Elvis Merzlikins lasted just 5:48 last night in Montreal. He surrendered 3 goals on 4 shots, as the Canadiens poured it on early and often.
To spark his team, head coach Pascal Vincent replaced Merzlikins with Daniil Tarasov - who promptly came in and shut the Habs down. Tarasov stopped all 19 shots he faced the rest of the way, keeping this game from getting really ugly.
For the first time, I'm starting to wonder if the Blue Jackets do in fact have the right goalie to drag them out of this rebuild. Are we seeing the emergence of the Daniil Tarasov that we've been waiting for?
I'm hopeful. But at the same time, still not fully convinced. Let's dive into some numbers.