Vancouver Canucks goaltender Kevin Lankinen has maintained an impressive form this season. On Sunday against the Detroit Red Wings, he once again stood tall for his team.
The 29-year-old Finnish star has established himself as one of the top goaltenders of this season following a move from the Nashville Predators. In the game against the Red Wings, he made 27 saves and helped his team get over the finish line by a score of 5-4 in overtime. This win saw him create a unique piece of history.
This victory turned out to be his 12th win of the season in 17 starts. The historic feat here is that Lankinen is now the first goaltender to start the season 10-0-0 on the road. In his 10 appearances on the road, he has yet to drop a game.
Before him, the longest road win streak to start a season belonged to Cam Talbot and Glenn Hall . Both of these goaltenders won their first nine games on the road. Talbot matched the record set by Hall in the 1965-66 season with the Chicago Blackhawks last year with the Los Angeles Kings.
After the game, Lankinen received huge praise from his teammate Jake DeBrusk, who scored an overtime winner to complete his hat trick. The left winger claimed that the goaltender has stepped right in for the team and called him a “stud“.
I mean I’ve been lucky, I’ve been playing with some pretty good goaltenders my whole career and he’s stepped right in and really done the job for us and more obviously…he’s been a stud for us.
Jake DeBrusk on Kevin Lankinen as per Sportsnet
After the American duo of Connor Hellebucyk and Jake Oettinger , Lankinen now has the third most wins this season. With this victory, he now has a 12-3-2 record.
Canucks HC Rick Tocchet comments on Kevin Lankinen scripting history
When the Vancouver Canucks landed Kevin Lankinen by a trade from the Nashville Predators, several fans wondered how this move would work out. So far, the move has been successful for the Canadian side as Lankinen continues to impress in the 2024-25 season. After clinching a historic 10th successive road win to start the season, he was hailed as a “road warrior” by his head coach Rick Tocchet.
Coach Tocchet once again seemed happy with the performance of his goalie. In the press conference after the game, the 60-year-old joked that maybe Lankinen liked his “hotel points” and thus performs well on the road.
He’s a road warrior. You got to think he likes his hotel points. But no, he’s been like that all year. He just lives for the moment, another good effort from tonight.
Rick Tocchet said on Kevin Lankinen in post-game press conference
The Canucks will end their six-game road trip on Tuesday after they take on the Minnesota Wild. After that, they will have a six-game homestand where they will be hoping to further improve their standings in the 2024-25 season.
