Injury-plagued Vancouver Canucks continue to struggle with consistency

Nashville Predators Steven Stamkos, not seen scores on Vancouver Canucks goaltender Kevin Lankinen (32) as Vincent Desharnais (73) defends and Nashville's Filip Forsberg (9) watches during the second period of an NHL hockey game in Vancouver, on Friday, Jan. 3, 2025. (Ethan Cairns / The Canadian Press)

A heavy workload isn't fazing Vancouver Canucks goalie Kevin Lankinen.

The Finnish netminder logged more than 94 minutes of ice time over two days as his team continues to deal with a rash of injuries.

"I felt great," he said of playing in back-to-back games on Thursday and Friday. "Obviously, as a goalie, usually the more you play, the better you feel."

Signed as a free agent after the Canucks had already started training camp, Lankinen has become a steady presence amid an unsettled Canucks roster this season.

He started the campaign sharing the crease with rookie Arturs Silovs as all-star goalie Thatcher Demko worked his way back from a knee injury.

The six-foot-two, 190-pound netminder has a 15-7-4 record with a .908 save percentage, a 2.54 goals-against average and three shutouts over the campaign.

Demko returned on Dec. 10 and split duties with Lankinen until Thursday, when the American left midway through a game against the Kraken in Seattle. Lankinen stepped in and made 13 stops in a 5-4 shootout win for the Canucks.

“I feel good. I feel confident," Lankinen said after stopping 16 of the 17 shots he faced in Vancouver's 3-0 loss to the Nashville Predators on Friday. "Obviously, thankful for the opportunity here to play some games and help the team. I’m ready to do whatever it takes to help the team win.

"And there's been a lot of preparation going into this season, not just in the summer, but the years before. So I'm just happy to get an opportunity to showcase what I’ve got.”

Lankinen has given the Canucks a chance every night, said winger Kiefer Sherwood. It's on the rest of the team to step up and help offensively, he added.

"Obviously, we're dealing with a little bit of adversity right now, but I do believe that it'll make us tougher and a better team in the long term," Sherwood said.

Vancouver was once again without Demko, star centre Elias Pettersson (undisclosed), captain Quinn Hughes (undisclosed) and top-pairing defenceman Filip Hronek (lower-body) on Friday.

The absences were noticeable in some key moments in the loss to Nashville, said Canucks head coach Rick Tocchet.

"Just couldn't get that big goal. I would have liked to see a better 6-on-5, some decision making, power play," he said. "You need those moments. But, we’re missing some key guys in those moments.”

Earlier in the day, the club placed Pettersson on the injured-reserve list, retroactive to Dec. 23.

The 26-year-old Swede scored twice in Vancouver's 4-3 win over the San Jose Sharks that night, then left in the third period with an undisclosed ailment. He has not played since.

Pettersson has 10 goals and 18 assists in 34 appearances this season and is tied with winger Jake DeBrusk for third on the team in points.

Hughes has missed Vancouver's last four games and Demko has played just seven games all season.

The Canucks have dealt with extended absences throughout the campaign, with centre J.T. Miller missing 10 games due to personal reasons and sniper Brock Boeser being sidelined for seven with a concussion.

Holes in the lineup have translated into spotty play. The Canucks have not won back-to-back games since Dec. 1 and finished Friday a single point above the playoff bar in the Western Conference with an 18-12-8 record.

Asked after Friday's game whether is group is waiting for its stars to return and save the day, Tocchet said he hopes not.

"Everybody's trying," he said.

Other players are filling the voids, said Canucks defenceman Vincent Desharnais, who logged a team-high 22 minutes and 11 seconds of ice time on Friday.

“We're battling. We're a resilient group," he said. "Obviously it's not the results that we want, but I think there's a lot of positive from it. But we just got to find a way.”

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Jan. 3, 2025.