The Vancouver Canucks may have suffered another unsightly loss, dropping a 4-3 overtime decision to the visiting St. Louis Blues on Tuesday night, but they also enjoyed a long-term gain, as All-Star goalie Thatcher Demko returned to the ice for his first game action in eight months.
This was just the next step in Demko's comeback journey; he was nowhere near his best against the Blues, but performed well enough to keep the Canucks in a game they really should have won. So, what do I mean when say Demko performed "well enough"?
Demko has room for improvement for Canucks
Overall, Demko made 21 saves on 25 shots in his official Canucks return. At the end of the day, a .840 save percentage really is not great and leaves much to be desired. Demko made some key saves as well, but context is important, too.
For instance, Zack Bolduc's goal to give the Blues their first tally of the night actually started with a Demko turnover, as the Canucks goalie tried and failed to play the puck up the wall behind his net. Demko was promptly beaten by Bolduc's well-placed one-timer, where he was partially screened in front. On this goal in particular, navigating traffic, reading plays, tracking the puck, and playing the puck are all things Demko showed signs of rust with.
After Robert Thomas beat Demko on a short-handed breakaway, Jordan Kyrou was left unmarked by the Canucks on the power play and was unabated on his one-timer shot that handily beat Demko. Just by judging Demko's technique on his attempt to save Kyrou's shot, it was apparent that he was not fully comfortable and was not particularly close to getting all the way across to seal the post in time.
To end the game in losing fashion, Dylan Holloway stormed by the Canucks' defense, cut to his forehand, and beat Demko on his near post. Overall, it was just not a great outing overall for the star Canucks goalie, who was playing in his first game since April 21. MoneyPuck credited Demko with -1.18 goals saved above expected, and his -1.185 goals saved above expected per 60 minutes places him 74th in the NHL out of the 82 qualifying goaltenders.
In conclusion, Demko clearly showed signs of rust for the Canucks, even though he made some strong saves at times, too. A conditioning loan probably would have better served Demko than being thrown right back into NHL action, but the 29-year-old now has one game under his belt after a grueling rehab process nonetheless. Look for Demko to gradually improve over time, but don't expect a miraculous turnaround overnight.