Canucks Thatcher Demko Returns To Crease

Thatcher Demko skating for the Vancouver Canucks
Photo by Dave Sandford/NHLI via Getty Images

After 8 months and extensive knee rehab, Thatcher Demko returned to the Canucks crease last night in a 4-3 overtime loss to the St.Louis Blues. He made 21 saves, including five breakaways. Yes, five. That’s not exactly a recipe for success from his teammates or a great way to welcome back your star goaltender.

“Obviously, you don’t want to give a guy four or five breakaways or odd-man rushes.” Canucks, Connor Garland said. “So it’s not very good, but he’s a battler, hangs in there, makes big saves. Like I said, that’s why he’s the greatest.”

Demko, the 29-year-old native of San Diego, California, stated post-game, “It kind of felt like a whirlwind of a day. I think part of it is just trying to remember your routines. I’ve talked about managing expectations and not putting too much weight on that first game back. But obviously, as the moment builds, you’re excited to play, and you want to perform. Definitely a little bit of a weird day.”

When asked how he felt about his game; “Yeah, I mean, felt rusty for sure. Obviously, it’s frustrating losing. I thought I could of played a couple of goals differently. I’m sure that there is stuff I can pull to keep building.”

Head Coach Rick Tocchet said post-game about Demko, “I thought he was good tonight. It’s good to see him in net, he looks big. I love seeing him back in. He’s worked really hard, so I thought he did a great job for us.”

His teammates returned from a 3-1 deficit and tied the game late in the third period on another goal from Jake DeBrusk. Dakota Joshua, his first of the season, and Elias Pettersson, his eighth of the season, rounded out the Canucks scoring. Dylan Holloway scored the winner in OT for the Blues.

The Canucks are now 1-1-1 on their current 6-game homestand and welcome the Florida Panthers, to Rogers Arena, on Thursday night.

ITR 34: End Of The Road Inside The Rink

 Join Conrad and Chris as they discuss the Boston Bruins front office, Logan Couture's retirement, Edmonton Oilers Injuries leading into the playoffs, and playoff matchups! 
  1. ITR 34: End Of The Road
  2. ITR 33: The Gr8 One
  3. ITR 32: The Final Countdown
  4. ITR 31: Let Them Fight
  5. ITR 30: Down The Stretch

Discover more from Inside The Rink

Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.

Fraser Sinclair

Writer, covering the Vancouver Canucks for Inside the Rink.

One thought on “Canucks Thatcher Demko Returns To Crease”

Leave a Reply

Pierre-Luc Dubois Washington Capitals

NHL Game Preview: Montreal Canadiens at Washington Capitals with Line Combinations 4/21/2025

Game 1: Montreal Canadiens (0-0) at Washington Capitals (0-0)Date: Tonight – Monday, April 21Venue – Bell CentreTime: 7:00 pm EST TV: ESPN, Sportsnet, TVASRadio:Washington – Caps Radio 24/7Montreal – TSN Radio 690 AM DraftKings Sportsbook Betting Lines:Montreal +1.5 ML +164Washington -1.5 ML -198O/U 6.5 Purchase tickets via Ticketmaster Montreal Canadiens News & Notes: The last […]

Read More
ITR’s 2025 Trade Deadline Big Board 

NHL Report Cards: Grades for Every Teams’ 2024-25 Regular Season

Now that the regular season has wrapped up, let’s unfairly judge how the teams have done this season and whether or not it was a successful campaign. Team rosters vary throughout the league, from contending to rebuilding to hitting rock bottom for the first time in a while (Hello, Boston!). Some are climbing but haven’t […]

Read More
NHL Playoff Preview: Edmonton Oilers at Los Angeles Kings with Line Combinations 4/21/2025

NHL Playoff Preview: Edmonton Oilers at Los Angeles Kings with Line Combinations 4/21/2025

NHL Playoff Preview: Edmonton Oilers at Los Angeles Kings with Line Combinations 4/21/2025

Read More