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Tocchet already goes to need to dig deep in his bag as a result of Thatcher Demko is immediately out of motion.

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The Canucks’ star netminder wasn’t accessible for sport 2 towards the Nashville Predators Tuesday and his standing for the collection is up within the air, the coach revealed after his staff’s non-compulsory morning skate at Rogers Enviornment. He stated it was a brand new harm, not a recurrence of the knee harm he suffered March 9 vs. Winnipeg. That harm, suspected to be a knee sprain, stored Demko out of motion for nearly six weeks.

Demko wasn’t a participant for Tuesday’s morning skate, a day after he’d been absent from a staff follow.

Demko is coping with a knee problem, a supply informed Postmedia.

“Doesn’t look good,” they stated.

TSN’s Farhan Lalji reported that Demko had an MRI scan on an injured knee Monday.

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After Tuesday’s 4-2 loss to the Nashville Predators, Tocchet up to date Demko’s standing to week-to-week and didn’t dismiss the notion his goalie will miss not less than the remainder of the collection.

The Canucks have been sturdy defensively for a lot of the season, so how they’ll defend received’t change, Tocchet identified.

Casey DeSmith took turns within the starter’s web earlier than Recreation 2, with third-stringer Arturs Silovs within the different web.

“All 12 months we’ve had individuals step up — out and in of the lineup. Casey, he performed an enormous sport towards Edmonton, what was it, 10 days in the past? An enormous sport to win the division. He’s it executed all 12 months for us. So simply march ahead,” he stated.

“You’re going to have individuals step up and the staff step up. That’s the mentality.”

DeSmith has made one earlier playoff begin, in 2022 for the Pittsburgh Penguins, a triple-overtime 4-3 win over the New York Rangers. It was fairly the beginning as he made 48 saves on 51 pictures earlier than leaving the online halfway via the second extra time interval with an harm. Former Canucks goalie Louis Domingue stepped in for DeSmith and performed till Evgeni Malkin received the sport a interval later.

Silovs has been up on an emergency recall for the reason that starting of the collection, though the staff hadn’t beforehand revealed who was in query, DeSmith or Demko.

Demko didn’t practise with teammates Monday, however Tocchet stated Demko skated earlier within the day. He stated he wasn’t positive if Demko suffered the harm throughout Sunday’s sport, or maybe in that skate.

Logic, although, suggests Demko was testing out his knee after struggling some type of drawback throughout Sunday’s sport. Video shared by Sportsnet earlier than Tuesday’s sport confirmed Demko showing to catch his leg on the publish late in sport 1, then wincing in apparent ache.

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Demko wasn’t made accessible after the sport on Sunday night time, with the PR staff saying he was in therapy.

“Stinks,” J.T. Miller stated earlier than Tuesday’s sport about not having Demko.

“However doesn’t change the best way we play.”

Tocchet concurred.

“Whether or not Demmer’s in web or whoever’s in web, you attempt to play the proper means. So why would we alter? Like unexpectedly we’re going to dump the puck in additional as a result of , now we have Casey in web? I imply, no. We’re going to play the identical means.”

DeSmith was added in a commerce on the eve of the common season as Tocchet and his bosses wished a seasoned, skilled backup. DeSmith, who they knew nicely from Pittsburgh, was an improve on incumbent No. 2 Spencer Martin.

DeSmith has confirmed to be the perfect Canucks backup in a decade.

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“I like his manner. Very nicely appreciated (by his teammates),” Tocchet stated. “Any time you get within the playoffs, there’s tales. And , he’s trying  to be a contributor to this staff and we anticipate the best way he’s performed all 12 months for us; actually stable hockey. We’re not searching for him to be spectacular. We’re trying (for him) to be Casey.”

pjohnston@postmedia.com

Learn extra of our Canucks playoff protection:

• Canucks: Frightened about lacking Thatcher Demko? Listed here are 5 backups who stole the present in playoffs
• Canucks vs. Predators Recreation Day: Constructing off unimaginable buzz, Elias Lindholm’s playoff arrival
• Disgrace? In contrast to Oilers and Leafs, there are not any public Canucks viewing events scheduled
• How Canucks Dakota Joshua, Conor Garland grew to become beasts on ice, buddies off it
• ‘Moments you reside for’: Canucks followers’ vitality, noise and towels making an enormous impression on the ice
• Canucks anthem singer Elizabeth Irving says O Canada for Recreation 1 was a “goosebumpy second”
• Canucks coach Rick Tocchet wants perplexing energy play in prime playoff assault mode
• Dakota Joshua ’getting higher and higher’ for the Canucks
• Canucks vs. Predators Recreation 1: How the objectives have been scored
• We’re all Canucks: Even the Lions guarding the Lions Gate Bridge

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