WHAT'S GOING ON WITH CANUCKS' THATCHER DEMKO?
Vancouver Canucks goalie Thatcher Demko is questionable for the rest of the first round of the playoffs.
The announcement of his injury came as a surprise as he went through all of game one and came away with a 22-save victory.
Related: UPDATE: Canucks Could Be Without Thatcher Demko For The Rest Of Round One
Reports came out that Demko isn't dealing with the same injury that held him out for five weeks at the end of the regular season.
While that is a good sign, other reports suggested that this injury is related to his knee, which has given him issues in seasons past.
Darren Dreger says that the injury "it's not great news."
After the loss in game two last night, head coach Rick Tocchet told reporters that the All-Star goalie would be out week to week.
There still isn't any clarity on when or how Demko got hurt, but reports suggest it happened late in game one. He made a desperation split save in the first period, and insiders say the injury didn't occur then.
With the playoffs now in full swing, injuries to key players are magnified. Casey DeSmith made 12 saves on 15 shots during last night's loss. It was just his second career playoff game.
The Canucks are a different team, with Demko manning the crease. DeSmith's record during Demko's regular season injury was 4-5-1, and the team went 7-5-2 overall.
DeSmith struggled but wasn't bad by any means last night. The Canucks failure to hit the net was ultimately their downfall. They heavily outplayed the Nashville Predators, but missing the net combined with blocked shots had the Canucks doomed.
"I thought we created a lot today, just didn't capitalize on our chances. That was the difference in the game," Canucks D-man Nikita Zadorov said after the game. "They're super desperate. They're laying out for every puck, they're trying to block with their faces. So, that's what maybe we can learn from them in that particular thing. It's hard to win. I mean, it's playoff hockey. It's a long series. There's no panic in the room."
Demko is a massive loss, but a playoff team needs to be able to handle adversity, and it's time for the Canucks to show that they can get past this key injury to the point where their No. 1 goalie can return.
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