Leevi Merilainen Keeps Stealing Points for a Losing Canucks Team, and Kevin Lankinen's Crease Is Slipping Away

Leevi Merilainen made 36 saves on 39 shots in Vancouver's 3-2 overtime loss to the Florida Panthers on Thursday, and for the second straight start he was the only reason the Canucks left the building with a chance. Brady Tkachuk needed a natural hat trick, including a tying goal with 13 seconds left in regulation and the winner at 2:23 of overtime, to beat him.

The loss stretched Vancouver's skid to six games (0-5-1), but the goaltending conversation has quietly flipped. Merilainen, claimed off waivers from Ottawa in late September, has outplayed incumbent Kevin Lankinen by a wide margin, and with Thatcher Demko still on injured reserve, the waiver claim is becoming the de facto starter for a team that badly needs one.

How Merilainen Took Over the Conversation

Merilainen's last three appearances tell the story. He faced heavy volume each time and kept a struggling team within a goal.

In New Jersey, all three goals that beat him came on Devils power plays, and Lankinen was charged with the game-winner after taking over. Against the Islanders, Merilainen stopped 35 of 38 in what Vancouver outlets called his best performance with the club, losing only on Kyle Palmieri's second goal through a screen early in the third. In Florida, he held the Panthers to one goal until the final 13 seconds.

Lankinen's numbers sit at the other end of the spectrum. Reporting from The Hockey News and Yardbarker had him with a sub-.800 save percentage through his first five appearances, with a four-game losing run in which Vancouver allowed 20 goals. Merilainen, by contrast, was at .929 through his first four appearances before his two most recent starts pushed his workload up without dragging the percentage down.

Why the Canucks Are in This Spot

Demko remains on injured reserve as he recovers from hip surgery performed last season. Co-president Henrik Sedin said in late September that the club hopes to have its No. 1 back before Christmas, while stressing there is no firm timeline and that Demko would not be ready early in the season. Injury trackers list an estimated return around Dec. 21, but that is an estimate, not a team announcement.

That left Vancouver with Lankinen and a goalie it grabbed with its top waiver priority. Merilainen arrived with a volatile résumé: a strong 2024-25 in Ottawa followed by a difficult 2025-26 in a limited role. Vancouver bet on the earlier version, and so far the bet is paying off.

Head coach Manny Malhotra has not formally named a starter, and some local coverage has cautioned against declaring Merilainen the new No. 1 after a handful of games. The usage says otherwise. He started Tuesday in Long Island and again Thursday in Florida, which is how coaches treat the goalie they trust.

Fantasy Fallout

Leevi Merilainen is the add in 12-team leagues and deeper. Vancouver is losing, which caps his win upside for now, but leagues that score saves and save percentage reward exactly the profile he is showing: high volume, steady stopping, close games. In points formats, 35-plus saves a night with a .920-range rate is a usable floor even in losses.

Kevin Lankinen is droppable in shallow leagues. He is still on the roster and will start some back-to-backs, but the trend line points to a backup role until Demko returns.

Thatcher Demko remains a stash only in leagues with deep IR slots. The before-Christmas target is a hope, not a schedule.

The Vancouver skater picture matters too. The Canucks have scored two goals in each of their last two games, which is the real cap on Merilainen's win totals. Liam Ohgren and defenseman Elias Pettersson scored Thursday, and Brock Boeser and Max Sasson scored Tuesday. Until the offense finds another gear, treat Merilainen as a ratio and saves asset rather than a wins source.

The DFS and Betting Angle

Volume is the selling point. Merilainen has faced 38 and 39 shots in his last two starts, and in DFS formats that reward saves, a goalie facing that kind of pressure at a modest salary can outscore pricier options even in a loss. The risk is obvious: a team that is 0-5-1 in its last six offers little win bonus, and a bad bounce on that volume can turn ugly.

For bettors, the read is about how markets price Vancouver. A team on a six-game slide tends to get faded, but the Canucks have been in one-goal games behind Merilainen. When he is confirmed, Vancouver plus the puck line and opponent team-total unders are worth a look, depending on the price. When Lankinen is in net, the opposite logic applies. That is why the confirmation matters: Daily Faceoff's starting goalies page lists the Canucks' expected starter each day, and it is the first stop before placing anything on a Vancouver game. Verdexed's full model card for every game lives at /nhl/predictions.

What's Next

Vancouver closes its six-game road trip Saturday afternoon in Tampa Bay (1 p.m. PT), then returns home to face Carolina on Tuesday, Oct. 20, to open a three-game homestand. Merilainen started Thursday, so a Lankinen start in Tampa would not be a shock, and it would be an important test. Another rough outing from the veteran would likely hand Merilainen the bulk of the starts during the homestand.

The checkpoint for fantasy managers is Saturday morning. If Merilainen gets the Lightning, Vancouver is effectively telling you who its starter is. If Lankinen gets it, watch how he handles a Tampa Bay team that has won four straight at home. Either way, Merilainen should already be rostered in most competitive leagues before Tuesday's game against the Hurricanes.