Elvis Merzlikins says fan taunted him over death of Matiss Kivlenieks Monday night
Taunting opponents in sports is certainly nothing new, especially when it comes to hometown fans giving it to the visitors. But, there is a line, and it seems that line was crossed on Monday night in a game between the Columbus Blue Jackets and Dallas Stars.
Columbus beat the Stars 4-1, but overshadowing the victory is the fact that Blue Jackets' goalie Elvis Merzlikins told reporters following the game that someone in a Dallas sweater taunted him over the death of teammate, fellow goaltender and great friend Matiss Kivlenieks.
"There are some stupid people in this world," Merzlikins said. "That was really bad what happened in the tunnel when I was walking out. There was a fan from Dallas who provoked me about Matiss."
"I was expecting a shutout, because I believe in karma," Merzlikins added. "After the first period, the three posts that I got, I really (firmly) believed in karma. I saw that (Matiss) was really there."
Not only was Kivlenieks a great friend to Merzlikins, but by all accounts saved his life over the summer during his tragic death. It has been reported that Kivlenieks shielded Merzlikins and his wife from getting hit by a stray firework during a party on the Fourth of July.
Before the start of this season, Merzlikins vowed he was going to win the Vezina trophy in honour of his friend and teammate. He's off to a great start so far, going 4-0 with a 1.48 GAA and a .952 save percentage.
| G | A | PTS | ||
| Kyle Connor | 1 | 1 | 2 | |
| Alex Tuch | 1 | 1 | 2 | |
| Owen Power | - | 2 | 2 | |
| Michael Bunting | 1 | - | 1 | |
| Drew Helleson | 1 | - | 1 | |
| Jirí Kulich | 1 | - | 1 | |
| Isac Lundestrom | 1 | - | 1 | |
| Vladislav Namestnikov | 1 | - | 1 | |
| Nino Niederreiter | 1 | - | 1 | |
| Gabriel Vilardi | 1 | - | 1 | |
| Jason Zucker | 1 | - | 1 | |
| Leo Carlsson | - | 1 | 1 | |
| Nikolaj Ehlers | - | 1 | 1 | |
| Ross Johnston | - | 1 | 1 | |
| Evgeni Malkin | - | 1 | 1 | |
| Josh Morrissey | - | 1 | 1 | |
| Cole Perfetti | - | 1 | 1 | |
| Bryan Rust | - | 1 | 1 | |
| Mark Scheifele | - | 1 | 1 | |
| Trevor Zegras | - | 1 | 1 | |
| Complete stats | ||||
| STANDINGS 2024-2025 | ||||||
TOP 10 | GP | W | L | OL | PTS | |
Jets | 20 | 17 | 3 | - | 34 | |
Wild | 19 | 13 | 3 | 3 | 29 | |
Hurricanes | 19 | 14 | 5 | - | 28 | |
Devils | 22 | 13 | 7 | 2 | 28 | |
Capitals | 19 | 13 | 5 | 1 | 27 | |
Golden Knights | 20 | 12 | 6 | 2 | 26 | |
Maple Leafs | 20 | 12 | 6 | 2 | 26 | |
Rangers | 18 | 12 | 5 | 1 | 25 | |
Panthers | 20 | 12 | 7 | 1 | 25 | |
Flames | 20 | 11 | 6 | 3 | 25 | |
| Conference | Cumulative | ||||||