Thatcher Demko has returned at the right time to save the Vancouver Canucks and their fast-spiraling 2024-25 season.
With fellow Canucks goalie Kevin Lankinen feeling under the weather earlier in the week, the Canucks were forced to turn to Demko. The 29-year-old former NHL All-Star had not played a competitive game in over a month, dating back to Feb. 8, then returned to the crease to accomplish a daring feat.
In his first game back from injury, Demko made 22 saves on 25 shots (.880) to help propel the Canucks to a crucial shootout victory over the New Jersey Devils on Monday night.
And, while the raw numbers are not at all impressive, Demko's performance transcended those stats, and especially so after going into full splits to stop Devils forward Paul Cotter on a 2-on-1 rush with Jesper Bratt in overtime.
So, despite a .880 save percentage, Demko actually saved 0.94 goals above expected for the Canucks, according to MoneyPuck.
With Lankinen remaining out of the equation through Wednesday, Demko was forced to make a second consecutive start, this time against former Canucks teammate Bo Horvat and the New York Islanders.
The encore was Demko's best act of the show... so far.
Against a desperate team also fighting for its playoff life, just in the Eastern Conference, Demko saved the Canucks' season again, making 26 saves on 28 shots (.929), including a number of highlight-reel saves, to inspire the Canucks to a dominating 5-2 win against the Islanders in Long Island.
Two starts for Demko, two wins, a total of 2.15 goals saved above expected, and two gutsy performances on the road late in the season.
As a result, Demko has now won each of his last four starts, stopping 106 of 112 shots for a .946 save percentage. Oh, and he earned his first shutout of the season during this same stretch.
Diving into this further, Demko has saved a total of 5.9 goals above expected in his last 10 appearances for the Canucks, according to MoneyPuck. This only ranks 14th in the NHL among goalies who have played at least 10 games this season, though just 3.8 goals separate Demko from second in the league.
Plus, Demko's 5.9 goals saved above expected are notably greater than the totals Dustin Wolf (5.6), Connor Hellebuyck (3.9), Jordan Binnington (1.4), and Mackenzie Blackwood (1.0) have across their 10-game spans.
In short, the numbers say Demko is one of the hottest goalies in the league, and the eye test certainly backs that up, injury abbreviation notwithstanding. Demko is 12th in the league with 0.642 goals saved above expected per 60 minutes in his last 10 games, which is all to say that the San Diego, Calif., native has consistently made a positive impact for the Canucks when he plays.
With his latest exploits earning the Canuck two key wins, Demko has improved to 8-6-3 on the season with a 2.82 GAA, a .892 save percentage, and one shutout.
The Canucks are now just three points behind Binnington and the St. Louis Blues with a game still in hand, and Demko says this playoff race is not over yet.