Thatcher Demko's status for tonight's game becomes clear after developments at morning skate
Photo credit: Edit from The Hockey News
At Canucks morning skate today, Thatcher Demko was the first goalie to exit the ice, which signals that he is expected to get the start in goal tonight.
Thatcher Demko, who has been recovering from a lower-body injury, is expected back in action as the Vancouver Canucks face the Buffalo Sabres on Thursday at 7 PM PT, as he was the first goalie off the ice at morning skate.
The goalie has missed 12 consecutive games after leaving in the first period of Vancouver's defeat to the Winnipeg Jets on Nov. 11, where he gave up three goals on a total of eight shots.
When Thatcher Demko resumed skating with his team
Demko resumed practising with the team on Dec. 4, as he has slowly eased back into action after a period of stop-starts that have been variably characteristic of this season.
His record, goals-against average, and save percentage in 10 games are 5-4-0, 2.80 and .903, respectively. He inked a three-year, 25.5-million-dollar deal on July 1.
Why Thatcher Demko has seen a rough stretch over the last two seasons
This agreement came on the heels of a training-centric summer, as injuries limited him to 23 contests a year ago. This also included a knee problem late in the 2023-24 campaign that kept him out of action until December 10, 2024.
He turned 30 years old on Monday and has been aware of the difficulty in starting and stopping yet again this year. His play in October put him in early contention for a roster spot with Team USA at the 2026 Olympic Winter Games in Milano Cortina.
His focus, for now, is on helping a Canucks team that sits at 11-16-3, with eight of their last ten contests lost.
There are also other notes related to injuries, as center Elias Pettersson, who has 22 points, and tied for the team lead with Canucks defenseman Quinn Hughes, has sat out the previous two outings due to an upper-body injury, but is close to a return.
| POLL | ||
DECEMBRE 11 | 148 ANSWERS Thatcher Demko's status for tonight's game becomes clear after developments at morning skate Will Thatcher Demko get the Canucks back into the playoff race? | ||
| Yes | 43 | 29.1 % |
| No | 105 | 70.9 % |
| List of polls | ||