error TS2531: Object is possibly 'null' when using | operator (strictNullChecks are off)

I'm getting errors compiling after an update to 2.2.1.
The tsconfig.json file does not specify strictNullChecks, and the problem persists even when strictNullChecks are explicitly set to false.

**TypeScript Version:**  2.2.1

**Code**

```ts
console.log( 3 | null);
```

**Expected behavior:**
Successful compilation 
**Actual behavior:**
error TS2531: Object is possibly 'null'