Blue Jackets’ Elvis Merzlikins, Jake Christiansen unavailable Saturday vs. Capitals

Columbus Blue Jackets head coach Dean Evason announced that goaltender Elvis Merzlikins and defenseman Jake Christiansen will not be available for Saturday’s game against the Washington Capitals.

Repost to fix (yet another) typo. #CBJ Coach Dean Evason says neither Elvis Merzlikins NOR Jake Christianson will be available tomorrow v. #ALLCAPS

— Dave Maetzold (@DMaetzMedia) April 11, 2025

As of right now, there is currently no timeline for return for either player. Considering that a regulation win by the Montreal Canadiens or a regulation loss from the Blue Jackets is all that’s needed for Columbus to be officially eliminated from playoff contention, it wouldn’t be a surprise if either player is shut down for the season with only a week left to play and nothing to play for.

Merzlikins remains out with the undisclosed injury that kept him out of Thursday’s 3-2 win over the Buffalo Sabres. With Columbus also playing the Capitals on Sunday, it’s likely that Daniil Tarasov and Jet Greaves will start the two games at this point in time.

Merzlikins has struggled significantly this season despite how close they were to making the playoffs, as he had a 26-21-5 record, an .892 save percentage, one shutout, and -2.52 goals saved above expected.

Christiansen sustained his upper-body injury during the Blue Jackets’ 3-2 win on Thursday. It was just his second game back from a previous upper-body injury, although it’s not yet confirmed whether or not it’s the same injury.

Christianen has put up career high totals this season, largely due to the fact that it’s his first season as an NHL regular. He’s managed to play 68 games this season, and has 1 goal and 7 assists for 8 points.

As of right now, it’s not confirmed as to who will replace Christiansen on the bottom pair alongside Erik Gudbranson. Damon Severson, Jack Johnson and Jordan Harris were all listed as scratches for Thursday’s game, so they’re all possibilities to draw into the lineup for Saturday.

The Blue Jackets currently sit in fourth in the Metropolitan Division with a 36-33-9 record, although they are still six points behind the Canadiens for the final wild card spot in the Eastern Conference with just four games left in the season. Columbus will look to keep their season alive when they host the Capitals on Saturday at 12:30 p.m. EST.