The Canuck Way
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Canucks Recap: 3 stars of the past week (Jan 29th – Feb 4th)

By Zaahid Lalani

TORONTO, ON - FEBRUARY 4: Nils Hoglander #36 of the Vancouver Canucks skates against the Toronto Maple Leafs during an NHL game at Scotiabank Arena on February 4, 2021 in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. The Maple Leafs defeated the Canucks 7-3.(Photo by Claus Andersen/Getty Images)
TORONTO, ON - FEBRUARY 4: Nils Hoglander #36 of the Vancouver Canucks skates against the Toronto Maple Leafs during an NHL game at Scotiabank Arena on February 4, 2021 in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. The Maple Leafs defeated the Canucks 7-3.(Photo by Claus Andersen/Getty Images) /
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Thatcher Demko. (Photo by Claus Andersen/Getty Images)
Thatcher Demko. (Photo by Claus Andersen/Getty Images) /

2. Thatcher Demko and Braden Holtby

It has never been easy to be a netminder in Vancouver, and both Thatcher Demko and Braden Holtby can attest to that this year.

The Canucks’ overall defence has been nothing short of atrocious through the first quarter of the season, and both goalies are witnessing this monstrosity firsthand. The team is giving up legitimate scoring chances on almost every shift, and their opponents are feasting on their defensive breakdowns and inconsistencies with smiles on their faces.

So far, the Canucks have surrendered 55 goals on 375 shots allowed, both of which are league-highs. And although both netminders have let in one or two soft goals from those shot attempts, their commitment in the crease should be recognized.

Time and time again, Demko and Holtby have been placed in extremely tough positions, trying their best to maintain composure and fend off relentless offensive pressure from every inch of the ice, all while trying to keep their team from falling off the edge of a cliff during each game. And even though their numbers may not be reflective of a solid, NHL-calibre tandem, they’ve both played extremely well given the current circumstances.

Head coach Travis Green has gone back and forth between his netminders throughout the beginning of the season, and each one has been able to deliver decent outings between the pipes when called upon.

They’ve come up with timely saves to ensure the momentum of the game doesn’t (once again) slip from their team’s fingertips, and have played important roles in establishing a penalty kill that is running at an 83.6% efficacy rate, good for 13th in the league.

Of course, there’s only so much your netminder can do to win games, and the Canucks players are starting to realize that they need to pull more of the weight.

https://twitter.com/ChrisFaber39/status/1357523699969060866?s=20

Demko and Holtby’s performances thus far are still miles away from the nightly, Vezina-worthy outings of Jacob Markstrom, and they’d both be the first to state that their games need to improve.

But, both netminders have looked prepared and dialled in for each game, demonstrating resilience, improvement and determination, all while giving their club a chance to come away with two points each outing, and it would be blasphemous to think that the team’s current dreadful play should land on their shoulders.

And kudos to Demko for filming this heart-warming message to a local healthcare worker:

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