After surprising the Edmonton Oilers in their season-opener, the Canucks have lost five of their last six games, including four straight. Almost nothing is going right. Goalie Kevin Lankinen<\/a>, given another chance to be an NHL starter with Thatcher Demko\u2019s indefinite injury absence, simply isn\u2019t making enough saves to rescue his mistake-prone team.<\/p>\n He was beaten six times on 25 shots by the Rangers, and allowed three goals in four shots during a 7 1\/2-minute span that traversed the second intermission and essentially decided the outcome.<\/p>\n Defenceman Elias Pettersson\u2019s shorthanded goal for Vancouver at 16:56 of the second period briefly tied the game 2-2. Nine minutes later, it was 5-2 for New York. Game over.<\/p>\n Lankinen\u2019s save percentage of .786 through six appearances ranks 35th\u00a0among 36 NHL goalies who have appeared in at least three games so far.<\/p>\n \u201cWe’re still early, but I don’t really look at the numbers to judge my game because there’s so many variables,\u201d Lankinen said. \u201cOf course, we want to win more games. That’s what it’s about. I realize it’s a different kind of year where we’re rebuilding. But at the same time, we need to be better. We need to compete harder and be better \u2014 as a collective and as an individual. Take responsibility for the results and learn and move on.<\/p>\n \u201cI compete every single time to get there and give it all I\u2019ve got. That’s all I can do, and that’s all I’ve been doing so far.\u201d<\/p>\n Asked to assess Lankinen, Canucks coach Manny Malhotra told reporters: \u201cI think it’s kind of the underlying feeling of our group that everybody feels like they’re underperforming. We want to give more, we want to do more. He’s not getting the bounces (and), obviously, we have to do a much better job of defending in front of him and not giving up the quality of chances that we are. But I think, not just for him, that’s the feeling of our group right now: We all want to be able to contribute more.\u201d<\/p>\n DeBrusk and Pettersson scored tying goals for the Canucks after Tye Kartye and then Will Cuylle put the Rangers ahead. Kartye opened the scoring just 27 seconds after the start on a two-on-one that featured a poor read by Vancouver defenceman Zeev Buium<\/a> and a bad rebound from Lankinen.<\/p>\n Buium, a second-year player already re-signed to a $75-million contract extension, has noticeably struggled on this road trip, which resumes Tuesday against the New York Islanders before Vancouver finishes against another couple of Stanley Cup contenders in Florida.<\/p>\n \u201cNot good,\u201d the 20-year-old defenceman said of his game. \u201cI feel like at moments I get into a rhythm and, you know, kind of try to find it. But I have to be a lot better. Some of the plays that I can make, and some of the hesitation that I have out there, you know, it leads to turnovers or (scoring) chances. I\u2019ve just got to look myself in the mirror honestly; I\u2019ve got to be a lot better for these guys. That\u2019s it, really. I have a lot more to give. I’m just not giving enough.\u201d<\/p>\n Hockey fans already know the name, but this is not the blog. From Sportsnet, 32 Thoughts: The Podcast with NHL Insider Elliotte Friedman and Kyle Bukauskas is a weekly deep dive into the biggest news and interviews from the hockey world.<\/p>\n![\"32](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/1791792011_400_32-Thoughts-podcast-Elliotte-Friedman-Kyle-Bukauskas-640x360.jpg\")
32 Thoughts: The Podcast<\/p>\n