Kevin Lankinen returned to the United Center on Wednesday for the first time since signing with Nashville over the summer, and he immediately smiled when asked what it’s like to be back in Chicago.
“I went through some emotions yesterday,” Lankinen said. “I have some great memories from here. My first win, first shutout, first game. Such great people here, too. I’ll forever be thankful for the organization for giving me the opportunity to fulfill my childhood dream. It’s fun to be back and seeing all the familiar faces.”
Lankinen isn’t expected to start against his former team, but he is having a strong season for the Predators. He has three wins in seven starts, but his .925 save percentage is among the league’s best and he has saved 4.9 goals saved above expected, per Money Puck, which is pretty ridiculous for a goaltender with only eight appearances.
Lankinen said he tweaked a few things since leaving the Blackhawks, which has helped him take his game to the next level.
“We added a couple things with how you move and how, when there’s an attack, you read plays and move on your mobility to make sure you don’t lock down on shooters,” Lankinen said. “Always have the mobility to move if there’s a lateral pass or a rebound. A couple other tweaks, as well, but not going to tell about it.”
Lankinen’s best performance of the season came on Dec. 2 in a 4-1 win over the New York Islanders. He stopped a career-high 48 of 49 shots and saved 3.02 goals saved above expected, according to Natural Stat Trick.
“Kevin’s been excellent,” Predators head coach John Hynes said. “It’s one of the reasons we looked at him in the offseason. We feel like we have a really good guy in [Juuse] Saros and he takes a brunt of the work, but Kevin’s a young guy, he’s got a tremendous work ethic. He and Juice get along really, really well. He’s had some great starts for us.
“For Kevin, in the situations when he’s not playing, just what he brings to the team, he battles so hard in practice, he works hard, he’s got a great attitude and he’s really prepared himself for when he’s had to start. He’s had some really good starts for us.”
Even though he’s serving as a backup right now to Saros, Lankinen still has high goals for himself in the NHL. He’s hoping he can play well enough on his one-year, $1.5 million contract with Nashville to earn a potential starter’s job down the road.
“As a goalie, it’s always been my goal to be a starting guy, be an elite guy in this league,” Lankinen said. “Everybody has their own path and this is my path. I’m trusting my own process here, I’m working hard on a daily basis and I have a good coach by my side here to help me get to my next level. Whatever the future brings, I’ll be ready.”
Whether or not he ever gets there remains to be seen, but Lankinen will always hold a special place in his heart for the Blackhawks, who gave him his first opportunity in the pros.
“It means the world to me,” Lankinen said. “Like I said, I’ll forever be thankful, because it has been my childhood dream to play in the NHL. And being able to do it here was super special. I haven’t been back since last year, so it was pretty emotional and I can’t wait to see guys on the ice and hear the anthem again. It’s fun.”
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