The Vancouver Canucks have suffered some tough losses lately, and after allowing 19 goals in his previous five games, there were fears that starting goalie Kevin Lankinen was beginning to fall off the wagon.
That is, until Lankinen posted a 32-save shutout against the Boston Bruins in TD Garden on Tuesday night, helping the Canucks earn their second win a row under difficult circumstances. Vancouver had to play without Quinn Hughes for most of Saturday's 4-3 win over the Ottawa Senators, and on Tuesday, the Bruins out-shot the Canucks 32-15. Bruins stars Brad Marchand and David Pastrnak combined to rattle off nine of those 32 shots, but Lankinen stood tall.
Canucks need Kevin Lankinen to continue playing well
The disparity of wins and losses in Lankinen starts is quite fascinating, if you like numbers. When Lankinen starts for the Canucks and posts a save percentage below .900, the Canucks are just 2-3-1. When Lankinen starts for the Canucks and posts a save percentage above .900, the Canucks are 8-0-1. The only loss was a 3-2 shootout loss to the Philadelphia Flyers, who were playing their first game of the season, on Oct. 11. Lankinen made 29 saves on 31 shots in that affair, not including three saves on five attempts in the skills competition.
Is there a coincidence the Canucks have won most of the games where their starting goalie plays well? It's unlikely, as this is the case for most teams. But it is important to note that when Lankinen does play well, he gives the Canucks a golden opportunity to win every single night.
In that regard, it is not exactly a surprise to see that Thatcher Demko won 35 of his 51 starts last season, posting a 2.45 GAA, a .918 save percentage, and five shutouts last year. If Demko can at least be 75% of what he was last year and establish a sufficient rotation with Lankinen, the Canucks have many more wins in their future this season.