Latvian NHLers See Mixed Results: Girgensons Triumphs, Merzlikins struggles
TAMPA, FL - Zemgus Girgensons and the Tampa Bay Lightning secured a decisive 3-0 victory over the Philadelphia Flyers Tuesday night, while Elvis Merzlikins and the Columbus Blue jackets fell to the Washington Capitals 5-1, continuing a rough patch for the Latvian goaltender. The split results highlighted a contrasting evening for the two NHL players from Latvia.
The outcome underscores the varying fortunes of Latvian depiction in the NHL, with Girgensons contributing to a winning effort for a team contending in the Eastern Conference, and merzlikins facing mounting pressure as his team struggles to climb the standings.Both players’ performances are closely followed in Latvia, a nation with a growing passion for hockey, and their success or challenges directly impact the visibility of the sport within the country.
Girgensons logged 16 minutes and 35 seconds of ice time, participating in five power plays and finishing with a neutral efficiency ratio. Rodrigo Abols also featured for the Lightning,playing seven minutes and 35 seconds,registering two power plays,one blocked shot,and winning four of ten faceoffs. brandon Hagel led the Lightning offense with two goals and an assist, supported by Nikita Kucherov’s three assists.Goaltender Andrei Vasilevskiy stopped all 20 shots faced. Tampa Bay now holds third place in the eastern Conference with 28 points in 22 games.Philadelphia sits 11th with 25 points in 21 games,nine points separating the top and bottom of the conference.
Merzlikins,meanwhile,allowed five goals on 31 shots,posting an 83.9% save percentage. This marks the Blue Jackets’ fourth consecutive loss with Merzlikins in net, and extends a recent trend of poor performance – he has conceded 14 goals in his last three games while maintaining an 83.5% save percentage over that span.Denton Mateichuk scored the lone goal for Columbus, while Jacob Vrana scored twice for Washington, with Tom Wilson, John Carlson, and Martin Fehervary each adding a goal. Logan thompson made 23 saves for the Capitals.
Through nine games this season, merzlikins has a 4-5-0 record, a 3.55 goals-against average, and an 89.4% save percentage. The Blue Jackets are 13th in the Eastern Conference with 25 points in 23 games, while the Capitals are seventh with 26 points in 23 games.
