COLUMBUS, Ohio — Just 48 hours earlier, Columbus Blue Jackets goaltender Elvis Merzlikins lost his bid for a shutout against the Edmonton Oilers in the final minute of play. It was the only downer in a 6-1 win, and Merlikins responded by whacking his stick on the crossbar in frustration.
That did not sit particularly well with coach Dean Evason, who said he spoke with Merzlikins both after the game and the following morning before practice. Evason made note after the game that nothing — not a shutout, not a hat trick, etc. — is bigger than a win, a message he’s been hammering home since the start of training camp.
It was fitting, then, that Merzlikins got his shutout on Wednesday, making 26 saves in a chess-like 2-0 win over the New York Islanders before 14,015 in Nationwide Arena.
Did Evason’s message get through? As usual, Merzlikins’ post-game comments did not disappoint, and yet they had a slightly but significantly different tone than in the past.
When a reporter started in — “Elvis, you came within 28 seconds from a shutout last game … ” — the 30-year-old Latvian quickly interjected.
“It was 26.8 (seconds),” he said with a smile.
But there was more.
“Obviously it feels certainly good to win the games right now,” Merzlikins said. “We just have to keep working as hard as we are working right now. It’s a nice feeling, the shutout. But it’s not just me, it’s the team. They helped a lot. They’re really working hard for this. This is our shutout.
“It could be two in a row.”
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Merzlikins, who has stopped 58 of 59 shots since returning from an upper-body injury, was the game’s No. 1 star for a second straight game. It was his first shutout since Jan. 30, 2024 in St. Louis. Damon Severson and Justin Danforth (empty netter) scored goals for the Blue Jackets, who improved to 5-3-1.
Severson appeared to score with 1:32 remaining in the first period, but the goal was disallowed because Blue Jackets forward James van Riemsdyk was determined to have interfered with Islanders goaltender Semyon Varlamov before the puck entered the net.
“It would have been great to get that one in the first,” Severson said. “But the rules are the rules.”
The Blue Jackets considered a review, but decided against it because they didn’t want to risk going on the penalty kill if the call on the ice stood.
“Here’s what our thought process was,” Evason said. “It was probably 50-50. We could have taken a shot at that. But we had some momentum (in the game), and there’s a minute and a bit left (in the period). We just thought JVR went into the crease and could have come out the same way.
“That’s what our thought was, that he went out on top of Varlamov, like through him, and I think that may have tilted it a little bit. We didn’t want to risk the momentum.”
So on the game went, tied 0-0 through two periods and into the third until — who else? — Severson scored again, and this time he benefited from an Islanders player parked in his own net.
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At 5:43 of the third, Severson’s shot from below the right circle hit off New York defenseman Ryan Pulock’s skate and shot into the net. Oddly enough, he was battling with van Riemsdyk.
“I saw JVR out front just battling with the guy, and he was out of the paint that time,” Severson chuckled. “I figured that would be a better opportunity for (van Riemsdyk) to score, but I got lucky with it hitting the D-man’s skate and going in.”
Danforth scored into an empty net with 2:03 remaining to make it 2-0.
The Blue Jackets lost all three meetings with the Islanders last season and had been 2-8-1 over the previous three seasons before Wednesday’s win. But Evason enjoyed the win from another perspective.
In their first four wins of the season, the Jackets had scored six goals, leaving little or no drama in the third period, much less the closing minutes. But this game was tense, at least until Danforth’s goal.
“It’s nice to have that heat at the end and have the guys come through,” Evason said.
He later elaborated, saying he was delighted by what he heard during the second intermission with the score still tied at zeroes.
“We went in after the second period,” Evason said, “and the players were saying ‘This is a boring game, just stick with it. We’re not opening anything up, we’re not playing defensively, but we’re going to be stingy the same as (the Islanders) were.’ The exciting thing for coaches is that the players were saying it before the coaches. That’s a real good sign.”
The Blue Jackets have flashed plenty of skill and scoring so far this season. On Wednesday, they were required to show composure, and they did.
“You need to be able to win any way possible,” Severson said. “Obviously the fans love six goals on the board and the cannon going off a lot, but it doesn’t really matter — as long as you’re winning, fans are happy.
“The main thing is that cannon going off after the game for a win.”
(Photo: Samantha Madar / Imagn Images)
