Kevin Lankinen cant buy a win...
Kevin Lankinen is a Finnish professional ice hockey goaltender for the Chicago Blackhawks of the National Hockey League.
This is his 2nd year with the Hawks. Last year, he played a majority of the games for the hawks. Malcom Subban split the time with him for the most part and other minor leaguers got in a couple of games too.
His record wasn't awful as he went 17-14 with a 3.01 goals against, and a .909 save percentage. He also had 2 shutouts. Those numbers are OK, but they aren't NHL starting goalie numbers that will solidify the starting position next year.
The Chicago Blackhawks also wanted better. They signed Vezina winner Marc Andre Fleury to a one year 7mil contract. Fans were happy as it seemed the organization was serious about getting back to winning. The Hawks haven't been, lets be serious, involved with the second season since the last cup run in 2015. They did make the playoffs 3 times since 2015, but have lost all 3 in the first round. The shuffling of players in and out of the organization definitely takes its toll.
So with Fleury in net, the hawks have a bonafide Champion, Vezina winner, and for sure Hall of Famer. The Hawks fans have known that with great goaltending, comes great opportunities. Legendary and timeless Chicago goalie names like Corey Crawford ( hate em or not hes got two cups), Ed Belfour, Murray Bannerman, the late Tony Esposito, or even Mr Goalie, Glenn Hall, all of these names are still reminiscent in Chicago.
The purpose of a backup goalie is to give the team depth at that position. If the starting goaltender gets hurt, he goes straight into the game, often cold and not warmed up. This takes nerves of steel and often the backups are the unsung hero of a team. They also provide some time off for the starter. I am sure most NHL goalie want to start as many games as possible, but come playoff time, the rest and time off is a big help. Good teams can even produce wins with a good backup. Often this is a good indicator of a solid, playoff bound team, or not.
So, back to Levin Lankinen. As a former goalie, one can see how hard he plays each game. Grit and determination are big factors in how a NHL goalie plays. Outwilling the shooters will to score. He does not lack in this area. However, his 2-5-4 record shows he struggles to get the win. His 3.41 goals against and .899 save percentage shed some light. The goals against ranks 81st. ( ouch). The save percentage 81st (ouch again). The biggest difference is the last number in his record. The 4 shootout or OT losses. These hurt. Sure, you have gotten your team the extra point, getting them to OT. However, the other point is obviously lost.
He has lost OT games to New Jersey (via highlight reel goal by Nico Hischier), he also lost to Toronto and Dallas as well. His last OT loss was to Minnesota. This was a tough loss as the Wild had pulled the goalie to tie it up, to win it eventually in OT. If you had watched that game, you would have easily come to the conclusion that Lankinen played maybe his best game of the season. He looked sharp from the drop of the puck, he looked ready to compete and get the win. The night before the Wild routed the Hawks in the United Center 5-1, chasing Fleury. He was quick, sharp and made multiple difficult saves. He was saving the deflections and smothering the rebounds.
Unfortunately, a 4 min double minor to Toews late in the 3rd smelled like trouble, and it was. The Wild tied it up and then won it in OT. They are THE best team in the league with the 'goalie pulled to tie' scenario.
Lankinen did his best to give his team a chance to win. But in OT, he cant buy a win. The Hawks need to dig in deeper in the late stages of the 3rd. It often seems like they are out of gas late in the game. A solid 60 minutes has been rare, and pretty much sums up why they are outside looking in. There has to be a better team effort. Lankinen also needs to stop the stoppable pucks. Teams understand when a goalie gives up a terrible goal, vs an impossible deflection or rebound. Playing like he did in Minnesota, will give his team confidence, and that could be all the team needs to play a full 60.
