The Vancouver Canucks have one of the best goaltending depths in the league. After injuries derailed Thatcher Demko, Kevin Lankinen stepped up, had a great season, and proved he belongs on the team.
The Canucks acquired Lankinen after he spent two years with the Nashville Predators. Before that, he was with the Chicago Blackhawks.
Since signing on with the Canucks, the goaltender’s career has quickly become successful. Lankinen was one of the two goaltenders on rotation while Demko was out and he quickly became their go-to goalie. Lankinen became the first goalie in NHL history to win his first ten road games. The previous record of nine was shared by Glenn Hall and Cam Talbot
Just this year, Lankinen’s number of career shutouts has been truly outstanding. On January 11, Vancouver took on the Toronto Maple Leafs. They were successful, coming out with a 3-0 win, boosting their confidence after four straight losses.
The team was delayed in arriving in Toronto due to bad weather. Even with a few hours of rest, they still showed up and played one of their best games. Lankinen had his fourth career shutout on Saturday, blocking 20 shots. This became the first shutout against Toronto in Vancouver’s history.
Lankinen has had shutouts this season against the Florida Panthers, Boston Bruins, Philadelphia Flyers, and now the Toronto Maple Leafs. He has a record of 16 wins, seven losses, six overtime games, and four shutouts. Including a .906 save percentage, 2.51 goals against in 29 games played.
Lankinen had a great defensive team in front of the net to help lessen Toronto’s chances of getting a goal. Vancouver’s penalty kill, which has been inconsistent this year, was outstanding. Lankinen brought the team to a 1-1-2 record for this current road trip, with only one game left.
“A lot of heart. Listen, the last couple of years, this is a resilient group. Takes a lot of punches, and it gets back up. This is one of those times where we got back up.” Head Coach Rick Tocchet told post game media following the game against Toronto.
Lankinen’s hockey career began in Finland, where he played 106 games in five seasons. He played in the 2015 HIFK playoffs, where he had 58 saves in a four-overtime win.
During the 2018-2019 season, Lankinen reported to the Rockford’s, the Blackhawks AHL team. That same year, he was 7-8-4, .910 save percentage and 2.50 goals against.
Lankinen played for Finland in the 2019 IIHF World Championship. He went 7-1 with a 1.50 goals against and a .943 save percentage. He also added two shutouts throughout the eight games played. He has seven shutouts throughout his five seasons in the league. He has played in 141 games, with 61 wins. He made his debut on January 19th, 2021 when he made 25 saves, in an overtime 5-4 loss.
Lankinen made his debut in the NHL in January of 2021, in an overtime loss. His first win was three days later against the Detroit Red Wings, where had 30 saves in a 4-1 win. A month later, against the Red Wings, he recorded his first league shutout and 29 saves. He had his first assist on Philipp Kurashev’s second-period goal.
At the end of his rookie season, Lankinen had 17 wins. Making him second among the NHL rookies and most by a Blackhawks rookie.
Vancouver travels to Winnipeg Jets for a game on Tuesday, January 14th. This will be the last game on this current road trip before they head back to Rogers Arena.
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