it up with 24 saves in a 3-2 win against the Dallas Stars on Sunday. Then on Tuesday, Merilainen posted a 24-save shutout in a 2-0 win at the New York Islanders.

He's 5-2-1 with a 1.84 goals-against average, .930 save percentage and those two shutouts in eight games (seven starts) this season.

“It is part of my game, trying to stay as calm as possible and make the saves that way,” Merilainen told the TSN broadcast after the game Tuesday. “I feel like it helps the guys to see that I am staying calm and not panicking out there.

“Of course, I’m happy with the results here. Nothing much to it. Just trying to do my job as good as I can. … I’m just happy to be here.”

Merilainen, who played for Allen of the ECHL and Belleville of the American Hockey League in 2023-24 and began this season as the Senators' fourth-string goaltender, is the second goalie in Ottawa history, joining Andrew Hammond, to record multiple shutout wins in his first 10 NHL games.

“He’s been awesome,” Senators forward Drake Batherson said Thursday. “He’s a pretty easy-going guy, at the same time, for a young goalie to come in. We went out for dinner with him and he’s a really relaxed guy and that’s the way he plays, too. Even before the game he’s pretty relaxed. He’s a special goalie and he’s been playing awesome. It’s been huge for us.”

On Thursday, Merilainen dueled with Washington Capitals goalie Logan Thompson, making 26 saves in a 1-0 overtime loss against the team with the best record in the NHL (30-10-5). Merilainen kept the game scoreless at 4:21 of the third period when he stopped a point-blank one-timer from forward Alex Ovechkin on the power play; he stretched across with his right pad to rob forward Andrew Mangiapane at the left post at 5:49; and midway through overtime, he made a right pad save on forward Tom Wilson on a breakaway.

His performance even garnered praise from the opponent.

“I thought he was fantastic tonight,” Capitals coach Spencer Carbery said. “I thought he looked really good, confident, out and challenging. So that does provide some issues when you’re seeing a guy for the first time. But you’ve got to tip your cap; he played well tonight.”

Merilainen received multiple standing ovations from the home crowd Thursday, and after the stop on Wilson in overtime, chants of “Leevi! Leevi!” rang out. Despite Ovechkin’s eventual overtime goal -- the 874th of his NHL career on a snap shot from the top of the left face-off circle at 3:07 -- the Senators know getting a point against a Stanley Cup contender is another step in the right direction, and, if not for their calm, cool young goalie, they wouldn’t be just one point behind the Bruins for the second wild card into the playoffs from the Eastern Conference.

“[I’m] extremely impressed,” Ottawa defenseman Nick Jensen said. “It's huge confidence for us when we have goalies back there that are standing tall and confident in net, and knowing that they're keeping the puck out, and it's exciting to see someone like that have success.”