Leevi Meriläinen - NHL News & Rumors

Up from minors Merilainen was called up by Ottawa on Friday.

Impact Merilainen had an 8-10-1 record, 3.51 GAA and .860 save percentage in 20 appearances with Ottawa during the 2025-26 regular season. He's joining Ottawa as the squad's No. 3 goaltender going into its first-round series against Carolina. Merilainen shouldn't be expected to man the net in a 2026 playoff game for the Senators unless Linus Ullmark and James Reimer run into injury problems.

APRIL 17 • ROTOWIRE

Logs shutout Friday Merilainen posted a 26-save shutout in AHL Belleville's 5-0 win over Manitoba on Friday.

Impact This was his second shutout of the AHL campaign. Merilainen is up to 8-7-1 with a 2.87 GAA and a .905 save percentage through 18 appearances. He's had a down year compared to 2024-25, which is why he's stayed in the AHL since he was sent down in January.

MARCH 28 • ROTOWIRE

Regaining confidence in Belleville Merilainen posted a 40-save shutout in AHL Belleville's 1-0 win over Springfield on Saturday.

Impact Merilainen improved to 4-1-0 this season in the AHL, with wins in each of the last two games since he returned to Belleville. This was his first shutout of the season, and he's allowed just 13 goals on 166 shots for a .927 save percentage with Belleville. That said, his chances to return to the NHL don't look great at this time, as the Senators are carrying three goalies and have Linus Ullmark (personal) on the non-roster list.

JANUARY 25 • ROTOWIRE

Shipped down to minors Merilainen was reassigned to AHL Belleville on Tuesday.

Impact Merilainen appeared in 11 straight games for the Senators coming out of the Christmas break, but now finds himself headed down to the minors. In those outings, the 23-year-old netminder went 4-5-1 with a 3.61 GAA, including giving up six goals on 19 shots versus Montreal on Saturday. Hunter Shepard was recalled from Belleville in a corresponding move and figures to serve as the No. 2 option behind James Reimer for Tuesday's tilt with Columbus.

JANUARY 20 • ROTOWIRE

Falls in OT Merilainen recorded saves on 13 of 19 shots on net in Saturday's 6-5 overtime loss to the Canadiens.

Impact Merilainen allowed at least one goal in each period leading up to overtime, where he surrendered the winning tally to Montreal's Cole Caufield. With the OT loss, Merilainen now has an 8-10-1 record, a 3.51 GAA and an .860 save percentage across 20 appearances this season. He has appeared in each of Ottawa's last 11 games in the absence of Linus Ullmark (personal). With Ullmark back at practice, Merilainen could shift to a much lighter workload over the next few games, which will diminish his already risky fantasy value. His next chance to bounce back is Sunday in Detroit.

JANUARY 18 • ROTOWIRE

Caufield scores in OT as Canadiens beat Senators 6-5

Montreal scored three straight goals, including Cole Caufield’s second of the game 33 seconds into overtime, to give the Canadiens a 6-5 come-from-behind win over the Ottawa Senato...

JANUARY 18 • Associated Press

MTL@OTT: Slafkovsky scores goal against Leevi Merilainen | Montréal Canadiens Juraj Slafkovsky (MTL) scores goal against Leevi Merilainen (OTT) to make it 5 - 4

JANUARY 18 • NHL.COM

MTL@OTT: Carrier scores goal against Leevi Merilainen | Montréal Canadiens Alexandre Carrier (MTL) scores goal against Leevi Merilainen (OTT) to make it 5 - 5

JANUARY 18 • NHL.COM

MTL@OTT: Caufield scores goal against Leevi Merilainen | Montréal Canadiens Cole Caufield (MTL) scores goal against Leevi Merilainen (OTT) to make it 5 - 6

JANUARY 18 • NHL.COM

MTL@OTT: Anderson scores goal against Leevi Merilainen | Montréal Canadiens Josh Anderson (MTL) scores goal against Leevi Merilainen (OTT) to make it 2 - 3

JANUARY 18 • NHL.COM

MTL@OTT: Caufield scores PPG against Leevi Merilainen | Montréal Canadiens Cole Caufield (MTL) scores power-play goal against Leevi Merilainen (OTT) to make it 0 - 2

JANUARY 18 • NHL.COM

MTL@OTT: Slafkovsky scores PPG against Leevi Merilainen | Montréal Canadiens Juraj Slafkovsky (MTL) scores power-play goal against Leevi Merilainen (OTT) to make it 0 - 1

JANUARY 18 • NHL.COM

Tending twine Saturday Merilainan will be between the home pipes versus Montreal on Saturday, TSN 1200 Ottawa reports.

Impact Merilainen has won two straight games, despite allowing five goals on 42 shots. He has been mediocre since the start of December, posting a 5-7-0 record with a 3.35 GAA and an .864 save percentage. Merilainen will have a tough matchup as the Canadiens are fifth in league scoring, generating 3.33 goals per game in 2025-26.

JANUARY 17 • ROTOWIRE

Senators cap off an eventful week feeling good about the direction of their season

The Ottawa Senators ended an eventful week on and off the ice on the kind of note that could go a long way to getting their season back on track

JANUARY 15 • Associated Press

Takes advantage of easy matchup Merilainen stopped 18 of 22 shots in Wednesday's 8-4 win over the Rangers.

Impact The Senators took care of business early, which made Merilainen's poor third period (three goals against) a non-issue. He's won his last two starts, but he has allowed five goals on 42 shots in that span. The 23-year-old is at an 8-10-0 record with a 3.37 GAA and an .868 save percentage over 19 appearances. Merilainen's time as the Senators' primary starter should be nearing a close, as James Reimer is now with the team and Linus Ullmark (personal) should be approaching his return. It's unclear if the Senators will keep Merilainen on the roster for a weekend back-to-back with games at home versus the Canadiens on Saturday and in Detroit on Sunday.

JANUARY 15 • ROTOWIRE

NHL Highlights | Senators vs. Rangers - January 14, 2026

JANUARY 15 • YOUTUBE

Brady Tkachuk scores his 200th goal as the Senators beat the Rangers 8-4

Brady Tkachuk scored his 200th regular-season NHL goal and had three assists as the Ottawa Senators beat the New York Rangers 8-4

JANUARY 15 • Associated Press

Starting again Wednesday Merilainen is slated to start on the road versus the Rangers on Wednesday, Stephen Whyno of the Associated Press reports.

Impact Merilainen will start back-to-back games, but James Reimer is set to back him up in this one after Hunter Shepard was reassigned to AHL Belleville earlier in the day. Merilainen stopped 19 of 20 shots in Tuesday's win over the Canucks, but he received an early hook the last time he started consecutive days, which was versus the Avalanche on Jan. 8.

JANUARY 14 • ROTOWIRE

First win in five games Merilainen made 19 saves in a 2-1 win over Vancouver on Tuesday.

Impact The young netminder hadn't won since Jan. 3, so the win was a huge weight lifted off. Merilainen has played eight straight, but could get time off this week. There is a good chance free agent signee James Reimer will play this week, and Linus Ullmark (personal) skated Tuesday. Merilainen's future remains bright, and he could be sent down to the AHL for a more structured development experience.

JANUARY 14 • ROTOWIRE

Senators snap losing skid with 2-1 win over struggling Canucks

Artem Zub and Jordan Spence’s first-period goals, scored 15 seconds apart, were enough to lead the Ottawa Senators to a 2-1 win over the struggling Vancouver Canucks on Tuesday nig...

JANUARY 14 • Associated Press

Protecting home net Merilainen is drawing the home start against the Canucks on Tuesday, per Bruce Garrioch of Postmedia.

Impact Merilainen has seen workhorse usage since Linus Ullmark left the team for personal reasons. This will be the 23-year-old Merilainen's eighth consecutive start Tuesday -- he's 2-4-0 with a 3.56 GAA and an .853 save percentage over his last seven outings. The Finnish netminder should have a favorable matchup against a Vancouver club that lost in Montreal on Monday by a 6-3 score, while the Senators haven't played since Saturday.

JANUARY 13 • ROTOWIRE

Allows trio of goals Saturday Merilainen turned away 18 of 21 shots on net in Saturday's 3-2 loss to the Panthers.

Impact Merilainen struggled across the middle of Saturday's contest as he allowed three consecutive goals en route to the loss. Overall, he now has a 6-10-0 record with a 3.48 GAA and an 866 save percentage across 17 appearances this season. The 23-year-old goaltender has lost each of his last three outings amidst the Senators' four-game losing streak. With Linus Ullmark (personal) still away from the team, Merilainen should continue to see a decent chunk of starts, but remains a risky option in fantasy.

JANUARY 11 • ROTOWIRE

Forsling, Verhaeghe each have goal and assist as Panthers beat Senators 3-2

Gustav Forsling and Carter Verhaeghe each had a goal and an assist, and the Florida Panthers beat the Ottawa Senators 3-2

JANUARY 11 • Associated Press

Expected to start Saturday Merilainen is slated to defend the home crease versus Florida on Saturday, TSN 1200 Ottawa reports.

Impact Merilainen has struggled of late, as he has been pulled in two of his last three starting assignments. Merilainen is 6-9-0 with a 3.50 GAA and an .867 save percentage, a far cry from last season, when he was 8-3-1 with a 1.99 GAA. The Panthers are 19th in NHL scoring, generating 3.02 goals per game.

JANUARY 10 • ROTOWIRE

Bad performance in Colorado Merilainen allowed three goals on 18 shots in Thursday's 8-2 loss to the Avalanche.

Impact Merilainen was initially pulled after giving up a goal to Cale Makar at 2:35 of the second period. That stood as the game-winner, but after Mads Sogaard gave up five goals in the middle frame, Merilainen returned to crease in the third and finished the contest. The Senators are in an untenable position in goal while Linus Ullmark (personal) is away from the team. Merilainen has allowed at least three goals in five of his last six outings and is now 6-9-0 with a 3.50 GAA and an .867 save percentage over 16 appearances. The Senators return home Saturday for another tough matchup against the Panthers.

JANUARY 9 • ROTOWIRE

LEEVI MERILÄINEN NEWS

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Caufield scores in OT as Canadiens beat Senators 6-5

Senators cap off an eventful week feeling good about the direction of their season

Brady Tkachuk scores his 200th goal as the Senators beat the Rangers 8-4

Senators snap losing skid with 2-1 win over struggling Canucks

Forsling, Verhaeghe each have goal and assist as Panthers beat Senators 3-2