VANCOUVER — More than 20 months after making his NHL debut, Ottawa Senators goalie Leevi Merilainen finally has his first win.
The 22-year-old Finnish netminder stopped 21 shots and helped Ottawa to a 5-4 overtime victory against the Vancouver Canucks on Saturday.
“Felt really good," he said. "Felt like I was on it from the start, and it's not a lot of shots, so made a little difficult. But felt good overall.”
Merilainen faced some tough tests, including midway through the second period when Canucks sniper Brock Boeser fired a shot from the slot, only to see the goalie trap the speeding puck between his arm and his body.
“Fired up for Leevi," said Sens forward Shane Pinto, who had two goals and an assist on Saturday. "Great guy. And to win on the road in Vancouver, that's a pretty special win. So I'm definitely happy for him.”
Merilainen replaced superstar Linus Ullmark, who had powered the Sens (18-13-2) to five straight wins.
Ullmark boasts a 12-7-2 record with a 2.37 goals-against average, a .916 save percentage and three shutouts this season, but has had a heavy workload recently, including playing back-to-back games last week.
His regular backup, Anton Forsberg, was injured on Dec. 14 during pre-game skate. Merilainen was recalled from the American Hockey League's Bellville Senators the next day.
With Belleville, he has posted a 7-2-3 record with a 2.43 goals-against average and .901 save percentage this season.
Spending a week around Ullmark was a boon for the younger goalie.
“It's awesome to watch him do his thing. He's so good. Makes it look like it's so easy, but it's not," Merilainen said. "So it's great to watch him. And he's such a nice guy, too, so it's fun to be around with him.”
The Sens selected the six-foot-three, 186-pound Merilainen 71st overall in the 2020 draft. He played two NHL games back in April 2023, but hasn't manned Ottawa's crease since.
A week of practice with the team before getting into game action helped, he said.
“I feel like it helps to get up to the speed. It's a way faster game, they shoot it a lot harder," he said. "Changes happen so quickly, so you got to be ready. And a week of practising helped a lot.”
GONE STREAKING
Saturday's victory extended Ottawa's win streak to six games. It's the first time since March 2017 that the Senators have won six games in a row.
"It's nice when you win," said head coach Travis Green. "It's nice when you get on a roll and you start to feel good. But you've got to reset every game. And we didn't like our game last game. We challenged the group a little bit to respond tonight. A real businesslike performance I thought out of our group."
RESILIENT BUNCH
Jake Sanderson scored the game-winning goal 15 seconds into the extra frame.
While Ottawa took a 2-0 lead midway through the first period, Vancouver responded and continuously pushed to level the score.
Sanderson said the Sens may not have weathered that pressure as well earlier in the season.
“We've come a long way from the start of the year. Say two months ago, I think we might have folded there in that game," he said. "But I think it just shows the maturity of our group right now.”
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Dec. 21, 2024.
Gemma Karstens-Smith, The Canadian Press
