Through 12 games, the Blue Jackets' goalie rotation has yielded impressive results and been one of the top reasons Columbus currently holds a playoff spot with a 7-5-0 record.
That is, if it is a goalie rotation.
Head coach Dean Evason has played coy throughout the dozen instances to start the season in which the Blue Jackets have alternated starts between Jet Greaves and Elvis Merzlikins.
“Are we still rotating? Oh, we are,” Evason said after Saturday night’s win over St. Louis. “I joke about it, but both have been good, so both need to play.”
There’s no guarantee what might happen going forward – who, after all, can predict the future – but through the first month of the season, the numbers back up that the rotation has allowed both CBJ goalies to be at their best.
The team’s overall goalie save percentage of .916 places third in the NHL, while each goalie can hang their hat on their individual performance this season. Merzlikins places fifth in the league among goalies who have played at least 300 minutes with a .917 save percentage, while Greaves is just behind in seventh with a .916 SV%.
Advanced analytics back up the fact they’ve each been among the best netminders in the NHL in the early going as well. According to MoneyPuck.com, Greaves is second in the league in goals saved above expected per 60 minutes among goalies with at least five games played, keeping an extra 1.297 pucks out of the net per game based on shot locations, while Merzlikins is sixth at 0.993.
No other team in the league has two goalies in the top 10, underscoring the fact the Blue Jackets are getting consistently good netminding from whomever gets the call on a given night.
“It’s incredible,” defenseman Zach Werenski said. “I feel like every single night they’ve given us a chance to win no matter who is in the net, and it’s been a ton of fun playing in front of them. They can speak on it, but I feel like they’re feeding off each other and pushing each other and encouraging each other, and it’s been really fun to watch in the room.
“I’m just super proud of both guys, and I feel like we have a chance to win every night with both of those guys in the net, so it’s really exciting.”
While many talked about a goaltending battle or even a controversy in the preseason, what has materialized is a partnership that has paid dividends. And perhaps the biggest reason it’s worked is that the two goaltenders have been able to feed off one another while stacking up strong performances.
The position is an inherently unique one in the sport of hockey, as only the goalies themselves truly understand what it’s like to play in net. While there are 20 skaters going through similar routines and experiences, the goalies are outliers, in some ways living in their own worlds because of the different nature of the position.
That means the two netminders are a natural support system for one another, but there’s also a competitive nature to the position, as only one can play at a time. But for the Blue Jackets, Greaves and Merzlikins have proved to be on the same page as their playing time has been split down the middle.
“I think it’s been positive,” Greaves said. “I think both Elvis and I have the same focus. I think for us, our biggest focus is just on helping the Blue Jackets win games, and we both feel there’s a lot we can do to help whether we’re playing or not playing. If we’re playing, we obviously want to do what we can in the net to help the group, and then when we’re not playing, I think we both support each other a lot. I think that goes a long way as well, so it’s nice to have that relationship.”
Merzlikins is in his seventh NHL season at age 31, and he’s had his fair share of goalie partners over the years. He and Joonas Korpisalo often traded the net during his first four seasons with the Blue Jackets, then Daniil Tarasov stepped in the past three campaigns.
Greaves, meanwhile, earned spot appearances over the past three years but is in the NHL full-time for the first time in his NHL career. It could have led to an awkward relationship as the two spent more time together, but Merzlikins has welcomed Greaves with open arms.
“I think that’s just the best thing that can happen,” Merzlikins said of the partnership. “I have to push him, he’s going to push me. He’s younger, I’m older. He has more hockey than I do left if you watch the long period, so if he can learn something from me, I’ll be happy to teach him something. And even if he’s younger than me, I can see something that he’s doing, so I can learn from him as well.
“Yes, we are winning the games together, but obviously there is one net. I think in every single hockey team, there is competition in goalies. Then it just depends – you have the chemistry or you don’t. Me and Jetty, in my opinion, we have amazing chemistry.”
That has been shown throughout the early going, whether it be in the hugs the two share after wins or the way they support each other during games.
“I don’t think so,” Greaves said when asked if anyone is happier than Merzlikins when he makes a save. “I think he’s so happy. He has so much support for me, which I really appreciate. It means a lot. Having that is important from your goalie partner. I think it goes a long way. I think it speaks to him and the culture of the team – there's so much (support) from every guy on this team. It’s really about the team first in here.”
For Evason, the goaltending position is no different than the rest of the team when it comes to the need to compete yet also have each other’s back. While the impressive numbers posted by each goalie are certainly heartening to the coach, what he’s liked the most is the approach to buy into the team concept first and foremost.
“There’s an accountability factor and there’s a team-first mentality in our group that goes throughout the team,” Evason said. “That’s no different than the two goaltenders. I think the maturity level of both of them is very high.”
So how long does the rotation continue? It’s hard to say. The Blue Jackets wanted to get both into the lineup in the early going, then a string of three consecutive back-to-backs made it only natural that the two would split starts over the past week and a half.
There’s no reason to believe the Blue Jackets will do anything different in the foreseeable future, but factors such as the goalies’ continued form and how the schedule sets up will determine how things break down. But as long as the men in the pads and the Blue Jackets are having success, then the situation will likely continue.
“If in fact one doesn’t play that well, then maybe we do switch what we’re doing, but both have played really well for us,” Evason said. “They’ve held us in games in different spots.”
