VANCOUVER — Thatcher Demko reminded onlookers why he's considered one of the NHL's top goalies on Tuesday.
The Vancouver Canucks netminder stopped all 25 saves he faced — some in dramatic fashion — and backstopped his team to a 3-0 victory over the Colorado Avalanche.
It was the ninth shutout of Demko's career and his first since Jan. 22, 2024.
Over the past year, he's suffered a rare injury, gritted through gruelling rehabilitation, and worked his way back into the Canucks' crease.
“He works so hard," said Vancouver winger Brock Boeser. "He does everything the right way. He's such a good pro and for him to get a shutout tonight, just as one of his good friends, it's awesome to see. And to see him make some saves like that, I'm just so happy for him.”
Demko's most impressive sequence of the night came midway through the second period when he batted away Cale Makar's shot from the slot. Moments later, he slid all the way across his crease to kick away Artturi Lehkonen's backdoor shot with the toe of his left skate.
Cheers of "Let's go Demko!" emanated throughout the rink during the ensuing TV timeout.
“He was outstanding," said Canucks head coach Rick Tocchet.
"Those are 10-bell saves, right? And then we settled down. But I thought Demmer gave us a chance to settle us down.”
A finalist for last year's Vézina Trophy as one of the NHL's best goalies, Demko was sidelined last spring after injuring a muscle in his knee during the first game of Vancouver's playoff run.
The 29-year-old from San Diego, Cali., missed training camp and didn't play his first game of the season until Dec. 10.
With Tuesday's win, Demko improved to 5-6-3 on the year with a .882 save percentage and a 3.03 goals-against average. Over his last three appearances, his save percentage is .943.
“I think the last three or four games, his game’s coming," Tocchet said. "You’ve gotta remember the guy’s been off so long, and he's used to playing a good run of games. But we're fortunate to have a guy like (goalie Kevin Lankinen). So our goaltending, we’re in good shape with goaltending.”
For Demko, getting a shutout is nice, but it's repetition that matters.
"You gotta do it again," he said. "I know where my game's at right now. There's been some games that probably didn't reflect that.
"Sometimes that's the challenging part as a player, is being able to have confidence and trust in yourself internally when you know externally, it might not look that way. So I know what direction I'm headed, and certainly tonight was a good game.”
The goalie also credited the defensive performance in front of him on Tuesday and noted that players stepped up in the absence of captain Quinn Hughes, who missed a second straight game with an undisclosed injury.
“Obviously, Huggy leaves a huge hole in our lineup, but it's always a next man up," Demko said. "Every year, whatever team you're on, it's just kind of the nature of the business, you gotta be ready to go for situations like that. So we're obviously eager for him to return, but in the meantime, we gotta get the job done.”
DEFENSIVE DISCIPLINE
The Canucks have allowed two or less regulation goals in five of their last six games.
Boeser said the team's breakouts have a lot to do with their defensive improvements.
"I think our breakouts have been cleaner, and when you're having clean breakouts, you're not in the D zone as much, and I think that's a big aspect," he said. "Earlier in the season, we always talked about our breakouts weren't great, and that's when we were giving up a lot of shots, so I think it's been better. And we've got to keep it going.”
LACKING EXECUTION.
Colorado managed just four shots on net across the third period on Tuesday.
Avalanche head coach Jared Bednar said his team weren't competitive enough to score.
"This is a borderline playoff game in February, right? And I just didn't like the way we competed in order to win the game," he said. "We played a smart hockey game for the most part. We did some good things, but like in the trenches, we weren't hard enough."
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Feb. 4, 2025.
Gemma Karstens-Smith, The Canadian Press