Lankinen entered yesterday's 4-3 win over the Seattle Kraken in relief of Thatcher Demko (back), saving 13 of 15 shots (.867 SV%). He will return to the crease on Friday against the Nashville Predators, his former club. The 29-year-old Lankinen has a 2.60 GAA and .907 SV% in 25 games this season (15-6-4). The Canucks enter Friday's contest as +154 home underdogs against a Predators club amid a three-game losing skid.
Head coach Rick Tocchet said that Demko had "some back spasms, so I dont think it's serious." Tocchet added that it "could be a day or two" but back spasms are unpredictable. The Canucks have another game on Friday, so expect a goalie to be recalled from the AHL to backup Kevin Lankinen.
Brisebois will make his season debut on Thursday as Erik Brannstrom draws out of the lineup. Brisebois has not played an NHL game since the 2022-23 season, when he logged one goal and two assist across 17 games.
The Canucks have lost five of their last six and will turn to Demko between the pipes for their first game of 2025. Demko struggled in his most recent outing, allowing five goals on 29 shots (.828 SV%) in a 5-4 loss to the Seattle Kraken. He has a 3.43 GAA and .879 SV% in six games this season (2-1-3). The Canucks enter Thursday's contest as slight +107 road underdogs in a rematch against the Kraken.
The Canucks have lost five of their last six and will turn to Demko between the pipes for their first game of 2025. Demko struggled in his most recent outing, allowing five goals on 29 shots (.828 SV%) in a 5-4 loss to the Seattle Kraken. He has a 3.43 GAA and .879 SV% in six games this season (2-1-3). The Canucks enter Thursday's contest as slight +107 road underdogs in a rematch against the Kraken.
The Senators will turn to Merilainen between the pipes for the fourth time in their last five games. The 22-year-old netminder was outstanding in his previous outing, saving 30 of 31 shots (.968 SV%) in a 3-1 win over the Minnesota Wild. He has a 2.68 GAA and .900 SV% in three games this season (2-1-0). The Senators enter Thursday's contest as +158 road underdogs against a Dallas Stars club outscoring their opposition 9-3 during a two-game winning streak.
The Senators will likely turn to Merilainen between the pipes for the fourth time in their last five games. The 22-year-old netminder was outstanding in his previous outing, saving 30 of 31 shots (.968 SV%) in a 3-1 win over the Minnesota Wild. He has a 2.68 GAA and .900 SV% in three games this season (2-1-0). The Senators enter Thursday's contest as +158 road underdogs against a Dallas Stars club outscoring their opposition 9-3 during a two-game winning streak.
Lankinen has only played two of the last seven games for the Canucks but will return to the crease on Tuesday against the Calgary Flames. The 29-year-old Lankinen has a respectable 2.61 GAA and .907 SV% in 23 games (14-5-4) but has allowed seven goals on the last 42 shots he's faced (.833 SV%) across two games (0-1-1). The Canucks enter Tuesday's contest as +118 road underdogs against a Flames club coming off a 3-0 loss to the Vegas Golden Knights.
Sasson made his NHL debut earlier this season, scoring five points (1G / 4A) in 12 games. The undrafted 24-year-old, a product of Western Michigan University, has nine points (4G / 5A) in 16 games with the Abbotsford Canucks (AHL) this season.
Brisebois has three points (1G / 2A) in 27 career NHL games but has exclusively played in the AHL the previous two seasons. The 27-year-old defenseman has one point (1G / 0A) in 23 games with the Abbotsford Canucks (AHL) this season.
Ottawa has recalled goalies Mads Sogaard and Leevi Meilainen from the Belleville Senators (AHL), which is likely a sign that Linus Ullmark's injury will keep him out of the lineup. Ullmark suffered an upper-body injury in the team's final game before the holiday break, exiting the contest after one period.
Demko will make his fifth start of the season when the Canucks host the Sharks on Monday. Demko turned in a solid performance his last time out, allowing three goals on 31 shots in a 3-2 overtime defeat in Utah on Wednesday. The 29-year-old netminder has posted a 1-1-2 record and an .887 SV% since returning from injury on December 10th. He draws a great matchup tonight as the Canucks enter action at -260 on the money line.
