Photo Credit: Bob Frid/USA TODAY Sports

Vancouver Canucks goaltender Jacob Markstrom was stellar for the Utica Comets in the Calder Cup playoffs, and brought some of that momentum into training camp and the preseason, where he looked in-control and nigh unbeatable in extended stretches. 

That momentum appears to have come to a crashing halt as a result of a lower-body injury, reportedly sustained at practice. There’s no timeline at the moment, but the injury will prevent Markstrom from backing up Canucks starter Ryan Miller in Wednesday night’s opener.

With Markstrom sidelined by injury, the club has announced the recall of Richard Bachman from the Utica Comets. The official line is that Markstrom sustained a lower-body injury, reportedly he tweaked something at practice on Tuesday, and will be further evaluated on Wednesday. Hopefully the injury isn’t too serious.

Markstrom, 25, is expected to serve as a pure backup to Miller this season, but that’s if all goes well for the Canucks’ presumptive starter. Last season the club relied heavily on backup Eddie Lack, particularly once Miller went down with injury. Considering Miller’s advancing age – the American-born netminder is 35-years-old – and the fact that he’s coming off of a significant knee injury, Markstrom’s presence as an insurance policy seemed crucial to Vancouver’s hopes this season.

Luckily Bachman is an experienced NHL goaltender. The 28-year-old netminder has appeared in 42 NHL games with the Edmonton Oilers and the Dallas Stars, and has actually managed a better save percentage than Markstrom has at the NHL level (.904 vs. .896). Markstrom’s AHL results are superior to Bachman’s though and based on his age and upside he’s still the better overall bet, but Bachman is a solid third-string option and shouldn’t cost the Canucks too badly if he’s pressed into duty as a backup.