Elvis Merzlikin | Photo: AP Photo/Eduardo Munoz Alvarez/Scanpix
The upcoming night in the National Hockey League (NHL) at At 02:30 Latvian time, Columbus “Blue Jackets” represented by Elvja Merzlikina will host Buffalo “Sabres” with Zemga Girgensons in the lineup. It will be possible to watch the game live on the “Viaplay” platform.
For the second day in a row, it will be a big day for Latvian fans. Last night, Merzlikin returned to Columbus after more than a three-week break, but he was unable to stop Theodore Blüger and the Pittsburgh Penguins in a 1-4 loss. Teodor scored his first goal of the season. The Latvian goalkeeper, however, played a relatively commendable match, saving 30 shots and saving the team from conceding goals, neutralizing Blūger’s “bullet”.
It is not yet known whether Elvi will be entrusted with gate security. Merzlikin is not having his statistically best season at the moment. So far, the Latvian puck catcher has saved 86.6% of shots in ten games, allowing an average of 4.68 pucks. Meanwhile, Buffalo beat the San Jose Sharks 6-3 in their previous game, continuing their highly variable performance. Girgensons has also had “dry” games mixed with productive ones, and this season the Latvian striker has scored 6 (3+3) points in 24 matches. A
The two teams have already met once in a pre-season test match, but neither Elvis nor Zemgus participated in that match, as the Blue Jackets celebrated a 4:1 victory. Success at the moment would be useful for both teams – after a successful start to the season, Buffalo has fallen to 13th place in the Eastern Conference, while Columbus has been in the last position for almost the entire season.
