Canucks' Thatcher Demko Reclaiming Starting Job

The Vancouver Canucks are battling for a playoff spot. They trail the St. Louis Blues for the final Wild Card spot in the Western Conference by five points with 10 games remaining. Times are tough for the Canucks and they need every single point they can collect.

The desperate situation is forcing the Canucks to decide which of their goalies to ride with. Kevin Lankinen has played the most games of any Vancouver goalie this season and performed admirably, but Thatcher Demko has complicated the matter. Since returning from injury, Demko has reclaimed the starter's net.

It's been a difficult year and a half for Demko. At the start of the 2023-2024 season, he was one of the goalies at the crest of elite status. Then injuries popped up at the end of the year and into the playoffs, taking him nearly six full months to recover only to sustain another injury earlier this season that forced him out again.

Since his return, Demko is showing signs of returning to form. Against the New Jersey Devils, he stopped 22 of 25 shots en route to an overtime victory.

In his follow-up start against the New York Islanders, he flashed brilliance again. He surrendered just two goals on 28 shots to help earn another victory. Not only that, he looked athletic and loose in the net. The Islanders created a prime scoring chance early in the first period, and Demko shut it down with an excellent lateral push and blocker save. For a goalie who has struggled with lower-body issues over the past two seasons, his display of flexibility and explosiveness moving side-to-side is one of the most encouraging signs of his health.

With Demko seemingly 100%, he's given the Canucks no choice but to ride with him. He's retaken the starting net from his running mate Lankinen, hoping to lead Vancouver to a playoff berth.