Kevin Lankinen’s Hot Start: How the netminder is setting the tone for the Canucks

Kevin Lankinen may have struggled through one horrific start this season, but that shouldn’t define what has otherwise been a hot streak for the Vancouver Canucks goaltender. He’s still got a 0.911 save percentage, a 2.46 GAA, a shutout, and eight quality starts, ao it’s safe to say Lankinen remains one of the better netminders in hockey as far as stats go. 

So far, Lankinen has started and played in 11 games, and that one blemish on what has been an outstanding season so far qualified as his only ‘really bad start.’ That said, Lankinen has set the tone not only as a potential solution as the team’s 1B once Thatcher Demko is ready to suit up, but Lankinen’s also showing us that if Demko continues to struggle with injuries, he’s got the team covered. 

This is big, considering how well the Canucks have played this season, a continuation of what we saw from last year. As one of the top-scoring teams in hockey so far, poor goaltending is something that they could get away with at times, but having someone like Lankinen in the net means they don’t need to score so often just to keep everything afloat. 

Kevin Lankinen has shown the Canucks are deep at goaltender

In the NHL, a lot of teams can get away with having a pure starting goaltender and a pure backup, but having a 1A and a 1B provides insurance. That’s been the case so far in British Columbia as Lankinen, someone who is best suited for the latter 1B role, would put the team in a much better spot than what Casey DeSmith and Arturs Silovs did last season when injuries ultimately disturbed Demko’s campaign late. 

Now, some of you may believe that the seven goals Lankinen allowed vs. the Edmonton Oilers on November 9th foreshadowed what kind of player he really is, but his bounce-back effort vs. the Calgary Flames showed us otherwise. 

Even the best goaltenders have had more than just off-nights, but entire stretches of pedestrian play, and Lankinen is no different. But, considering the way he played the Flames just two nights ago as if his meltdown vs. Edmonton never happened should reinforce faith that he’s going to remain consistent in the net. 

That ability to bounce back from one bad game can also work wonders for team morale, as every skater in the Canucks locker room can now deduce that Lankinen’s one bad game doesn’t look like a sign of what’s to come. Overall, this is a netminder who has and will continue to provide insurance for his skaters, especially since they’re doing their jobs and limiting opponents to just 27.6 shots per game when he’s in the net.