It was Merilainen’s second win in as many days; he recorded his first NHL shutout in a 5-0 win against the Pittsburgh Penguins on Saturday.
“It’s just work,” Merilainen said. “It’s my work. It’s my job; I have to do this. I’m just happy to be here.”
The 22-year-old goalie has won three of four starts in the absence of No. 1 goalie Linus Ullmark, who left a 3-1 loss to the Edmonton Oilers with a back injury on Dec. 22 and is week to week.
“[He’s] really calm,” Ottawa forward Tim Stutzle said of Merilainen. “Gives us confidence when he’s back there. Obviously he made some huge saves, I think, against Pittsburgh too—some huge saves where he [couldn’t] see the puck. He’s been playing great for us, so…