One of the two Blue Jackets playing in Milan has already seen his Olympic hockey tournament come to an end. Elvis Merzlikins and team Latvia were eliminated on Tuesday, losing a 5-1 decision to team Sweden.
It wasn't all bad, however. Latvia was always going to be a long shot in these Olympics. They are a small country who came in with an underdog mentality. But, they were ultimately outmatched by nearly every team they faced.
The schedule did them no favors, either. Latvia opened the tournament against team USA, who is one of the favorites to win the entire tournament.
The Americans dominated this game, winning 5-1. Elvis got the start, and I honestly thought he played well, despite some shaky early minutes.
Latvia was able to get into the first intermission tied 1-1, which was a little bit surprising. A lot of that was due to the goaltending they got from Merzlikins. After giving up an early goal, he made several big saves and continued to battle right into the horn.
The second period saw the game open up, with team USA dominating puck posession and peppering Elvis with several high quality scoring chances. By the end of 40, Latvia was down 4-1.
But, that was not the fault of their goaltender. At that point, Elvis had already faced an entire game's worth of those, making 28 saves in the process.
So, it wasn't surprising when the third period puck dropped with Arturs Silovs taking over for the Latvians. At that point, the game was well decided, and it didn't make sense to drive one of their goaltenders into the ground.
Elvis would get the next two games off, with Silovs taking over the crease. That was due at least in part to the Latvians upsetting heavily favored team Germany on Saturday, taking a 4-3 win.
They also played well on Sunday, though ultimately condeding a 4-2 loss to team Denmark. That spelled the end of the qualifying round, leaving them with a matchup against Sweden in the quarterfinals.
The Latvians turned back to Merzlikins winner-take-all game against the Swedes, and again I thought he did his country very proud.
Despite losing this game 5-1, once again I thought he played really well. This was always going to be a really difficult game for Latvia to keep pace in, but he gave them a chance. In his second and final start of the tournament, Elvis made 23 saves.
Tremendous glove save there by Elvis Merzlikins, as Elias Pettersson is alone in front but the #CBJ goalie stays with him and snags the backhand try. Keeps Latvia in it, but it's a big hill to climb at 4-1 in the third.
— Jeff Svoboda (@JacketsInsider) February 17, 2026
In all, he stopped 51 out of 60 shots for the Latvians, against two of the very best teams in the world. The simple fact here is, he was thrown to two packs of hungry wolves, and did everything he could to help his team win.
I'll stand by it: Elvis is back.
The most encouraging takeaway from Elvis Merzlikins in this tournament, is the smile I noticed on his face. He didn't let his emotions take over, and continued to battle throughout his time on the ice.
Hopefully, he comes back refreshed and confident for the stretch run towards the NHL playoffs. The Blue Jackets need him to be on his game if they are going to make a serious push.
If the Olympics are any indication, they should be in good hands. Elvis definitely looks to be regaining that long-lost confidence.