A familiar, yet unwelcome scene took place at Rogers Arena tonight, as 10 minutes into the first period, Vancouver Canucks goaltender Thatcher Demko left the crease and was replaced by Kevin Lankinen. At the beginning of the second period, the team announced that he would not be returning to the game.
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This is not the first time Demko has left a game due to injury, as Lankinen came in in relief on January 2 after the former dealt with back spasms. During this stretch, he missed three games. Prior to this, he had sat out the entire start of the season due to a popliteus injury dating back to April 21. He made his season debut on December 10 in a 4–3 overtime loss to the St. Louis Blues.
Demko has looked like his old self in the past couple of games, making this injury even more concerning. He posted his first shutout of the season on Tuesday against the Colorado Avalanche, and had another spectacular performance in Thursday’s 2–1 overtime win versus the San Jose Sharks. Prior to leaving the game, Demko made a few great saves against the Leafs.
The Sportsnet broadcast pointed out a possible source of the injury during an intermission panel discussion. During warmups, he made a couple of save actions and looked uncomfortable after. He stayed down for a period of time after sliding gently across the crease.
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Thankfully, this is Vancouver’s last game before the 4 Nations Break, meaning that Demko will have until the team’s February 22 match against the Vegas Golden Knights to rest.
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