The Vancouver Canucks have given up the most goals in the NHL, and it’s not particularly close.
Through seven games, the Canucks have given up a whopping 35 goals, an average of five goals against per game. The next-worst team, Rick Tocchet’s Philadelphia Flyers, have given up 28 goals.
And yet, one of the Canucks’ goaltenders leads the NHL in save percentage — with a slight asterisk: he only leads the NHL in save percentage at even strength.
Among goaltenders with at least two starts, Leevi Meriläinen leads the NHL with a .986 save percentage at even strength. He’s allowed just one goal on 70 shots in that situation so far this season.
Enormous save by Meriläinen on Parekh as he stares down a 3-on-1. #Canucks pic.twitter.com/b7cJJrlCPf
— Daniel Wagner (@passittobulis) October 4, 2026
At the other end of the list is his fellow Finn, Kevin Lankinen. Only Devin Cooley of the Calgary Flames has a worse save percentage than Lankinen’s .810 at even strength, as he’s allowed 19 goals on 100 shots.
That’s an encouraging start to Meriläinen’s career with the Canucks after they plucked him off waivers from the Ottawa Senators. It’s a somewhat less encouraging start to the second year of Lankinen’s five-year, $22.5-million contract.
Those statistics come with some caveats, of course.
Lankinen’s five starts this season have come against the Cup-contending Edmonton Oilers, Vegas Golden Knights, and Carolina Hurricanes (and also the New York Rangers). It’s not ideal that he’s given up five or more goals in four of those five starts, certainly, but he’s facing some pretty tough competition behind a green Canucks squad.
Meriläinen, meanwhile, has made starts against the Calgary Flames and New Jersey Devils. He also came in late in relief of Lankinen in two games against the Oilers and Hurricanes when the game was essentially over, and those opposing teams had little motivation to pepper him with shots, though he still made a few nice saves.
Sure, the Hurricanes scored again, but how about this save by Leevi Meriläinen?
Let's not talk about why Buium and Willander are both chasing the puck below the goal line, that is neither here nor there. #Canucks pic.twitter.com/Onoqn2PNoe
— Daniel Wagner (@passittobulis) October 9, 2026
As noted by InGoal Magazine’s Kevin Woodley, Lankinen has faced one of the hardest environments in the NHL this season. According to Clear Sight Analytics, Lankinen’s expected save percentage heading into the Canucks’ game against the Rangers was .855; Meriläinen’s expected save percentage was .915.
Yes, Lankinen has severely underperformed those numbers, while Meriläinen has outperformed his own, but that’s important context.
In addition, neither goaltender has been particularly good on special teams.
A goaltender’s performance on the penalty kill is heavily dependent on the skaters in front of him, but Meriläinen and Lankinen have still given up a lot of goals.
On the penalty kill, Meriläinen has allowed five goals on 14 shots for a .643 save percentage, while Lankinen has allowed seven goals on 28 shots for a .750 save percentage. Both marks rank among the worst in the NHL.
Still, Meriläinen’s performance at even strength has been a bright spot early in the season for the Canucks, which could lead to him winning the net away from Lankinen. The question is whether he can continue to excel as he gets more starts against tougher opponents.