In this edition of the Vancouver Canucks News & Rumors, Thatcher Demko is injured and Casey DeSmith steps in for the club. Additionally, Elias Pettersson struggles in Game 2 as the Nashville Predators tie the first-round matchup at 1-1. Also, Head coach Rick Tocchet looks forward to playing playoff hockey on the road.
Demko Injured, DeSmith Steps In
Demko didn’t play in Game 2 against the Predators on April 23. The goaltender will be out week-to-week due to an undisclosed injury. His status for the the rest of series is questionable, but he did travel with the team to Nashville and is walking, which is a good sign. CHEK TV’s Rick Dhaliwal said Demko likely won’t play this round, but some think he can play late in the second round. Additionally, the goalie will not need surgery and Dhaliwal isn’t hearing he will be out for months. Many have speculated the injury to Demko came late in Game 1, although the goaltender did skate on Monday. The netminder missed five weeks due to a knee injury during the regular season.
Losing Demko is a big blow to the Canucks’ chances of winning. The goaltender was in the running for the Vezina Trophy during the regular season. His teammates discussed losing him, but the importance of moving forward.
“I feel bad for him,” J.T. Miller said. “He works harder than anybody on a day-to-day basis when he’s not injured, let alone when he’s trying to get back in for stuff like this, so you feel for the guy. He’s a big part of our team, but we’ve got to find a way to be resilient as a group and move forward.”
Meanwhile, Miller said DeSmith battles really hard and takes pride in his play, and the team believes in him. Also, head coach Tocchet said he’s confident in DeSmith and his demeanor. Defenceman Nikita Zadorov expressed the fact the Canucks have three good goalies including Arturs Silovs, who posted a 3-0-1 record with a 2.47 goals-against average and a .881 save percentage this season. Zadorov added injuries are a part of the playoffs and it’s up to the next man to step up.
DeSmith started in Game 2 for the Canucks and the goaltender didn’t have the best performance in the Canucks 4-1 loss in Game 2, his second career playoff game. Although the first goal came on a tough bounce, DeSmith was out of position and played outside of the post, while the third goal was a combination of a poor turnover from Pettersson and poor rebound control by the goalie. He stopped 12 of the 15 shots he faced and will need to be better if the Canucks are going to move on past Nashville with him in net.
Pettersson Struggling
Although DeSmith could’ve prevented two of the three goals he allowed, the Canucks could’ve converted on multiple scoring opportunities. The club outshot the Predators with 84 shot attempts to 36, as 18 shots hit the net, and 30 were blocked by Nashville. Most of the other scoring opportunities went wide. The Canucks missed out on some key scoring opportunities in Game 2, which could’ve given them a 2-0 series lead.
The player who seemed to struggle the most was Pettersson. He had two key scoring opportunities, he missed a wide-open net, and he attempted a saucer pause to Garland instead of shooting into another wide-open net on the other.
Scoring wasn’t Pettersson’s only issue, as the forward failed to win a puck battle on the first and then turned the puck over on the third goal. Although Pettersson’s play was disappointing, his post-game comments provide some hope that he will come out determined for Game 3.
“I put us in a bad spot with my mistake on their third goal, can’t happen. If I score in the first period, it’s a 1-1 game, different outlook.
“I’m always my biggest critic, and I take a lot of blame for this one.”
Pettersson will need to come out aggressive and hungry in Game 3 to make a difference for his team. The forward has failed to create for himself and his linemates but has enough time to get going. Meanwhile, Tocchet believes the pressure on Pettersson is good for him.
“He’s a young kid,” Tocchet said “This is his first kind of taste of the pressure-playoff thing and, you know, this is good for him. He’s got to learn. He’s got to dust himself off and be ready for Game 3. And he’s got to be very decisive with the puck. I want to see him shoot the puck. Like, he’s got to take it. I think he’ll be fine. I mean, this is good for him. It’s a good learning lesson.”
Tocchet Excited to Play on the Road
The Canucks have now lost home-ice advantage after splitting Game 1 and 2. However, Tocchet doesn’t seem too concerned with playing on the road in Nashville.
“I love getting booed, Nashville’s got great fans they don’t throw stuff at you but I do love the fact that sometimes it’s nice to be the villain.”
“Somebody booing you, I think it brings out the best in certain guys”
The head coach added the Canucks are a good road team and believes they have to be confident on the road. The club held a 23-14-4 away record during the regular season. The Canucks will need to pick up one win at least to regain home-ice advantage in this series.
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