Canucks' Kevin Lankinen: Leaves game with muscle strain
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Lankinen suffered an undisclosed muscle strain that forced him to exit Wednesday's game versus the Golden Knights, Thomas Drance of The Athletic reports.
Lankinen stopped 19 of 20 shots prior to his exit, and he won't end up with a result from the contest, as the scored was tied at 1-1. Nikita Tolopilo took over in goal for the Canucks. Lankinen ends 2024-25 with a 25-15-10 record, a 2.62 GAA, a .902 save percentage and four shutouts over 51 appearances. If the injury is significant, or even moderate, Lankinen may not be an option for Finland at the 2025 IIHF World Championship.
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Canucks' Kevin Lankinen: Set to face Vegas
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Lankinen is expected to start at home against Vegas on Wednesday, per Brendan Batchelor of Sportsnet 650.
Lankinen has lost five of his past six appearances (1-2-3) while allowing 21 goals on 178 shots (.882 save percentage). He's 25-15-10 with a 2.64 GAA and a .901 save percentage across 50 outings in 2024-25. Vegas is tied for fifth in the NHL in goals per game with 3.33, but the Golden Knights will probably rest some players as they prepare for the playoffs.
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Canucks' Kevin Lankinen: Can't hold on versus Wild
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Lankinen stopped 30 of 33 shots in Saturday's 3-2 overtime loss to the Wild.
The Canucks made the most of their chances early, building a 2-0 lead through two periods. Lankinen couldn't make it stick, giving up third-period tallies to Brock Faber and Marcus Foligno before Mats Zuccarello completed the Wild's comeback in overtime. Lankinen has five losses in his last six games, going 1-2-3 with 21 goals allowed. The 29-year-old is at 25-15-10 with a 2.64 GAA and a .901 save percentage through 50 appearances. Lankinen proved his value by stabilizing the crease when Thatcher Demko was out of action early in the season, but Lankinen's 10 overtime and shootout losses show just how much was left on the table this year. The Canucks host the Sharks on Monday and the Golden Knights on Wednesday to close out 2024-25.
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Canucks' Kevin Lankinen: Slated to face Minnesota
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Lankinen is set to start at home against Minnesota on Saturday, CanucksArmy reports.
Lankinen has a 25-15-9 record, 2.63 GAA and .901 save percentage in 49 appearances in 2024-25. He stopped 31 of 32 shots en route to a 4-1 win over Colorado in his last start Thursday. With Thatcher Demko (illness) unavailable, Nikita Tolopilo will be Lankinen's backup. Minnesota ranks 26th in goals per game with 2.74.
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Canucks' Kevin Lankinen: Strong showing against Avalanche
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Lankinen stopped 31 of 32 shots in Thursday's 4-1 win over the Avalanche.
Lankinen didn't have to deal with Nathan MacKinnon (undisclosed), which ended up making the Avalanche a much easier opponent. This was Lankinen's second win in his last seven outings, and the first time in five games he's allowed fewer than three goals. He's now at a 25-15-9 record with a 2.63 GAA and a .901 save percentage over 49 appearances. The Canucks are out of playoff contention, so Lankinen could see an uptick in playing time if the team decides not to risk Thatcher Demko's health over the last three games.
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Canucks' Kevin Lankinen: Patrolling crease versus Avs
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Lankinen will guard the cage on the road against Colorado on Thursday, Jeff Paterson of CanucksArmy.com reports.
Lankinen has appeared in just two of the Canucks' last eight contests and has lost four straight games, during which he's posted a 4.19 GAA. With the Canucks eliminated from playoff contention, the team will likely split the last four games between Lankinen and Thatcher Demko. Assuming that's the case, Lankinen's next outing will likely be against the Sharks at home Monday.
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Canucks' Kevin Lankinen: Comes up short Sunday
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Lankinen allowed three goals on 35 shots in Sunday's 3-2 loss to the Golden Knights.
This was a game the Canucks needed to win, but Lankinen couldn't get the job done, taking his fifth loss in six outings instead. He's 1-3-2 with 21 goals allowed in that span. For the season, Lankinen is down to 24-15-9 with a 2.67 GAA and an .899 save percentage over 48 appearances. The Canucks are likely to ride with Thatcher Demko for Tuesday's tough matchup in Dallas. Any combination of more than two points lost by the Canucks or gained by the Wild will eliminate Vancouver from the playoff race.
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Canucks' Kevin Lankinen: Starter for Sunday
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Lankinen will guard the home crease versus Vegas on Sunday, per Thomas Drance of The Athletic.
Lankinen gave up six goals on 38 shots in a 7-6 shootout loss to Columbus last Friday, as Thatcher Demko has regained his status as Vancouver's top netminder. The 29-year-old Lankinen is 24-14-9 with four shutouts, a 2.66 GAA and an .899 save percentage across 47 appearances this season. Vegas ranks sixth in the NHL with 3.35 per game this campaign.
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Canucks' Kevin Lankinen: Poor outing Friday
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Lankinen stopped 32 of 38 shots in Friday's 7-6 shootout loss to the Blue Jackets.
Lankinen returned to the net after not featuring in the previous two games, and he had a night to forget, although neither team played well defensively in this contest. The 29-year-old netminder is not ending the season on the best note. He's dropped his last three outings, going 0-1-2 with a 4.54 GAA and a woeful .821 save percentage over that stretch.
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Canucks' Kevin Lankinen: Facing Blue Jackets
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Lankinen will patrol the visiting crease in Columbus on Friday, according to Rick Dhaliwal of CHEK.
Lankinen will make his first start in almost a week as he has been dealing with a hip issue. He struggled in his last start Saturday against the Rangers, giving up four goals on 11 shots in a 5-3 loss. Lankinen is 24-14-8 with four shutouts, a 2.59 GAA and a .901 save percentage. He has been the No. 1 goaltender with the Canucks most of the season, but with the return of Thatcher Demko, Lankinen should be considered the backup netminder. The Blue Jackets are averaging 3.14 goals per game, 12th in the league this season.
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Canucks' Kevin Lankinen: Struggles in Saturday's loss
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Lankinen stopped seven of 11 shots in a 5-3 defeat against the Rangers on Saturday. The fifth goal was an empty-netter.
Lankinen allowed three goals on six shots in a disastrous third period. He finished the game with an ugly .636 save percentage. Lankinen has lost five of his last seven outings to drop to 24-14-8 with a 2.59 GAA and a .901 save percentage through 46 appearances this season.
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Canucks' Kevin Lankinen: Starting in New York
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Lankinen will guard the road net Saturday against the Rangers, Brendan Batchelor of Sportsnet 650 reports.
Lankinen will make his fourth straight start after going 1-1-1 with an .890 save percentage in his previous three outings. Overall, the 29-year-old netminder is 24-13-8 this season with a .903 save percentage and a 2.56 GAA.
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Canucks' Kevin Lankinen: Allows four tallies
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Lankinen stopped 25 of 29 shots on net in Thursday's 4-3 overtime loss to the Blues.
Lankinen tended a clean first 35 minutes of Thursday's contest before the Blues scored three goals in the remaining two periods, including two in 24 seconds. Overall, the 29-year-old netminder holds a 24-13-8 record with a 2.56 GAA and a .903 save percentage. Since the start of March, Lankinen has been a bit below league average with a 4-4-1 record and an .885 save percentage across nine starts. With Thatcher Demko still sidelined with a lower-body injury, Lankinen's frequent appearances between the pipes for Vancouver have fantasy value amid a tight race for a Western Conference wild-card spot. His next opportunity to defend the crease is Saturday against the Rangers.
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Canucks' Kevin Lankinen: Expected to start Thursday
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Lankinen is set to start on the road against St. Louis on Thursday.
Lankinen stopped 20 of 22 shots in a 6-2 victory over Winnipeg on Tuesday. He's 24-13-7 with a 2.53 GAA and a .904 save percentage in 44 appearances in 2024-25. The Blues rank 18th in goals per game with 2.93. There will be a little added pressure on Lankinen to perform because Thatcher Demko is set to return from a lower-body injury Thursday. Demko will be the understudy in that tilt, but he might significantly eat into Lankinen's time down the stretch, especially if Lankinen struggles.
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Canucks' Kevin Lankinen: Secures win over Jets
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Lankinen stopped 19 of 21 shots in Tuesday's 6-2 win over the Jets.
The Canucks led 3-1 after one period, and that was enough for Lankinen to get the win. The 29-year-old had lost three of his previous four outings, though he hasn't faced more than 26 shots in his last five games. For the season, the Finnish netminder improved to 24-13-7 with a 2.53 GAA and a .904 save percentage over 44 appearances. The Canucks begin a six-game road trip in St. Louis on Thursday, and with no back-to-backs during their upcoming travels, Lankinen could end up seeing a heavy workload.
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Canucks' Kevin Lankinen: Takes loss against Utah
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Lankinen surrendered two goals on 22 shots in Sunday's 3-1 loss to Utah. The third goal was an empty-netter.
The Canucks had an opportunity to get some separation in the race for the second wild-card spot, but instead, they allowed Utah to tighten the pack. Lankinen didn't play poorly, but the scoring support just wasn't there in the second half of a back-to-back. This dropped Lankinen to 4-5-0 over nine games since the 4 Nations Face-Off, and he's now at 23-13-7 with a 2.54 GAA and a .904 save percentage through 43 outings this season. The Canucks' homestand ends with a challenging game Tuesday versus the Jets, which will likely be another turn in the crease for Lankinen.
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Canucks' Kevin Lankinen: Slated to start
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Lankinen is expected to protect the home net against Utah on Sunday, Jeff Paterson of CanucksArmy.com reports.
Lankinen will get the second half of Vancouver's back-to-back after Arturs Silovs played in Saturday's 6-2 win over Chicago. The 29-year-old Lankinen has a 23-12-7 record with four shutouts, a 2.55 GAA and a .904 save percentage across 42 appearances this campaign. Utah sits 22nd in the league with 2.82 goals per game in 2024-25.
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Canucks' Kevin Lankinen: Holds firm to earn shootout win
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Lankinen stopped 20 of 23 shots in Wednesday's 4-3 shootout win over the Flames.
Lankinen gave up a pair of goals to Jonathan Huberdeau in the second period, which put the Canucks behind. Elias Pettersson tied the game in the third, and Lankinen held firm, including stopping three of four attempts in the shootout, to secure the win in a game between two teams battling for a playoff spot. The 29-year-old netminder is 3-3-0 after starting six straight games to begin March, and he's allowed three or more goals in four of those contests. For the season, Lankinen sports a 23-12-7 record with a 2.55 GAA and a .904 save percentage through 42 appearances. The Canucks have another back-to-back up next, as they host the Blackhawks on Saturday and Utah on Sunday. It's unclear at this time if Arturs Silovs will be considered to start either of those games.
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Canucks' Kevin Lankinen: In goal again Wednesday
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Lankinen will protect the road goal versus the Flames on Wednesday, Brendan Batchelor of Sportsnet 650 reports.
Lankinen took a second consecutive loss in Tuesday's 4-2 defeat against the Canadiens. However, the Canucks are trying to keep pace in the playoff race, and Lankinen gives them a better chance to win than Arturs Silovs. The 29-year-old Lankinen is 3-4-0 with a 2.59 GAA and a .901 save percentage over his last seven outings, and he has a favorable matchup against the Flames' pedestrian offense.
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Canucks' Kevin Lankinen: Second straight defeat
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Lankinen stopped 23 of 26 shots in Tuesday's 4-2 loss to the Canadiens. The fourth goal came on an empty-netter with 17 seconds left in the game.
Lankinen was beaten twice in the first period and once more in the second, and now he's dropped three of his last five starts, posting a 2.85 GAA and an .884 save percentage in that stretch. The Canucks play again Wednesday at Calgary, so Lankinen could get the night off in the second leg of a back-to-back set. If that's the case, then Arturs Silovs would likely defend the Canucks' crease.
