This NHL season hasn’t exactly gone as planned for Vancouver Canucks goaltender Kevin Lankinen. At 30, Lankinen’s record stands at 8-25-5 in 38 starts, leading the league in regulation losses. Despite battling a shaky defense, his save percentage of .877 ranks 10th-worst among goalies who’ve played at least ten games.
Yet, Thursday night brought a unique milestone for Lankinen. While it might not erase the sting of the season, it’s certainly a noteworthy achievement.
Lankinen has now become the top active NHL goalie for stopping the most Alex Ovechkin shots without conceding a goal. In four career starts against the Washington Capitals, he’s denied all 16 of Ovechkin’s attempts.
Previously, this record was held by Vitek Vanacek, who had managed to keep Ovechkin at bay until Thursday. Ovechkin, the legendary scorer, found the net early in the second period against Vanacek, marking his 924th regular-season goal. He didn’t stop there, adding another goal less than seven minutes later.
Ovechkin capped off the night with an empty-netter in the third period, securing the 34th hat trick of his career. This performance moved him past Brett Hull, claiming fourth place on the all-time hat trick list, trailing only Wayne Gretzky, Mario Lemieux, and Mike Bossy.
With these goals, Vanacek became the 188th goalie Ovechkin has scored on in his storied 21-year career. There are still 32 goalies Ovechkin hasn’t beaten, including 12 active netminders.
Lankinen’s encounters with the Capitals have mostly been favorable. In his four starts against them, three with the Canucks, he boasts a 2-0-1 record. This includes a standout home win on January 21, where he stopped 29 of 32 shots in a 4-3 victory at Rogers Arena.
His top performance against Washington came last season, turning away 32 of 33 shots in a 2-1 win, with Ovechkin firing seven shots his way. Overall, Lankinen holds a 3-0-1 record against the Capitals, sporting an impressive .930 save percentage.