Elvis Merzlikins is seeing beach balls right now.

The Columbus Blue Jackets netminder recorded yet another shutout on Friday against the Detroit Red Wings. The Latvian rookie has now notched five shutouts over his last eight games, going undefeated in that stretch with a sparkling .967 save percentage and a 1.00 goals-against average.

Merzlikins became the sixth goalie since 1929-30 - when forward passing was first permitted in all three zones - to record five shutouts over an eight-game span, according to NHL Public Relations.

Merzlikins is now one of just two rookies to accomplish the feat since 1929-30, joining Brimsek.

Boucher, Belfour, Durnan, and Brimsek all produced their historic runs in significantly lower-scoring eras.

*Entering Friday

Merzlikins has vaulted the Blue Jackets into third place in the Metropolitan Division, and he could begin to garner serious Vezina and Calder trophy consideration.

He leads all goalies in both shutouts (five) and save percentage (.930).

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The Toronto Maple Leafs secured a 5-4 win at home against the Anaheim Ducks on Friday, but head coach Sheldon Keefe isn't doing any cartwheels.

"Zero excitement," Keefe said postgame, according to TSN's Kristen Shilton. "Concern is a stretch. Disappointed. We need to get on our toes and get our swagger and confidence."

The Leafs appeared well on their way to securing a straightforward win. Leading 3-1 in the third period, they surrendered a trio of late goals and were forced to go to overtime, where captain John Tavares scored the game-winner with six seconds remaining to end a two-game losing streak.

Toronto blew a similar lead on home ice against the Florida Panthers on Monday, losing 5-3 after conceding four goals in the third frame.

Goaltender Jack Campbell, who was acquired via trade Wednesday, made his Leafs debut and allowed four goals on 30 shots.

"I got caught watching the guys making plays. I was just in awe. It's incredible, so I'm just glad I'm in the blue and white right now," Campbell said after securing his first win with his new club, according to Shilton.

The Leafs were without forward William Nylander, who missed out due to illness. He won't travel to Montreal with his teammates Friday for their game Saturday against the Canadiens, but he may join them in the morning if he's feeling better, Shilton adds.

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The Toronto Maple Leafs recalled defenseman Timothy Liljegren from the AHL and placed fellow defender Cody Ceci on injured reserve with an ankle injury, the team announced Friday.

Ceci was injured Wednesday against the New York Rangers and will be re-evaluated in one month. Toronto is also without top-pairing blue-liner Morgan Rielly, who's on IR due to a broken foot suffered in January.

Liljegren made his NHL debut last month but was sent back to the Toronto Marlies shortly after. In the minors this season, the 20-year-old has recorded 29 points in 38 games.

Toronto will be in action twice this weekend, squaring off against the Anaheim Ducks and the Montreal Canadiens on back-to-back nights.

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We went just 2-2 on Thursday but finished the night strong and will aim to carry that momentum into this weekend's slate.

There are 21 games scheduled over the next three days, which is more than enough to satisfy all your wildest betting desires.

GOATs and scapegoats

The Nashville Predators were our best bet on Thursday, but it's tough to single out one GOAT from their win, as Roman Josi, Mikael Granlund, and Kyle Turris all played starring roles. Instead, we'll go with Carolina Hurricanes forward Andrei Svechnikov, who came through in a big way with a three-point night (two goals) to help beat the Arizona Coyotes. Keep doing your thing, Andrei.

As for our scapegoat, well ... you know what's not great for a first-period under?

What a miserable way to lose a bet. Thanks for nothing, Buffalo.

Weekend bets

Friday: Dallas Stars -1.5 (+140)

The Minnesota Wild have lost nine of their last 11 road games on no rest, and seven of those came by two goals or more. The Stars have won five of their last six over the Wild in Dallas, and each of those wins came by at least two goals. Back the Stars to get a comfortable victory on Friday.

Saturday: Nashville Predators

We're going back to the well here with the Predators, who've caught fire and are simply playing better hockey right now than the Edmonton Oilers are. Nashville has won six of its last seven road games and seven of its last eight matchups in Edmonton. Back the Preds to make it eight of nine on Saturday.

Saturday: Colorado Avalanche

Tread carefully because I'm lower on the Columbus Blue Jackets than most. They will play Friday night as well, and although they've won four straight games on no rest, their opponents in those matchups were all among the league's bottom teams. Let's see them do it against one of the NHL's best clubs in the Avalanche, who can probably be wagered at a very short price here given the recent form of both sides.

Best bet

Sunday: Chicago Blackhawks

Sunday's game at Bell MTS Place will be massive for the Chicago Blackhawks and the Winnipeg Jets, who are both chasing a wild-card spot and are separated by one point in the standings as of Friday.

The Blackhawks' rise has largely been due to their terrific play away from home, as they've won eight of their last 10 on the road. The Jets, meanwhile, have struggled mightily on home ice, losing nine of their last 11 at MTS place.

This will be the second game in as many nights for the Jets, who've also struggled in back-to-backs, losing six of their last nine on no rest. Chicago won't have played since being robbed of a win by the referees on Thursday, which means they'll be rested and chomping at the bit to avenge that overtime loss.

Trend of the night

The Boston Bruins have lost four straight against the Detroit Red Wings, including three in a row at Little Caesars Arena.

With only a four-game sample size, this is hardly the most overwhelming trend, but it's still remarkable how much the Bruins have struggled against the lowly Wings of late. This game will be the second leg of a back-to-back for Boston as well. There's certainly a case to be made for wagering on Detroit at around +200.

Alex Moretto is a sports betting writer for theScore. A journalism graduate from Guelph-Humber University, he has worked in sports media for over a decade. He will bet on anything from the Super Bowl to amateur soccer, is too impatient for futures, and will never trust a kicker. Find him on Twitter @alexjmoretto.

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Newly acquired netminder Jack Campbell will make his Toronto Maple Leafs debut Friday versus the Anaheim Ducks, he confirmed to TSN's Kristen Shilton.

Meanwhile, starter Frederik Andersen is unavailable for both of Toronto's games this weekend as he battles a neck injury that has him listed as day-to-day, head coach Sheldon Keefe said, per Shilton.

Depending on how his debut goes, Campbell could start Saturday in Montreal as well, Keefe added.

The Maple Leafs acquired Campbell and winger Kyle Clifford from the Los Angeles Kings on Wednesday in exchange for forward Trevor Moore and a pair of third-round draft picks.

Campbell was brought in to reinforce Toronto's backup position, which has been a glaring hole for the club. The 28-year-old posted an 8-10-2 record with the Kings this season along with a .900 save percentage and a 2.85 goals-against average.

The Maple Leafs enter Friday's tilt with the Ducks having lost two in a row, and sit one point back of the Florida Panthers for third spot in the Atlantic Division with one extra game played.

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Geoff Ward publicly criticized his Calgary Flames after they fell 3-2 to the Nashville Predators on Thursday night.

The bench boss implied his squad has lost its identity after it failed to register a shot on goal for the first 12 minutes of the third period and ultimately lost a third straight game.

“I think we’ve got to find it,” he told reporters postgame. “I thought we had it for a while. We’ve got to find it again. We tried to be a scoring team last year. You saw what happened during playoff time. We’ve got to check in now and make sure we get back to our identity because we’re not there now. Collectively, we have to be better, we have to be more desperate, we have to compete harder, and we have to understand what our identity is and we have to start playing to it.”

Thursday's defeat was the Flames' first game without Mark Giordano - who's week-to-week with a hamstring injury - but Ward didn't use the captain's absence as an excuse.

“This isn’t something that just happened tonight (Thursday night),” Ward said.

“We’ve played stretches where we’ve been good. But, consistently, these are the things at playoff time that you have to pay attention to all of the time," he added. "You guys tell me. Look at teams that go on long playoff runs. What stands out about them? We have a decision to make as a team - are we prepared to do it? Because if we keep doing what we’re doing, we’re going to get more of the same. That’s the bottom line.”

Though Calgary currently occupies the second Western Conference wild-card spot, the team has only managed two wins in its last eight contests, both coming by way of shootout.

This is the Flames' first three-game losing streak since Ward took the reins in late November. Calgary reeled off a seven-game win streak to begin his tenure, with the first victory coming two days before Bill Peters resigned.

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