Blue Jackets: Elvis Merzlikins shines in preseason victory over Washington Capitals
Brian Hedger
Elvis Merzlikins dazzled with 34 saves for the Blue Jackets, who improved to 3-1-1 in the preseason by stealing a 2-1 victory over the Washington Capitals on Saturday at Nationwide Arena.
Carson Meyer scored for Columbus in the first period, tying it 1-1, and Yegor Chinakhov scored the winner at 6:46 of the third for his third goal in the past two games.
Aliaksei Protas scored for the Capitals (2-1-1), who outshot the Blue Jackets 35-20 and forced Merzlikins to work hard all game.
“We certainly didn’t have much in our legs, as far as juice tonight,” Blue Jackets coach Brad Larsen said. “You could see it for pretty much the full 60 (minutes). We were a little better in the third, but (we) looked tired. But you’ve got to play through that. (The Capitals) had a camp too. They’re going through it also, so it’s not like we’re at a disadvantage here. So, you just deal with it.”
Here are four takeaways:
Washington Capitals give Blue Jackets' Merzlikins a good preseason test
Merzlikins was sharp despite “tired” legs in the third period. This was his first full game since last season, so the fact he left feeling good physically was the biggest positive.
“Obviously, it’s important to win the game, but right now, personally, I don’t really care about it,” Merzlikins said. “I want to just feel the game, the game flow and all that stuff. The whole third period, I felt heavy legs. I wasn’t used to it. The good part is just to get practice on focusing all the time, through the (whole) 60 minutes, and, overall, I felt pretty good.”
He looked good too, especially in the final 1:46 of the third with the Capitals’ net empty for a 6-on-5 advantage. Merzlikins made three big saves, including his final one to deny what appeared to be a sure tying goal for Washington’s Erik Gustafsson from the left circle.
Merzlikins also made a diving save to start the second, keeping it 1-1 after the puck caromed off his leg pad behind the net and landed in the right circle for center Nic Dowd.
“That one was unlucky,” Merzlikins said. “It bounced from my pad, but that was a huge soccer goalie save. When I saw it, I was like, ‘Oh, gosh.’ I was lucky enough it hit me.”
Merzlikins usually needs to ease into the start of a season before he feels in top form, but his goal in this camp has changed. He’s trying to reach midseason form for the Blue Jackets’ season-opener Oct. 12 at the Carolina Hurricanes.
“It’s not that I’m not ready at the start of the season, but I need a little more time to get hot and feel myself,” he said. “This year, I want to try to be, from game one, already hot and ready to go.”
Chinakhov gains more ground in Blue Jackets roster battle
Time is running out for Blue Jackets players hoping to earn one of the team’s final few roster openings.
This was the fifth of eight preseason games and the final one is usually reserved for the playing group that will start the regular season.
“I think some guys are starting to separate themselves, some guys in a good way and some guys maybe not in the way they want,” Larsen said Saturday after the morning skate. “But that’s what camp’s for and that’s what these games have been for. We’ll be cutting down again here pretty soon, but there’s going to be some stiff competition here for some spots.”
Chinakhov appears to be one of the guys separating himself in a positive way. His goal early in the third to end the 1-1 tie was his third of the preseason and all three were scored in the past two games — including a two-goal performance Thursday in St. Louis.
His goal against the Capitals wasn’t the only thing that stood out to Larsen, whose team was outskated most of the night.
“He had some energy at least,” Larsen said of Chinakhov, who might be poised for a breakout in his second NHL season. “He looks more confident this camp than he did last camp, which … it’s not surprising. He put in some pretty good work in the summer.”
Larsen put Chinakhov on the same line as rookie Kirill Marchenko at the outset of training camp and kept the two together through scrimmages and their first preseason game. They were split up in St. Louis and again to start this one, but the pair joined forces in the third with Justin Danforth as their center.
It led to Chinakhov's winner, even though Sean Kuraly was the center on the ice at the time to dish out the primary assist.
“We all know he’s got a great shot,” Larsen said. “It’s just having the confidence to carry the pucks and protect it and dip that shoulder and get to the net.”
Carson Meyer continues to get noticed in hunt for Blue Jackets roster spot
His performance wasn’t up to snuff for Carson Meyer's expectations. Despite scoring the Jackets’ first goal to knot it 1-1 in the first, the puck-hounding forward from nearby Powell wasn’t letting that cloud his self-assessment.
“It helps a little bit (to score a goal), but I don’t feel as good about that g game as the game (Wednesday) against Buffalo. Even though I scored in both, I just felt like I played a lot heavier and faster in the Buffalo game, so for me, it’s great to get the goal. It ultimately helps the team win, but I think I’m more effective when I’m playing physical and throwing the body (around). I tried to do a bit of that tonight, but not as much as I’d have liked.”
Larsen agreed, but also pointed out that Meyer wasn’t alone in that regard. He still managed to score a few points with Larsen in the game.
“At some point you’re going to hit a wall (in camp), but you’ve still got to play,” Larsen said. “He had some good shifts in there. He did some things that keep catching my eye. The goal is nice, but it’s all those other intangibles that are catching my eye with him and his physicality and make sure he’s hunting pucks and being tenacious, relentless out there. That’s what we need to see from him.”
Meyer, an OSU alum and another product of the Ohio AAA Blue Jackets program, made his NHL debut last season with one goal, two assists and three points in 13 games. He’s intent on earning another NHL spin despite the Jackets having a large number of young forwards vying for the same goal.
“We have got a ton of depth here this year and a lot of guys fighting for spots, so I’m very aware of the situation,” Meyer said. “Just getting those (NHL) games last season, it’s such a whirlwind because it’s a dream come true. And then the more you play you start to realize, ‘OK, I think I can play at this level.’ Just knowing that going into the summer was very motivating for me. I just want to get back onto this team really bad.”
David Jiricek, Mathieu Olivier notch first preseason points for Blue Jackets
Mathier Olivier was credited with the secondary assist on Meyer’s goal in the first and rookie defenseman David Jiricek, the sixth overall pick in this year’s draft, picked up the secondary helper on Chinakhov’s winner.
Each recorded their first point wearing the Blue Jackets’ logo, even though it’s only the preseason and those points will soon vanish. Both are looking to prove themselves in their first stints with the Blue Jackets, both arrived in via this year’s draft (Olivier was acquired from the Nashville Predators for a fourth-round pick), but that’s where the similarities end.
Olivier is out to show that he can be a true power forward on the third or fourth line, similar to Tanner Jeannot — his former teammate in Nashville. Standing a well-muscled 6 foot 2, 210 pounds, Olivier knows his “skills” include using his mitts for throwing haymakers and scoring a few goals.
He hasn’t gotten an opponent to accept a fight invitation yet, but that’s not the sole focus.
“With regards to fighting, it’s not going to happen every night and not everyone wants to do it,” Olivier said. “I don’t limit myself to fighting. I take pride in being a really strong physical presence in the O-zone, being strong on pucks, going to the net hard. I have a good shot. I want to use it more this year and try to produce more.”
Jiricek, meanwhile, is awaiting word from the coaching staff and management on what his development plan will be this season. He’s not beholden to the under-20 age agreement between the National Hockey League and Canadian Hockey League, which means he could play anywhere from the NHL to the Cleveland Monsters of the American Hockey League to his pro team in Czechia (HC Plzen).
That flexibility plus his prior experience playing professionally has extended his stay, giving the 6-3, 209-pound defenseman a chance to pick up his first preseason assist a day after defenseman Denton Mateychuk — drafted by Columbus seven picks later — had three assists for Moose Jaw in the Western Hockey League.
Mateychuk turned 18 in July, so he’s a tick younger, but the Blue Jackets wanted to get him back to his junior program quickly.
“We have more options with (Jiricek), just due to the rules and how it lays out,” Larsen said. “With Mateychuk, it’s either here or there. It was pretty simple. We wanted to get him back to his team in junior and get him going. I felt like he had a very strong camp, but he’s young. Jiricek’s a little bit different. He’s played with men the last couple years. We have more options with him, so he’s going to get a little bit longer of a look here.”