It didn&#8217;t take long for Canucks fans to panic after Thatcher Demko exited early in the second period of the Vancouver Canucks&#8217; <a href="https://canucksarmy.com/news/instant-reaction-lankinen-leads-canucks-shootout-win-demko-exits-injury-kraken">shootout win over the Seattle Kraken</a> on Thursday night.
After all, Demko was playing in just his seventh game of the season after a lengthy absence due to a knee injury he suffered in game one of the Canucks&#8217; first round playoff matchup with the Nashville Predators. Thankfully, it seems as though fans can exhale.
Following the game, Canucks head coach Rick Tocchet shared that Demko exited due to back spasms.
“Back spasms. I don’t think it’s serious, but you know how back spasms are, could be a day or two.&#8221;
Demko exited early in the second period, but it appears as though he was injured late in the first period when Noah Juulsen collided with him in the blue paint.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="550" data-dnt="true">
A closer look at the play where Thatcher Demko potentially got hurt. Ends up getting clipped by&#8230; Noah Juulsen. Not much else to say really. 😑 <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Canucks?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Canucks</a> <a href="https://t.co/8ayztPIknc">pic.twitter.com/8ayztPIknc</a>
&mdash; Lachlan Irvine (@LachInTheCrease) <a href="https://twitter.com/LachInTheCrease/status/1875039648516559100?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 3, 2025</a></blockquote>
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Kevin Lankinen, who entered the game in relief and was excellent down the stretch and into the shootout, shared post game that he had some indication in the first intermission that he may be needed in relief. Demko made 11 saves on 12 shots prior to exiting the game, while Lankinen stopped 13 of 15, along with all three of the Kraken&#8217;s shootout attempts.
That it seems as though Demko won&#8217;t be out long is great news for the Canucks, who are already without captain Quinn Hughes, centre Elias Pettersson, and defenceman Filip Hronek. The Canucks&#8217; schedule is only going to get tougher this month, and they&#8217;ll need as many of their difference-makers around as possible if they want to stay in the playoff conversation.
So far without Hughes, the Canucks have lost to the Kraken and Calgary Flames, and have one win in three Hughes-less games thanks to tonight&#8217;s shootout victory. The Canucks will be right back in action tomorrow when the Nashville Predators pay a visit to Rogers Arena. It&#8217;s unclear who will start in goal for the Canucks, but it could be Lankinen due to the Abbotsford Canucks being in Quebec.
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I know nothing about Demko&#39;s status. But I do know <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Canucks?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Canucks</a> play again tomorrow. And Abbotsford is in Laval for a game tomorrow. Arturs Silovs getting the early wake up call and the long flight day. Only to turn around Saturday and fly back to Montreal???
&mdash; Jeff Paterson (@patersonjeff) <a href="https://twitter.com/patersonjeff/status/1875036788223508987?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 3, 2025</a></blockquote>
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We will know tomorrow and will of course keep you updated. For now, though, the good news is that Demko&#8217;s knee is still intact.

It didn't take long for Canucks fans to panic after Thatcher Demko exited early in the second period of the Vancouver Canucks' <a href="https://canucksarmy.com/news/instant-reaction-lankinen-leads-canucks-shootout-win-demko-exits-injury-kraken">shootout win over the Seattle Kraken</a> on Thursday night.

After all, Demko was playing in just his seventh game of the season after a lengthy absence due to a knee injury he suffered in game one of the Canucks' first round playoff matchup with the Nashville Predators. Thankfully, it seems as though fans can exhale.

Following the game, Canucks head coach Rick Tocchet shared that Demko exited due to back spasms.

“Back spasms. I don’t think it’s serious, but you know how back spasms are, could be a day or two."

Demko exited early in the second period, but it appears as though he was injured late in the first period when Noah Juulsen collided with him in the blue paint.

https://twitter.com/LachInTheCrease/status/1875039648516559100

Kevin Lankinen, who entered the game in relief and was excellent down the stretch and into the shootout, shared post game that he had some indication in the first intermission that he may be needed in relief. Demko made 11 saves on 12 shots prior to exiting the game, while Lankinen stopped 13 of 15, along with all three of the Kraken's shootout attempts.

That it seems as though Demko won't be out long is great news for the Canucks, who are already without captain Quinn Hughes, centre Elias Pettersson, and defenceman Filip Hronek. The Canucks' schedule is only going to get tougher this month, and they'll need as many of their difference-makers around as possible if they want to stay in the playoff conversation.

So far without Hughes, the Canucks have lost to the Kraken and Calgary Flames, and have one win in three Hughes-less games thanks to tonight's shootout victory. The Canucks will be right back in action tomorrow when the Nashville Predators pay a visit to Rogers Arena. It's unclear who will start in goal for the Canucks, but it could be Lankinen due to the Abbotsford Canucks being in Quebec.

https://twitter.com/patersonjeff/status/1875036788223508987

We will know tomorrow and will of course keep you updated. For now, though, the good news is that Demko's knee is still intact.

‘Could be a day or two’: Canucks’ Tocchet says Demko exited vs. Kraken due to back spasms

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