Leevi Meriläinen - NHL News & Rumors

Surrenders five goals in overtime win Merilainen stopped 18 of 23 shots in Tuesday's 6-5 overtime win over the Ducks.

Impact Merilainen's performance didn't inspire much confidence, but he was able to lock in late as the Canucks pulled off an improbable comeback. This was his first win since Oct. 3 versus the Flames. The 24-year-old netminder is 2-3-1 with a 3.35 GAA and a .900 save percentage across nine games (seven starts) this season. Merilainen is still a massively risky option in fantasy even if he's able to run with the starting job in Vancouver. The Canucks' next game is Thursday in San Jose.

11 HOURS AGO • ROTOWIRE

Guarding goal in Anaheim Merilainen will protect the road goal versus the Ducks on Tuesday, Canucks play-by-play announcer Brendan Batchelor reports.

Impact Merilainen will start consecutive games for the first time in about two weeks. He'll get the nod despite having lost his last four outings with a total of 15 goals allowed in that span. The Ducks have won just one of their last six games, scoring 14 times during that stretch, so this could be a chance for Merilainen to return to the win column.

15 HOURS AGO • ROTOWIRE

No match for Wild Merilainen allowed four goals on 34 shots in Sunday's 4-2 loss to the Wild.

Impact Merilainen again had to make 30-plus saves, but the Canucks' late-arriving offense didn't pull off a comeback. The 24-year-old is down to 1-3-1 with a 3.13 GAA and a .912 save percentage over eight games. Those numbers tell two stories -- one, that he's doing generally well against a lot of traffic, and two, that he's not getting much help from his teammates. Such is life on a rebuilding team. Merilainen and Kevin Lankinen have alternated starts lately, and if that pattern holds, it would be Lankinen in goal in Anaheim on Tuesday while Merilainen would be tasked with slowing down Macklin Celebrini and the Sharks on Thursday.

2 DAYS AGO • ROTOWIRE

Quinn Hughes has a goal and an assist in his Vancouver return in Wild's 4-2 victory

Former Vancouver captain Quinn Hughes had a goal to reach 500 NHL points and added an assist in his return to Rogers Arena in the Minnesota Wild’s 4-2 victory over the Canucks on S...

2 DAYS AGO • Associated Press

Set to face Minnesota Merilainen is expected to protect the home net against the Wild on Sunday, per Canucks play-by-play announcer Brendan Batchelor.

Impact Merilainen is 0-2-1 in his last three starts, surrendering 11 goals on 120 shots over that span. In seven appearances this season, he has stopped 187 of 204 shots for a 1-2-1 record. Minnesota (7-3-2) ranks 16th in the league this campaign with 3.08 goals per game.

2 DAYS AGO • ROTOWIRE

Humbled by defending champs Merilainen stopped 38 of 43 shots in Tuesday's 6-3 loss to the Hurricanes. The sixth goal was an empty-netter.

Impact Merilainen was under siege for much of the game as the Canucks got out-shot 44-17. It's the fourth outing in a row where Merilainen has faced more than 30 shots. That's likely to happen a lot behind a shaky and young defense. Merilainen is 1-2-1 with a 2.95 GAA and a .917 save percentage over seven outings this season. He's starting to gain an edge over Kevin Lankinen for playing time, but neither goalie is a reliable fantasy option in most formats. The Canucks are set to host the Red Wings on Thursday.

OCTOBER 21 • ROTOWIRE

Defending champion Hurricanes beat Canucks 6-3 to take NHL lead

Logan Stankoven and Nikolaj Ehlers each scored twice and had an assist and the Carolina Hurricanes beat Vancouver 6-3 on Tuesday night to take the NHL points lead and hand the Canu...

OCTOBER 21 • Associated Press

Set to face Hurricanes Merilainen will guard the home crease in Tuesday's contest against the Hurricanes, per Canucks play-by-play announcer Brendan Batchelor.

Impact After a three-outing stretch where he allowed just one goal, Merilainen has yielded three goals across each of his last three outings. Regardless, the 24-year-old netminder has far outplayed Kevin Lankinen in the 2026-27 campaign, which has led to the former securing the majority of opportunities between the pipes as of late. Overall, Merialinen holds a 1-1-1 record, a 2.51 GAA and a .925 save percentage across six appearances. He'll have his work cut out for him Tuesday against the defending champs, relegating Merilainen's fantasy value to being a spot start for fantasy managers in a pinch. If he can come out with the win Tuesday, Merilainen would be a priority waiver-wire addition for teams in all deep leagues.

OCTOBER 20 • ROTOWIRE

Tough loss in south Florida Merilainen made 36 saves in Thursday's 3-2 overtime loss to the Panthers.

Impact The 24-year-old netminder took a shutout into the third period as the Canucks threatened a road upset, but Merilainen couldn't stop the red-hot Brady Tkachuk from striking twice in the final nine minutes of regulation, including the game-tying goal with just 13 seconds left on the clock. Tkachuk then finished his hat trick with a slick move into the slot in OT to create an open look on Merilainen. The former Ottawa goalie has started three of the last four games for Vancouver, stopping 102 of 111 shots (.919 save percentage) over that stretch, and on the season he's 1-1-1 in six appearances with a 2.51 GAA and .926 save percentage. Merilainen's strong play appears to be earning him an audition in the top spot on the depth chart ahead of the struggling Kevin Lankinen.

OCTOBER 16 • ROTOWIRE

Brady Tkachuk completes his 2nd straight natural hat trick in OT as Panthers stun Canucks

Brady Tkachuk completed his second straight natural hat trick with a nifty move up the middle in overtime to give the Florida Panthers a 3-2 victory over the Vancouver Canucks on T...

OCTOBER 16 • Associated Press

Starting against Florida Merilainen was the first goalie off during Thursday's morning skate, Thomas Drance of The Athletic reports, indicating that he'll draw the road start against Florida.

Impact Merilainen will draw a second consecutive start after he allowed three goals on 38 shots during a 3-2 regulation loss to the Islanders on the road Tuesday. He's appeared in five games to begin the regular season, going 1-1-0 with a 2.40 GAA and .927 save percentage.

OCTOBER 15 • ROTOWIRE

Battles in narrow loss Merilainen halted 33 of 36 shots on net in Tuesday's 3-2 loss to the Islanders.

Impact While the end result of Tuesday's contest didn't go his way, Merilainen continued to be a bright spot for the Canucks with his performance in net. He allowed just three goals against 36 shots on net, which helped Vancouver have a chance at winning throughout the entire contest. With Tuesday's contest in the books, the 24-year-old goalie now has a 1-1-0 record, a 2.40 GAA and a .926 save percentage across five appearances. He's proven to be the more-reliable option between the pipes for the Canucks compared to Kevin Lankinen, who has struggled mightily to open the 2026-27 campaign. If Merialinen's rise in production continues, he'll not only be on the fantasy radar in standard formats, but also one of the best waiver claims in recent memory. For now, he's a solid spot start in deep fantasy leagues with a bundle of upside.

OCTOBER 14 • ROTOWIRE

Kyle Palmieri scores twice as Islanders beat Canucks 3-2

Kyle Palmieri scored twice, Matias Maccelli added his first goal for New York and the Islanders beat the Vancouver Canucks 3-2

OCTOBER 14 • Associated Press

VAN@NYI: Palmieri scores goal against Leevi Merilainen | New York Islanders Kyle Palmieri (NYI) scores goal against Leevi Merilainen (VAN) to make it 1 - 0

OCTOBER 14 • NHL.COM

Tending twine Tuesday Merilainen will patrol the road paint in Tuesday's clash against the Islanders, per Thomas Drance of The Athletic.

Impact Merilainen will return to action Tuesday after avoiding his first loss of the season in Saturday's clash, where he was off the ice having his skate repaired when Kevin Lankinen allowed the game-winning goal. Outside of Saturday's game, the 24-year-old Merilainen has fared well to begin the new season, where he has a 1-0-0 record, a 2.18 GAA and a .929 save percentage across four appearances. While the young netminder's fantasy stock is on the rise, he'll have to prove himself in a tough matchup with the Islanders on Tuesday. He's a spot start option for fantasy managers in a pinch, but he should be left on waivers for the time being in standard formats.

OCTOBER 13 • ROTOWIRE

Busy day in New Jersey Merilainen stopped 31 of 34 shots for the Canucks during a 4-1 loss to the Devils on Saturday.

Impact The 24-year-old netminder actually managed to duck having the loss go on his record -- Merilainen left the ice late in the first period to get his skate repaired, and Kevin Lankinen wound up allowing the game-winning goal during his brief relief stint. All three pucks that got past Merilainen came on Devil power plays, and he made a number of big saves just to keep the game as close as it was. Through four appearances (two starts) this season he boasts a .929 save percentage, compared to Lankinen's woeful .783 mark in five outings (four starts). Lankinen should get the start for Sunday's road contest against the Rangers, but Merilainen is making a strong case to take over the larger share of the workload in the crease for Vancouver.

OCTOBER 11 • ROTOWIRE

Nico Hischier has 2 goals and an assist help the Devils roll to a 4-1 win over the Canucks

Nico Hischier scored two goals and added an assist in the New Jersey Devils' 4-1 win over the Vancouver Canucks

OCTOBER 10 • Associated Press

VAN@NJD: Bratt scores PPG against Leevi Merilainen | New Jersey Devils Jesper Bratt (NJD) scores power-play goal against Leevi Merilainen (VAN) to make it 3 - 1

OCTOBER 10 • NHL.COM

VAN@NJD: Hischier scores PPG against Leevi Merilainen | New Jersey Devils Nico Hischier (NJD) scores power-play goal against Leevi Merilainen (VAN) to make it 4 - 1

OCTOBER 10 • NHL.COM

Guarding road goal Merilainen is set to start on the road against the Devils on Saturday, per Mike Morreale of NHL.com.

Impact Merilainen has a 1-0-0 record, 1.62 GAA and .941 save percentage across three appearances this season. That's in stark contrast to Vancouver's other goaltender, Kevin Lankinen, who is 1-3-0 with a 7.06 GAA and a .786 save percentage in four outings. With that in mind, there might be an opportunity here for Merilainen to earn a bigger share of Vancouver's starts. New Jersey has gotten off to a slow start offensively, averaging just 2.00 goals through three games.

OCTOBER 10 • ROTOWIRE

Needed in relief again Merilainen turned aside 15 of 16 shots after replacing Kevin Lankinen to begin the third period of Thursday's 7-2 loss to the Hurricanes.

Impact It's already the second time this season that Lankinen has gotten an early hook, and Merilainen has looked sharp in a low-pressure relief situation. While Lankinen has faced the tougher assignments, the difference in their numbers so far couldn't be more stark -- Merilainen has won his only start while producing a 1.62 GAA and .941 save percentage in five periods of action, while Lankinen is 1-3-0 with a hideous 7.06 GAA and .786 save percentage. The Canucks play back-to-back games this weekend on the road against the Devils and Rangers as they continue an east coast swing, and if Merilainen outplays Lankinen once again, he could make a quick push to the top of the depth chart.

OCTOBER 9 • ROTOWIRE

Logan Stankoven's first career hat trick helps Hurricanes beat Canucks 7-2

Logan Stankoven had a natural hat trick for his first career three-goal game, and the Stanley Cup champion Carolina Hurricanes won at home in their third try this season, 7-2 over...

OCTOBER 9 • Associated Press

Keeps Flames under control Merilainen stopped 23 of 24 shots in Saturday's 4-1 win over the Flames.

Impact Getting away from the Oilers made things look a lot better for the Canucks. Merilainen presumably got the start as a reward for his decent relief performance versus Edmonton on Thursday. The 24-year-old netminder has allowed just two goals on 35 shots over his two appearances for the Canucks. He probably won't be that good in the long run, given the rebuilding team in front of him, but he could unseat Kevin Lankinen for the No. 1 job. It'll likely be Lankinen who gets the harder matchup of the weekend Sunday at home versus the Golden Knights.

OCTOBER 4 • ROTOWIRE

Merilainen makes 23 saves in first start for the Canucks in a 4-1 victory over the Flames

Leevi Merilainen made 23 saves in his first start for Vancouver and the Canucks had a four-goal third period in a 4-1 victory over the Calgary Flames on Saturday night

OCTOBER 4 • Associated Press

Making first start with Canucks Merilainen was the first goalie off the ice at Saturday's morning skate, indicating that he'll start the team's home matchup against the Flames, per Thomas Drance of The Athletic.

Impact Merilainen is in line to make his first start for the Canucks after he was claimed off waivers from Ottawa in late September. The 24-year-old backstop made his Vancouver debut in Thursday's 9-7 loss, where he stopped 10 out of the 11 shots he saw in relief. He's looking to bounce back after a tough 2025-26 campaign, where he posted an 8-10-1 record, a 3.51 GAA and an .860 save percentage across 20 regular-season outings. He'll face off against a Calgary offense that was kept to just one score in their Opening Night matchup.

OCTOBER 3 • ROTOWIRE

LEEVI MERILÄINEN NEWS

NEWS

BIO

STATS

VIDEOS

GAME LOG

INJURIES