VANCOUVER – When Vancouver Canucks Coach Adam Foote tried to explain why on Friday, without much success. Thatcher Demko could miss two matches in a row over the weekend, the goalkeeper's problem sounded more than just “maintenance”, but not just an injury.
Demko was too ill to play and needed a couple of days off. Great. Don't worry, he'll likely be back for Tuesday's game against the Winnipeg Jets.
And Demko returned. He allowed three goals on eight shots in the first period and was never seen again. Kevin Lankinen played the final two periods for Vancouver, as he did most of last season, as the Canucks lost 5–3 and finished with a 1–2–1 home record.
The limping team will now have to travel all the way to the Atlantic to play both the Florida and Carolina Hurricanes.
But Tuesday could have been worse.
Canucks captain and superstar Quinn Hughes also left the game in the second period with an apparent arm or shoulder injury, but returned a few minutes later.
None of the Jets' first three goals were Demko's fault. Two of them bounced off Winnipeg's skates, and another one bounced off Vancouver's stick.
Early in the second period, the team announced that Demko would not return, and Foote had nothing to add after the game other than confirming a “lower body” injury.
The coach said Demko is ready to start after missing weekend games against the Columbus Blue Jackets and Colorado Avalanche.
“I mean, yeah, you can't control injuries,” Canucks forward Jake DeBrusk said. “You know, things happen to guys, (and) there's been a lot of them since I've been here. You know what? Kevin came in, did a great job, gave us a chance. Obviously, you hope Demko is okay and you hope he comes back as quickly as possible. That's how you look at it on the bench.”
“I even talked to him a little bit when he came up (during the first period); I knew something was wrong.”
The best of Demko's five saves also looked like the most demanding, a post-to-post cut to put his left pad in front of Cole Perfetti's backdoor shot about six minutes later when the score was already 1-0 in Winnipeg's favor.
Lankinen struggled early this season to replicate the form (and .902 save percentage) of last year, which earned him a five-year, $22.5 million contract extension. But he had one of his best games in Demko's place.
He stopped 20 of 21 shots and wasn't beaten until a horrific penalty in Vancouver allowed Gabe Vilardi, with time and space between the hash marks, to catch a pass from Kyle Connor, measure his backhand and tip the puck past the goalie's stick to make it 4-2 in Winnipeg's favor with 48 seconds left in the third period.
So this is a positive for Vancouver's goaltenders.
But Lankinen may have to do this for a couple or more games in a row.
Foote said Demko will be re-evaluated on Wednesday, the day the Canucks travel. Their three-game transcontinental jaunt opens Friday at North Carolina.
“We're all human, and I don't think anyone understands a goalie as well as another goalie,” Lankinen said of the emotional aspect of Demko's injury. “I haven't had a chance to talk to him, so I don't know… I don't really understand what's going on, but I hope for the best.
“I'm ready to play every game. This is what I love to do. This is what I've always wanted to do.”
Lankinen reiterated that it is the backup goaltender's job to always be prepared and make sure he is ready to take advantage of the starting opportunity should it arise. Having played four matches in a row, the 30-year-old from Finland feels the workload of being a starter is helping him.
“I think so,” he said. “And probably most goalies would agree with that. The game slows down a little bit and you read better when you're in the game and the preparation is a little easier because you're in rhythm and you feel it. So who knows what's going to happen in the next few days here. But I've got to learn from it and get better.”
For context, you have to remember that Demko carries more baggage than a Samsonite freighter when it comes to injuries.
Demko's rare and baffling hamstring tear marred his career before last season and delayed his inclusion in the Canucks' lineup until December. He was injured twice more before the season ended, and Demko later explained that his lack of adequate preseason training left him physically vulnerable and unable to withstand the rigors of the NHL's daily schedule.
Last summer, with the opportunity to train fully and get back into top shape, Demko changed his daily routine and expanded his personal “team” to make training more preventative and protect against future injuries.
Because without Demko, even with a backup in Lankinen, the Canucks have little chance of success.
So, the most important basic prerequisites for restoring the season in Vancouver and returning to the Stanley Cup playoffs were:
1. Demko remains healthy.
2. Elias Pettersson plays like an elite center.
There are many other factors, but none are as important as the first two.
Before the Canucks' last trip, Demko was not only the team's MVP in 11 games, but he was statistically the NHL's best goaltender in October.
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Whether he misses one more game, another month or the rest of the season, he is part of the injury crisis that has derailed the first quarter of the Canucks' season.
They had as many as nine players out. And with Demko unavailable, they're down seven right now.
If only their health matched their hearts. The 8-9-1 Canucks continue to compete desperately as they try to survive this spell well enough to make playoff contention once they are healthy.
Even against the Jets, Brock Boeser's rebound goal with the Canucks up six on five brought Vancouver within one, down 4-3 with 90 seconds left. Alex Iafallo's empty net gave Winnipeg the win.
After playing 51 games last season as Demko's backup, Lankinen is now definitely up for the challenge.
“I feel great,” he said. “The more I play, the better I feel. That's always what you want to do as a goalie – you want to be that guy, you want to carry the load and help the team win. And I feel really good, and hopefully we can get more results here soon.”
“I just live day by day, you know? Just one day at a time and don't worry too much about the future.”
If only Canuck fans could feel so unfettered.
