Chicago Blackhawks: Kevin Lankinen put up insane shutout numbers
The Chicago Blackhawks went into the year thinking they were going to be one of the worst teams in the National Hockey League. Without Corey Crawford or Robin Lehner in the mix, it was clear that they needed someone new to step up. It got worse when Malcolm Subban and Collin Delia started the season 0-3-1 while giving up five goals in every game. Before we knew it, Kevin Lankinen had a shot and ran with it. Now, we are months into the season and he has led this team into a playoff race and is looking good.
Kevin Lankinen is putting up insane numbers for the Chicago Blackhawks.
On Thursday night, the Hawks needed to put together another big win. They were coming off a big win at home to end a losing streak on the road. Keeping it going was very important. The Florida Panthers are one of the best teams in the league so taking two in a row from them would be huge for their confidence.
Kevin Lankinen put the team on his back. He shutout the Panthers by making 41 saves on 41 shots in the contest. That is the most saves an NHL goalie has made in a shutout so far this season. It is also the 3rd most in a shutout by any Blackhawks’ goalie since 1979. There is no doubt that this was an incredible performance by Lankinen and the Hawks desperately needed it.
He struggled a little bit on their road trip but the team was dreadful in front of him too. The whole team was bad but they are starting to dig out of it. They are now sitting three points clear of the Columbus Blue Jackets for that final playoff spot in the Central Division. More importantly, they are seven points clear of the Dallas Stars who are a better team on paper than both and have four games in hand because of early-season COVID-19 issues.
One last note that is worth mentioning was Patrick Kane’s game to help Lankinen record his shutout. He is truly having a special season. He had one goal and one assist in the contest for his 12th multi-point game of the season. He now has more multi-point games this season (12) than games with a single point (11).
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We know he will be in the Hart Trophy conversation but when you dive deep, he is really having a magical season. His success along with Lankinen’s are the biggest factors towards the Blackhawks being a good team this year. Hopefully, they are able to continue.