This page may contain affiliate links. If you click a link and sign up, make a deposit, place a wager, or make a trade, we may earn a commission at no additional cost to you.
Canucks' Kevin Lankinen: Expected to start Thursday
Rotowire
Lankinen is expected to start Thursday's home game against the Oilers, Ben Kuzma of Postmedia reports.
Lankinen drew the start during Tuesday's Opening Night matchup in Edmonton, and he allowed five goals on 37 shots during the overtime victory. He's slated to defend the crease once again during Thursday's home opener. Lankinen made 47 regular-season appearances last year, going 11-27-5 with a 3.70 GAA and .875 save percentage.
... See More... See Less
Canucks' Kevin Lankinen: Escapes with win in opener
Rotowire
Lankinen stopped 32 of 37 shots in Tuesday's 6-5 overtime win over the Oilers.
The Oilers were able to put together a third-period push after Lankinen did well in the first two frames. Evan Bouchard was Lankinen's main nemesis, as the Edmonton defenseman had a hat trick and two assists in the high-scoring opener. Lankinen is penciled in as the Canucks' No. 1 goalie, but outings like this one could be pretty common, making him a risky fantasy option in virtually all matchups. The Canucks have a rematch with the Oilers in Vancouver on Thursday.
... See More... See Less
Canucks' Kevin Lankinen: Exits ice first
Rotowire
Lankinen was the first goalie off the ice Tuesday, Thomas Drance of The Athletic reports, indicating he'll be in goal on the road against Edmonton.
Lankinen went 11-27-5 with a career-worst 3.70 GAA in 47 regular-season contests last year. With Thatcher Demko (hip) once again on the shelf, the 31-year-old Lankinen will continue to serve as the No. 1 option in Vancouver while the newly acquired Leevi Merilainen serves as the backup.
... See More... See Less
Canucks' Kevin Lankinen: Stops 25 shots in preseason win
Rotowire
Lankinen stopped 25 of 28 shots in Saturday's 4-3 preseason win over the Kraken.
Lankinen surrendered two goals during the opening eight minutes as Seattle quickly built a 2-0 advantage, but he settled down while Vancouver worked its way back into the contest. Berkly Catton beat him early in the third to put the Kraken back ahead 3-2, though Lankinen shut the door from there while Zeev Buium and Jake DeBrusk scored power-play goals to complete the comeback. The 31-year-old played all 60 minutes and finished with an .893 save percentage in this game. He posted an .875 save percentage in 47 starts in the 2025-26 regular season and is slated to open the 2026-27 season as the No. 1 option between the posts for Vancouver.
... See More... See Less
Canucks' Kevin Lankinen: Slated starter Saturday
Rotowire
Lankinen is expected to start at home against Seattle in Saturday's preseason game, per Canucks play-by-play announcer Brendan Batchelor.
Lankinen turned aside 27 of 30 shots in a 3-1 preseason loss to Calgary on Tuesday. Thatcher Demko (hip) isn't likely to be ready for Opening Night, so Lankinen and Leevi Merilainen will probably be competing for starts at the beginning of the campaign.
... See More... See Less
Canucks' Kevin Lankinen: Loses Tuesday's preseason game
Rotowire
Lankinen stopped 27 of 30 shots en route to a 3-1 preseason loss to Calgary on Tuesday.
Lankinen had an 11-27-5 record, 3.70 GAA and .875 save percentage in 47 regular-season appearances in 2025-26. It will be difficult for him to do much better this campaign as a member of the rebuilding Canucks. However, Lankinen could start 2026-27 as Vancouver's starting goaltender, while Thatcher Demko (hip) continues to recover from surgery.
... See More... See Less
Canucks' Kevin Lankinen: In goal Tuesday
Rotowire
Lankinen will protect the road goal in Tuesday's preseason game versus the Flames, Canucks play-by-play announcer Brendan Batchelor reports.
Lankinen will get his first start of the preseason. The 31-year-old netminder could be in line for No. 1 duties early in the season as Thatcher Demko (hip) continues to recover from his surgery. However, Lankinen has little fantasy appeal as the backstop for a rebuilding club.
... See More... See Less
Canucks' Kevin Lankinen: Could establish more consistency in 2026-27
Rotowire
Lankinen appears to be poised for more consistency during the 2026-27 season after a shaky performance last year, Thomas Drance of The Athletic reports Monday.
Lankinen made 47 regular-season appearances last year -- the second-highest mark of his career -- but went 11-27-5 with a career-worst 3.70 GAA and .875 save percentage. However, he was tending to some personal matters during the 2025-26 campaign, and with Thatcher Demko's (hip) status uncertain ahead of training camp this year, Lankinen could have the opportunity to emerge as part of a timeshare that would presumably allow him more time to rest and generate more consistent success. Lankinen has proven to be capable of performing well over a full season, as he went 25-15-10 with a 2.62 GAA and .902 save percentage across 51 regular-season appearances with Vancouver in the 2024-25 campaign.
... See More... See Less
Canucks' Kevin Lankinen: Ends season with woeful showing
Rotowire
Lankinen stopped 29 of 35 shots in Thursday's 6-1 loss to the Oilers.
It was a disastrous end to the season for Lankinen, who allowed four goals -- including a hat trick to Matt Savoie -- in the first period alone. The 30-year-old netminder ends a disappointing 2025-26 season having won three of his last four starts, but that shouldn't hide the fact that the Canucks were a disaster defensively throughout the campaign. Lankinen went 11-27-5 with a 3.70 GAA and an .875 save percentage across 47 appearances in 2025-26. Both the GAA and save percentage were career-worst marks for the 30-year-old netminder.
... See More... See Less
Canucks' Kevin Lankinen: In goal against Oilers
Rotowire
Lankinen will get the starting nod on the road versus Edmonton on Thursday, Brendan Batchelor of Sportsnet 650 reports.
Despite allowing three or more goals in each of his last three outings, Lankinen finds himself entering the season finale on a three-game winning streak. While the Finnish backstop has had some recent success, it's been a disappointing year overall, as he is sporting a career-worst 3.65 GAA and managed just 11 wins in 46 appearances.
... See More... See Less
Canucks' Kevin Lankinen: Snags overtime win
Rotowire
Lankinen stopped 31 of 34 shots in Tuesday's 4-3 overtime win over the Kings.
Lankinen couldn't protect a pair of one-goal leads during regulation, but he did his part to keep the game from getting out of hand. This was his third straight win, though he has allowed 12 goals on 96 shots in that span. For the season, the 30-year-old goalie is up to 11-26-5 with a 3.65 GAA and an .877 save percentage over 46 appearances. The Canucks' last game is Thursday versus the Oilers, and it's not yet clear if Lankinen will be between the pipes for that one.
... See More... See Less
Canucks' Kevin Lankinen: First off at morning skate
Rotowire
Lankinen is scheduled to guard the home net Tuesday against the Kings, per Brendan Batchelor of Sportsnet 650.
Lankinen is coming off a 29-save effort in a 4-3 shootout win in San Jose on Saturday. The Kings are on the second half of a back-to-back but have scored 19 goals during their current five-game winning streak, though seven of those markers came in a victory over Toronto on April 4. Los Angeles is 20-9-10 on the road this season.
... See More... See Less
Canucks' Kevin Lankinen: Earns shootout win in return
Rotowire
Lankinen stopped 28 of 31 shots in Saturday's 4-3 shootout win over the Sharks.
The Canucks never led in regulation, but Lankinen made sure the game didn't get out of hand. He then stepped up in the shootout, allowing just one goal on five attempts to collect his second win in a row. Lankinen had been out for the last three games due to an illness and an upper-body injury, but he appears to be healthy to finish the season. The 30-year-old netminder has gone 10-26-5 with a 3.67 GAA and an .876 save percentage over 45 appearances. He'll likely cede the crease to Nikita Tolopilo for Sunday's road game in Anaheim, but Lankinen could make another start or two before the season ends.
... See More... See Less
Canucks' Kevin Lankinen: Facing Sharks
Rotowire
Lankinen (upper body) will defend the road net against San Jose on Saturday, per Olivia McDonald of Canucks Insider.
Following a three-game absence, Lankinen will return to the crease. He has a 9-26-5 record during the 2025-26 campaign with a 3.69 GAA and an .875 save percentage through 44 appearances. San Jose is tied for 17th in the league with 3.01 goals per game this season.
... See More... See Less
Canucks' Kevin Lankinen: Still sidelined
Rotowire
Lankinen (upper body) is not suiting up Thursday versus the Kings, per the NHL media site.
Lankinen will be out for a third straight game -- one due to an illness and the last two due to injury. Nikita Tolopilo continues to fill the starting role while Jiri Patera serves as backup. It's unclear if the Canucks will push Lankinen to get back on the ice over the final week of the season.
... See More... See Less
Canucks' Kevin Lankinen: Managing upper-body issue
Rotowire
Lankinen has been ruled out for Tuesday's home game against the Golden Knights due to an upper-body injury, Rick Dhaliwal of CHEK reports.
Lankinen missed Saturday's game against the Mammoth due to an illness, but he's also dealing with an upper-body issue that will sideline him for a second consecutive matchup. It's not yet clear when he'll be able to return, but Jiri Patera will presumably remain with Vancouver for Tuesday's game.
... See More... See Less
Canucks' Kevin Lankinen: Dealing with illness
Rotowire
Lankinen was "under the weather," according to head coach Adam Foote, making the goaltender unavailable to suit up versus the Mammoth on Saturday, Brendan Batchelor of Sportsnet 650 reports.
It's unclear if Lankinen will be ready to go Tuesday versus the Golden Knights, though the Canucks could just opt to shut him down, considering they've already secured the worst record in the league. Jiri Patera received an emergency recall from AHL Abbotsford on Saturday to cover Lankinen's absence.
... See More... See Less
Canucks' Kevin Lankinen: Wins chaotic game
Rotowire
Lankinen stopped 24 of 30 shots in Wednesday's 8-6 win over the Avalanche.
The Canucks were up 6-2 at one point, but Lankinen let in four straight after that. Marcus Pettersson saved the day late, scoring the game-winner at 14:21 of the third period and setting up Brock Boeser for an empty-netter. This ended a stretch of six outings without a win for Lankinen, though it's no surprise that he struggled even in a victory. The 30-year-old netminder is now 9-26-5 with a 3.69 GAA and an .875 save percentage over 44 appearances this season. Nikita Tolopilo is likely to get the nod in Minnesota on Thursday.
... See More... See Less
Canucks' Kevin Lankinen: Tending twine Wednesday
Rotowire
Lankinen will patrol the road crease versus the Avalanche on Wednesday, Canucks Insider reports.
Lankinen has gone six games without securing a win, posting a record of 0-5-0 and a 3.86 GAA over that stretch. Lankinen is poised to have a career-worst season in save percentage (.877) and GAA (3.63). He has earned only eight victories across 43 appearances this season.
... See More... See Less
Canucks' Kevin Lankinen: Tagged with another loss
Rotowire
Lankinen stopped 30 of 33 shots in Monday's 4-2 loss to the Golden Knights. The fourth goal was an empty-netter with 1:10 left in the third period.
Lankinen has gone winless in his last six appearances, going 0-5-0 with a 3.86 GAA and an .873 save percentage on 166 shots against in that stretch. Considering the significant problems the Canucks have had all season defensively, it's hard to trust Lankinen in most formats even if he has a tight grip on the starting role between the Vancouver pipes.
1:34
0:50
0:48
0:48
8:04
1:04
1:06
1:40
10:14
1:14
0:51
0:48
1:16
1:00
0:36
1:19
1:26
1:04
1:14
1:12
