Kevin Lankinen’s start to the season has gone from rough to downright alarming, and Tuesday night’s 5-4 loss to the Anaheim Ducks only pushed it further into ugly territory.
The Vancouver Canucks dropped their third straight game, and Lankinen was in the middle of it again. He gave up five goals on 22 shots, finishing with a .773 save percentage in the defeat.
That outing fit the pattern that has followed him for weeks. Lankinen has now allowed five goals in consecutive starts, and he has surrendered at least four goals in each of his last five appearances. The only exception in that stretch was his brief relief outing against the New Jersey Devils on Oct. 10, when he allowed one goal on three shots.
The numbers have turned this into more than a bad slump. After the latest performance, Lankinen now owns the fifth-worst goals-against average in NHL history through a goalie’s first nine games of a season, according to StatsCentre. His 6.03 GAA sits in a grim list that includes Eddie Mio at 7.11 in 1985-86, Frank Brophy at 7.00 in 1919-20, John Garrett at 6.75 in 1984-85, Vincent Tremblay at 6.06 in 1979-80, and Corrado Micalef at 5.96 in 1985-86.
Right now, the seven-year NHL veteran is sitting on a 1-8-0 record, a 6.03 goals-against average, and an .808 save percentage.
Still, Lankinen isn’t carrying the Canucks’ collapse by himself. Vancouver is 3-13-1 to start the season, and the team has won just one of its last 14 games. The play in front of him has been poor, but if the Canucks are going to survive this stretch, they need him to steady himself.
There is at least some recent history that suggests he can do that. Lankinen struggled in 2025-26, going 11-27-5 with a 3.70 goals-against average and an .875 save percentage in 47 games. But he was much better for Vancouver in 2024-25, when he posted a 25-15-10 record, a 2.62 goals-against average, a .902 save percentage, and four shutouts in 51 games.
He also had a .902 save percentage or better from 2022-23 through 2024-25, including a .916 mark in 19 games with the Nashville Predators in 2022-23. That kind of track record is why Vancouver gave him a five-year, $22.5 million extension in February 2025.
So while the start has been brutal, the door is still open for Lankinen to turn it around. The Canucks need it, and they need it soon.
In Other News...
Canucks Prospects Are Building Momentum Fans Will Want To Track
A few Canucks prospects are starting to make themselves harder to ignore in the NCAA, and the latest stretch offered a little bit of everything. Caleb Malhotra chipped in with a goal and an assist, Anthony Romani kept adding to his scoring resume, and Niklas Aaram-Olsen reached two notable firsts of his own as the college season continues to give Vancouver a better read on where these young players are headed.
For a front office and fan base trying to track the next wave, the encouraging part is not just the points but the way these players are handling bigger roles and tougher competition. There is still plenty of development ahead, and the jump to the professional level will bring a different kind of test, but this kind of momentum is exactly what the Canucks want to see as these prospects keep building their cases. [Read more 🡒]
Canucks Prospect Connor Davis Is Chasing A Bigger Role Fast
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The jump from juniors to NCAA hockey has not been a simple one, and Davis has been open about how demanding the transition can be. College hockey brings a different level of physicality, and hes working through that adjustment while trying to play hard without losing the skill that makes him intriguing in the first place. For Vancouver, the appeal is obvious, but the real question is how fast he can turn that raw package into a bigger role before the season gets away from him. [Read more 🡒]
Kings Top-Six Need Could Force A Massive Decision On Core Talent
The Kings are still looking for a way to add more punch to their top six, and that search has a way of pulling the Canucks into the conversation. With Los Angeles trying to solve an offense problem and Vancouver carrying one of the leagues most watched core pieces, the idea of a major trade keeps circling the same names, even if nothing has moved beyond the speculative stage.
Elias Pettersson remains the kind of player who can reshape a roster debate in a hurry, which is exactly why any discussion around him comes with so much caution. Vancouvers side of the equation is complicated by the broader direction of the team and the uncertainty that comes with any blockbuster involving a player of that caliber, while recent changes in management only add another layer to a deal that would be difficult to pull off even if both sides were motivated. [Read more 🡒]