Vancouver Canucks goalie Lankinen welcomes potential challenge of back-to-back starts
The Vancouver Canucks have asked a lot of Kevin Lankinen so far this season, but their toughest demands may still be on the horizon.
The Canucks face off against the Calgary Flames tonight in what’s their biggest game of the season so far. Both teams are fighting for the second wild card spot in the Western Conference, and getting a win would go a long way in the playoff race.
The Flames will likely start superstar rookie Dustin Wolf in net. For the Canucks, the choice isn’t quite as easy. They gave the Lankinen the start last night and with Thatcher Demko injured, their only other option is Arturs Silovs.
While Silovs had a good playoffs last season, he’s got a 1-6-1 record, a 3.85 goals-against-average, and a .858 save percentage this year. Those numbers are scary, and it will be hard for head coach Rick Tocchet to trust Silovs in the biggest game of the year.
The only other option is to turn back to Lankinen and start him on consecutive nights. While that’s unusual in the NHL and asking a lot from the Finnish netminder, it seems like the Canucks best option.
“Of course,” said Lankinen when asked if he’d be comfortable playing two nights in a row. “My mindset is always [to] prepare as well as you can, no matter what’s next. I’m just going to do my routine and if I get the nod, I’m ready to go.”
Tocchet refused to commit to a starting goalie for tonight’s game after last night’s contest, saying he needed to confer with goalie coach Marko Torenius and Lankinen. However, it seems likely he’ll float the idea to Lankinen. If he does, the goalie seems ready to go.
“I’ve played a lot of international tournaments and high-stake games and gone back to back, so I don’t see why it would be an issue,” Lankinen said.
The 29-year-old has been amazing for the Canucks this season and earned himself a new contract with his strong play.
No matter their goalie, the Canucks will be looking for a better result than they earned last night when they lost 4-2 to the Montreal Canadiens.
Captain Quinn Hughes is travelling with the team, and there is a “good possibility” that he could play, according to head coach Rick Tocchet. Hughes’ return would be a massive boost for this team at a crucial time.