The Vancouver Canucks got some good news in net but will also be without two important forwards for the next few games.
Thatcher Demko has been activated from injured reserve and will start against the New Jersey Devils on Monday, head coach Rick Tocchet confirmed before the game. However, forwards Elias Pettersson and Nils Hoglander have left the team’s road trip and returned to Vancouver after both were injured on Saturday against the Rangers.
Demko will start for the first time since Feb. 8, when he was injured in a game against the Toronto Maple Leafs.
A Vezina Trophy finalist last year, Demko has been limited to just 17 games so far this season due to multiple injuries. In those games, he has just six wins with a .891 save percentage, a significant dip from the .918 SV% he had last season.
“Obviously, it’s been a tough year,” Demko said after Sunday’s practice. “I’m not going to sugarcoat it… I’ve learned a lot through this personally, not just physically — all lessons that I think are super valuable and that I’ll be able to lean on throughout the rest of my career.”
Not much is known about Pettersson and Hoglander’s injuries, but both left the Rangers game early and missed practice on Sunday. After the Devils game, the Canucks visit the Islanders, Blue Jackets and Jets before returning home on April 2 against the Kraken.
The Canucks have fallen out of a wild-card spot after back-to-back losses and a surge by the St. Louis Blues. With 12 games remaining, Vancouver trails St. Louis by five points for the final playoff spot.
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