Lankinen made 25 saves in Friday's 5-1 win over Chicago.
The 28-year-old netminder won his first game since March 21 and saw his shutout bid slip away late in the second period on a Philipp Kurashev power-play tally. Lankinen's 2.83 GAA and .908 save percentage on the season are solid enough for a backup, and with the Predators locked into a wild-card spot in the Western Conference, he could get the start in at least one of the team's final two regular-season games as Nashville tries to get Juuse Saros some rest ahead of the playoffs.
... See More... See Less
Predators' Kevin Lankinen: Gets starting nod
Rotowire
Lankinen will patrol the road crease versus the Blackhawks on Friday, Predators Radio Host Max Herz reports.
Lankinen has been decent as the Predators' No. 2 option in 2023-24, going 10-6-0 while posting a 2.93 GAA and a .905 save percentage through 22 appearances. He'll try to pick up a road win in a favorable matchup with a Chicago team that's gone 16-19-4 at home this season.
... See More... See Less
Predators' Kevin Lankinen: Solid in narrow loss
Rotowire
Lankinen allowed a goal on 29 shots in Saturday's 2-0 loss to the Islanders. The second goal was an empty-netter.
Lankinen put in a good effort, but he didn't get the necessary goal support to win a tight game. He's gone winless over his last three outings despite allowing only seven goals on 81 shots over that span. The 28-year-old is at 10-6-0 on the season with a 2.93 GAA and a .905 save percentage through 22 appearances. Juuse Saros is likely to start Sunday's road game versus the Devils.
... See More... See Less
Predators' Kevin Lankinen: Set to face Islanders
Rotowire
Lankinen was the first goaltender off the ice at the morning skate, according to Stefen Rosner of NHL.com, indicating he will guard the road net Saturday versus the Islanders.
Lankinen surrendered six goals on 41 shots in a 7-4 loss to Colorado last Saturday. In 21 appearances this season, he has a 10-5-0 record with a 3.03 GAA and a .902 save percentage. The Islanders rank 23rd in the league this campaign with 2.96 goals per contest.
... See More... See Less
Predators' Kevin Lankinen: Solid not good enough
Rotowire
Lankinen made 35 saves Saturday in a 7-4 loss to Colorado. He allowed six goals.
The Preds came out hard and fast, and the Avs did not. The squad forced Avs starter Alexandar Georgiev out of the game just 57 seconds into the second, and Lankinen looked incredibly confident. However, the Avs then scored the final five goals of the game. Lankinen is usually solid but doesn't get a lot of playing time behind Juuse Saros, who dominates the crease. That said, Lankinen may get another game or two before the end of the season to allow Nashville to rest Saros for Cup action.
... See More... See Less
Predators' Kevin Lankinen: Starting in Colorado
Rotowire
Lankinen will guard the road goal Saturday versus the Avalanche, according to Zach Gilchriest of the Predators' official site.
Lankinen has won each of his past four starts, stopping 118 of 124 shots during that span. In 20 appearances this campaign, he has earned a 10-4-0 record with a 2.85 GAA and a .906 save percentage. Colorado ranks first in the league this season with 3.70 goals per contest.
... See More... See Less
Predators' Kevin Lankinen: Solid in relief outing
Rotowire
Lankinen stopped all 11 shots he faced in relief of Juuse Saros in Thursday's 8-4 loss to the Coyotes.
Lankinen played the third period, and the two goals the Coyotes scored in that frame went into an empty net. The 28-year-old Lankinen won't end up with the loss from this contest -- he's won his last four decisions. He's at 10-4-0 with a 2.85 GAA and a .906 save percentage through 20 appearances this season. Those rate stats are right in line with what Saros has done, albeit Saros has played significantly more. Still, Lankinen has been a capable backup when called upon, though it's unclear how much he'll play with the Predators trying to keep pace in the playoff race.
... See More... See Less
Predators' Kevin Lankinen: Blanks Florida
Rotowire
Lankinen made 33 saves in a 3-0 shutout victory over the Panthers on Thursday.
Lankinen was excellent Thursday against a potent Florida offense, earning a fourth straight win while recording his first shutout since the 2020-21 season. The 28-year-old Lankinen improves to 14-10-4 with a .904 save percentage and 2.90 GAA while backing up Juuse Saros this year. The Preds will look to extend their point streak to 17 when they host the Red Wings on Saturday.
... See More... See Less
Predators' Kevin Lankinen: Sharp in win over Jackets
Rotowire
Lankinen made 32 saves in Saturday's 2-1 win over Columbus.
Alexandre Texier flipped home a rebound early in the second period, but otherwise, Lankinen had an answer for everything the Blue Jackets fired at him. The 28-year-old backup netminder has won three straight starts dating back to Feb. 20, allowing six goals on 90 shots (.933 save percentage) over that stretch to make sure the red-hot Predators don't have a letdown when Juuse Saros isn't between the pipes.
... See More... See Less
Predators' Kevin Lankinen: In goal Saturday
Rotowire
Lankinen will guard the road net Saturday against Columbus, Mark Scheig of The Hockey Writers reports.
Lankinen will make his first start since Feb. 25, with the Predators playing the first of back-to-back road games. The 28-year-old Lankinen won his previous two outings, allowing five goals on 57 shots in that span. Overall, he's 8-4-0 with an .892 save percentage and 3.23 GAA while backing up Juuse Saros this season.
... See More... See Less
Predators' Kevin Lankinen: Holds on for win
Rotowire
Lankinen stopped 29 of 31 shots in Sunday's 4-2 win over the Ducks.
The Ducks put in a good effort, but Lankinen was up to the challenge to earn his second win in as many starts. The 28-year-old allowed fewer than three goals for the first time in six appearances. He's now at 8-4-0 with a 3.23 GAA and an .892 save percentage over 17 appearances this season. Juuse Saros remains the Predators' starting goalie, while Lankinen's performance hasn't been strong enough to warrant anything more than a backup role.
... See More... See Less
Predators' Kevin Lankinen: Guarding cage Sunday
Rotowire
Lankinen will get the starting nod for Sunday's game in Anaheim.
Lankinen's last appearance was a 23-save victory over Vegas on Feb. 20. That marked his first win since Jan. 12. Lankinen has appeared in just six games since the start of January, going 3-1-0 despite registering an .866 save percentage during that span. The 28-year-old is 7-4-0 with a lackluster 3.33 GAA and .888 save percentage this season.
... See More... See Less
Predators' Kevin Lankinen: Making spot start
Rotowire
Lankinen will protect the road goal versus the Golden Knights on Tuesday, Jesse Granger of The Athletic reports.
This is Lankinen's first start since Jan. 27, though he made a relief appearance versus the Stars last Thursday. The 28-year-old has struggled in limited action this season, going 6-4-0 with a 3.35 GAA and an .889 save percentage over 15 appearances. The Golden Knights have scored a modest 16 goals over their last six games and are on the second half of a back-to-back.
... See More... See Less
Predators' Kevin Lankinen: Sunk by Oilers
Rotowire
Lankinen stopped 17 of 20 shots in Saturday's 4-1 loss to Edmonton.
The Predators didn't even get onto the board until the third period, giving Lankinen little help in general, and two of the three pucks that beat him came on Oiler power plays. It was the 28-year-old netminder's first loss since Dec. 9, but it was only his fourth start since then. On the season Lankinen sports a 6-4-0 record with a 3.11 GAA and .895 save percentage as Juuse Saros' backup.
... See More... See Less
Predators' Kevin Lankinen: Guarding crease Saturday
Rotowire
Lankinen will guard the road net Saturday against Edmonton, per Zach Gilchriest of the Predators' official site.
Lankinen has stopped 45 of 51 shots in two wins over Dallas in his past two outings. Across 13 appearances this season, he has provided a 6-3-0 record with a 3.12 GAA and an .898 save percentage. The red-hot Oilers rank fourth in the league with 3.50 goals per contest this campaign.
... See More... See Less
Predators' Kevin Lankinen: Defeats Stars again
Rotowire
Lankinen stopped 19 of 22 shots in Friday's 6-3 win over the Stars.
Lankinen has won his last two outings, both against the Stars, though he allowed three goals in each of those contests. The 28-year-old improved to 6-3-0 with a 3.12 GAA and an .898 save percentage through 13 appearances this season. Juuse Saros has struggled lately, but he remains the No. 1 in Nashville, leaving Lankinen to handle spot starts and backup duties.
... See More... See Less
Predators' Kevin Lankinen: Picks up win in 100th game
Rotowire
Lankinen stopped 26 of 29 shots in Saturday's 4-3 win over the Stars.
Lankinen started for the first time since Dec. 15, though he also made a pair of relief appearances in that span. This was his 100th game, and while he couldn't protect a two-goal lead in the second period, he was able to make the Predators' advantage stand in the third. The 28-year-old is up to 5-3-0 with a 3.14 GAA and a .901 save percentage through 12 appearances this season. While Juuse Saros has struggled lately, he's still likely to see most of the starts while Lankinen occupies the backup role.
... See More... See Less
Predators' Kevin Lankinen: Gets starting nod
Rotowire
Lankinen will protect the road goal versus the Stars on Saturday, Zach Gilchriest of the Predators' official site reports.
Lankinen will make his 100th career appearance at the NHL level, though he'll face a tough opponent. He stopped 13 of 14 shots in relief of Juuse Saros on Thursday versus the Flames. Lankinen has a .901 save percentage over 11 appearances this season. The Stars have scored 24 goals over their last six games, going 3-2-1 in that span.
... See More... See Less
Predators' Kevin Lankinen: Decent in relief appearance
Rotowire
Lankinen saved 13 of 14 shots in a relief appearance during Thursday's 6-3 loss to Calgary.
With Nashville already down 5-2, Lankinen replaced Juuse Saros for the third period. Lankinen did alright and wasn't charged with the loss. He has a 4-3-0 record, 3.15 GAA and .901 save percentage in 11 outings this year. Saros has a 4.45 GAA and an .830 save percentage over his last four appearances, so perhaps Nashville will decide to give him some time off by starting Lankinen in Saturday's road contest against Dallas.
... See More... See Less
Predators' Kevin Lankinen: Returns to practice
Rotowire
Lankinen (illness) participated fully in Monday's practice, Nick Kieser of Nashville Hockey Now reports.
Lankinen, who has missed the past three games, should be available for Tuesday's home contest against Chicago. Further to that point, the Predators already returned Yaroslav Askarov to AHL Milwaukee on Sunday. The 28-year-old Lankinen has posted a 4-3-0 record this season with a 3.16 GAA and a .900 save percentage through 10 games played.
