Canucks Kevin Lankinen Looks Strong Against the Flames in Calgary

Some preseason games have a goalie spending most of the night watching the action at the other end of the ice. That was not the case on the night Kevin Lankinen had in Calgary on Tuesday.

The Vancouver Canucks lost 3-1 to the Flames, but that score doesn't really tell the story of what Lankinen was dealing with. Calgary outshot Vancouver 31-10, and for long stretches, the Canucks couldn't get much going. Lankinen, meanwhile, was doing his best impression of a goalie who had decided nobody was getting past him.

Lankinen Kept the Door Shut for a Good, Long Time.

Lankinen stopped the first 19 shots he faced, and that wasn't because Calgary was politely passing the puck around the perimeter. The Flames had a veteran-heavy lineup on the ice, while Vancouver used a much younger group largely fighting for roster spots.

The pressure really arrived in the second period. Calgary put 18 shots on the Canucks net in the frame, and Vancouver had just two. Somehow, the game remained scoreless for most of that period. Lankinen saw plenty of action, but he wasn't just standing there making routine saves.

He made point-blank stops on Martin Pospisil and Ryan Strome and looked sharp tracking the puck through traffic around his crease. That's exactly the sort of work Vancouver will need from him while Thatcher Demko works his way back.

Calgary Finally Scored in a Flurry Late in the Second Period.

Eventually, Calgary broke through with three goals late in the second period. Farabee beat Lankinen on a power-play breakaway. The Coronato and Honzek goals came from the kind of pressure that happens when a young lineup gets overwhelmed, while Lankinen had little chance on the third. Still, he finished with 28 saves on 31 shots.

The funny thing about preseason is that nobody will remember the 3-1 score for long. But the Canucks should remember that their likely Game 1 goalie stood in there and gave them a chance on a night when little was happening in front of him. That's encouraging.

Canucks Fans Have to Hope Lankinen Can Bounce Back from a Tough Last Season.

Lankinen had a difficult season last year, and plenty of pressure is on him to improve while Demko gets healthy. This wasn't a perfect night — three goals got by him. But it was the kind of performance that can give a goalie confidence.

Sometimes the best thing a goalie can do in preseason is remind everybody that he's still there. Lankinen did that in Calgary for his young Canucks team.