Only a few days ago, there was some concern as to how long it would take Vancouver Canucks goalie Thatcher Demko to return back to form. After all, Demko had allowed nine goals on 53 shots in his first two games since returning from an April knee injury, and interim starting goalie Kevin Lankinen had to exit the lineup due to his ongoing battle with the flu.
Well, Demko roared back to life in his third start of the year, coming up huge in a big spot and making 30 saves on 31 shots in a 3-1 win over the Colorado Avalanche on Monday night. Kiefer Sherwood's first NHL hat trick complemented Demko's heroics, but this has more or less been the story of the Canucks throughout the season, whether it's Demko or Lankinen in net.
Canucks' inconsistency reaching a fever pitch
The Canucks were not fortunate enough to have Sherwood score another hat trick against the Utah Hockey Club on Wednesday night, but they were fortunate enough to take a 2-0 lead into the 'gotta have it' point in a hockey game--the third period.
Danton Heinen opened the scoring with a power play goal late in the second period, and Dakota Joshua compounded the lead with a goal of his own just under three minutes into the third period. The Canucks would see the game slip away, eventually for good, within the next 23 minutes of play.
Clayton Keller scored just over six minutes after Joshua, then assisted Dylan Guenther's power play tally with under five minutes remaining to tie the game at 2-2. Utah's top defenseman, Mikhail Sergachev, sealed the deal in overtime with 12 seconds on the clock.
All in all, it was a limp way for the Canucks to go out, and it was particularly egregious in the context of some of the losses the team had taken previously. If the Canucks cannot sort themselves out on Thursday night against the Vegas Golden Knights, Vancouver will have much to ponder over the upcoming holiday break.