Demko played well in a 4-2 win against the Nashville Predators on Sunday evening, stopping 20 of 22 shots to help his team secure the victory. Unfortunately, if the Canucks want to beat the Preds in Round 1, they may be forced to do it without Thatcher Demko.
Per Friedman, Demko has suffered an unspecified injury and is questionable for the remainder of the first round.
The Canucks netminder is widely regarded as one of the best goaltenders in the NHL, and after posting a 35-14-2 record this season, with a .918 SV% and a 2.45 GAA, it's not hard to see why.
The 28-year-old goaltender has a career record of 117-81-17, with a 2.79 GAA and a .912 SV% over 220 games, all with the Vancouver Canucks.
Demko may not be the Canucks' MVP like defenseman and captain Quinn Hughes, but he's certainly been vital to their success this season. Everyone knows the importance of a good goaltender in the playoffs, so this news isn't ideal for the Canucks.
While there's still a chance that Demko could return later in the series, by the sounds of things, the Canucks would have to push this one to 6 or 7 games for Demko to even have a chance at recovering in time.
POLL | ||
23 AVRIL | 277 ANSWERS Disaster strikes in Vancouver with latest report on Thatcher Demko Can the Canucks still beat the Predators in Round 1 without Thatcher Demko in the lineup? | ||
Yes, their offense is good enough | 155 | 56 % |
No, they're done | 122 | 44 % |
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