With Vancouver on a back-to-back, Kevin Lankinen will start on Sunday as the Canucks host Vegas. The 31-year-old has had a horrendous start to his 2026-27 season despite his 1-1-0 record, evident by his 8.66 GAA and .789 SV%. He will look to bounce back on Sunday vs. a tough matchup in Vegas, who is 1-1-0 and averaging 4.0 goals per game.
Lankinen struggled in Vancouver's season opener, allowing five goals on 37 shots (.865 SV%), but got plenty of help in an eventual 6-5 overtime win over the Edmonton Oilers. The Canucks will likely need Lankinen to be more stoic between the pipes on Thursday in a rematch against the Oilers. Expectations are low for the Canucks this season, but Lankinen will hope to improve on last season's ugly 3.70 GAA and .876 SV% in 47 outings (11-27-5). The Canucks enter the action as +187 home underdogs.
Lankinen struggled in Vancouver's season opener, allowing five goals on 37 shots (.865 SV%), but got plenty of help in an eventual 6-5 overtime win over the Edmonton Oilers. The Canucks will likely need Lankinen to be more stoic between the pipes on Thursday in a rematch against the Oilers. Expectations are low for the Canucks this season, but Lankinen will hope to improve on last season's ugly 3.70 GAA and .876 SV% in 47 outings (11-27-5). The Canucks enter the action as +187 home underdogs.
With Thatcher Demko starting the season on injured reserve, Kevin Lankinen is expected to occupy Vancouver's opening night crease in Edmonton on Tuesday. The 31-year-old is entering his seventh NHL season after a dreadful 2025-26 campaign where he posted a 11-27-5 record, with a 3.70 GAA and.875 SV%. He will head to Edmonton to take on the tough task of the Oilers at home, who posted a 22-14-5 record on home ice last season.
DeBrusk missed practice on Monday but was back on the ice for Tuesday's morning skate and will play in the season opener in Edmonton. DeBrusk will look to pick up where he left off last season, where he had nine goals in his final 13 game.
With Thatcher Demko starting the season on injured reserve, Kevin Lankinen is expected to occupy Vancouver's opening night crease in Edmonton on Tuesday. The 31-year-old is entering his seventh NHL season after a dreadful 2025-26 campaign where he posted a 11-27-5 record, with a 3.70 GAA and.875 SV%. He will head to Edmonton to take on the tough task of the Oilers at home, who posted a 22-14-5 record on home ice last season.
Although DeBrusk missed practice on Monday, Canucks Head Coach Manny Malhotra said he will travel with the team, which is an encouraging sign. The 29-year-old DeBrusk was slated to open the season on Vancouver's top line alongside Elias Pettersson and Jonathan Lekkerimaki.
Demko's 2025-26 season ended in January after a hip injury that required surgery, but he is hopeful to make his 2026-27 debut in December. Demko, who has battled a myriad of injuries in recent seasons, had a 2.90 GAA and .895 SV% in 20 appearances last season (8-10-1). The Canucks begin the 2026-27 season with Kevin Lankinen and Leevi Merilainen as their goaltending tandem.
Chytil left Thursday's game vs. Edmonton with an upper-body injury after an ugly collision with a referee. The 27-year-old missed 70 games in 2025-26 with an upper-body injury, so this update adds to a long list of bad-luck injuries for the forward across his nine-year career. Since joining Vancouver midseason in 2024-25, he has appeared in 27 regular-season games for the Canucks.
Merilainen faces some heavy competition for playing time in Ottawa this season as the team heads into 2026-27 with Linus Ullmark and Sam Ersson both under contract and ahead of him on the depth chart. The 23-year-old Merilainen, a third-round pick of the Senators in the 2020 NHL Entry Draft, struggled in limited NHL action last season, posting a 3.51 GAA and .860 SV5 in 20 appearances (8-10-1).
