Coming weeks are big ones for goalie Lankinen; Hawks get late win over Kings
Opportunity is knocking for Kevin Lankinen.
One so big that the next few weeks will likely determine what the goalie's next contract will look like.
The 26-year-old will be an unrestricted free agent this summer, unless the Blackhawks ink him to a deal beforehand.
Top-notch goalies are hot commodities and the jury is definitely still out on what Lankinen's ceiling is.
Judging Lankinen solely on this season's numbers (4-8-4, .891 save percentage, 3.42 goals-against average) would be a mistake. He is, after all, playing behind a sievelike defense and not behind a stingy group like Minnesota, St. Louis or Nashville.
Also, it normally takes goalies quite some time before they hit their stride.
Need proof? Look no further than Corey Crawford or Marc-Andre Fleury.
Crawford was solid as a rookie, but then struggled in his second year. Fleury, meanwhile, had some truly awful numbers on two horrific Penguins teams in 2003-04 and 2005-06. He went 17-41-8 with an .897 save percentage and 3.36 goals-against average.
As Pittsburgh improved, so did Fleury's numbers and he helped lead them to a title in 2008-09.
Remember, too, that it's not easy for goaltenders to play once every 10 or 14 days. Now, with Fleury off to Minnesota, Lankinen will get most of the starts down the stretch.
A request to speak with Lankinen was not fulfilled, but here's what he told reporters after he made 27 saves in the Hawks' 4-2 win at Anaheim on Wednesday: "Even after last season and coming into this year, I wanted to be the guy. Obviously we had (Fleury) and the situation was a little different, but I've been working extremely hard and I think this is my time to shine and I'm gonna make the most out of it."
Sitting next to Fleury most of the season should yield dividends for Lankinen, who loved how Fleury was almost always relaxed and having fun.
"I think that helps his game because he's always just in a good mood," Lankinen said. "That's a nice approach to have - being grateful to be in this league."
In terms of intangibles, Lankinen has those in spades.
He has shown a wonderful ability to remain humble while remaining supremely confident in his abilities. He appears to be an extremely hard worker. And he absolutely loves the Hawks and playing in the United Center.
"I think my game has been (making) some real progress the last couple months here," Lankinen said.
Lankinen's best save against Anaheim came four minutes in when he went post to post to deny Derek Grant. He only faced 2 more shots the rest of the opening period, but then fended off 24 of 25 attempts in the final 40 minutes.
There's no doubt Lankinen needs to improve on rebound control, playing the puck behind the net and using his stick more effectively to stop scoring chances in tight. Seeing pucks through traffic and reacting to odd-man rushes are two more areas he'll improve upon as time goes by.
Bottom line: Lankinen's only scratched the surface in terms of NHL potential, and he's not going to be very expensive. So the Hawks ought to sign him to a two-year deal and go from there.
Hawks 4, Kings 3 (SO):
Goalie Collin Delia, who hails from Rancho Cucamonga, California, made his second start of the season and turned away 43 shots in regulation and OT, then 3 more in the shootout to lead the visiting Blackhawks to their second straight victory.
Alex DeBrincat converted in Round 3 of the shootout by beating Jonathan Quick top shelf.
The Hawks, who had 1 shot on goal in the game's first 15 minutes, got goals from Patrick Kane (21), DeBrincat (36) and Sam Lafferty (4).
Dylan Strome set up DeBrincat on a perfect pass from behind the net to give the Hawks a 2-1 lead at 12:41 of the second period.
Former Hawks forward Phillip Danault tied it at 16:50, but Taylor Raddysh found Lafferty 79 seconds later to restore the Hawks' 1-goal lead.
L.A. tied it again when Danault scored his second goal midway through the third-period.
Dominik Kubalik, who has 1 goal in the last 21 games, was a healthy scratch for the Hawks (24-32-9).