Demko made 21 saves in his return from a left-knee injury, but the Canucks fall to a disturbing 4-6-5 at Rogers Arena
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It seemed like a harmless play when he got jammed up at the post, but the diagnosis was disheartening.
After enduring a long and arduous rehab process, including a summer setback that would test his resolve, he showed flashes of form Tuesday that led to a Vezina Trophy finalist nomination last season.
He trusted the process. He looked calm. He looked solid. He didn’t lunge. And he kept the Canucks within striking range early in the third period by denying Dylan Holloway and Oskar Sundqvist on partial breakaways.
Demko started his night by taking an early hot shot by Matthew Kessel off the right shoulder and followed with a right-pad save off Zack Bolduc. Bolduc then set a screen for a Holloway shot to find the net.
Joshua finally ends drought
The big winger was going to get rewarded for getting to the net. It was just a matter of time.
It finally arrived in a rewarding way when the former Blues prospect took a straight-line trajectory in the first period to jam home a sweet cross-ice feed from Garland and open scoring. He also got to the net again early in the third period to establish position and deflect a shot wide.
Joshua has understandably been tentative in pursuit of the opposition on the forecheck, and by not playing on instinct, he has invited a penchant for penalties.
However, moving his feet was going to solve a lot of problems with pace and he had more giddy-up Tuesday. Maybe playing against the Bues, who alllowed him to go to free agency — just four goals in 42 games over two seasons — had something to do with it.
Or maybe, Joshua is shaking off the rust of missing training and camp following his surgery.
Phantom penalty puzzles Boeser
The Blues responded with Kyrou taking a cross-ice feed from Thomas and hammering home a short-side, one-timer to put the Blues up 3-1. However, Parayko then drew a thank-you assist on a wild power-play sequence that ended with a Pettersson shot deflecting off the big blueliner in the crease to cut the deficit to 3-2.
Demko has been there, done that
To know where you’re going, you have to remember where you’ve been. For Demko, it was Dallas.
After missing 35 games in the 2022-23 season with a groin strain and prolonged 12-week rehab, Demko was in a shooting gallery and responded with 34 saves in a wild 5-4 overtime triumph over the Stars on Feb. 27, 2023. He faced four breakaways against the Central Division leaders in the first period because the depleted back end included three American Hockey League regulars.
In the second period, the Stars had four-consecutive power plays and a 20-3 shot advantage. And at the end of it all, what Demko said then really resonates now.
“Pretty crazy day, just leading up to it,” he said of that win. “A little bit of nerves and anxiety and you just want to make sure you’re ready to go. It was definitely heightened. It took everything I’ve learned over my entire career — both mentally and physically — to kind of get ready for this one. Hopefully, I can keep building my game. There’s going to be some rust.”
Will Miller face Panthers?
He will practise Wednesday and could get a shutdown opportunity Thursday against the Stanley Cup champion Florida Panthers and dominant centre Aleksander Barkov, who leads the NHL with 63.9 per cent face-off efficiency.
Miller’s possible return from an indefinite leave of absence Nov. 19 put the star pivot on the sidelines to re-set both body and mind for what awaits the rest of the way. He must help drag the Canucks into the fight and return a much needed collective home-ice swagger — especially in the first period.
Miller took the morning game-day skate Tuesday, and a didn’t speak about his lengthy absence, but he will Wednesday. And that should lead to playing Thursday.
“I don’t know about Thursday, but he’s going to practice with the full team tomorrow,” said Tocchet. “We’ll get him with a line and get him cooking and go from there. He has been skating and is anxious to get going on his terms.”
