Vancouver Canucks No. 1 goaltender Thatcher Demko returned to action Monday night and promptly stopped 22 shots through overtime and three of four opponents in the shootout, leading his team to a 4-3 win over the New Jersey Devils.
Talk about a huge boost for the Canucks.
Vancouver, on the outside looking in amidst a dogfight for the Western Conference’s final wild-card spot, can be thankful to have its top netminder back for the first time in more than six weeks—and at a time when the team needed him most.
On the day Demko returned, the Canucks announced more bad news. Elias Pettersson and Nils Höglander not only missed the game in New Jersey but had returned home to Vancouver and likely will be out for the upcoming three games of the road trip. The Canucks are also without forward Filip Chytil. That’s a major issue for a team sitting three points out of a playoff spot with two other clubs right behind them.
The lesson? The injury bug will play a massive role in determining who makes the Stanley Cup playoffs—and in seeding.
With how tight the races are for the final spots in both conferences, injuries have the potential to be devastating blows. At the same time, healthy returns can be a godsend.
Take the Columbus Blue Jackets. They snapped a six-game losing skid with a 4-3 shootout win over the New York Islanders on Monday. It’s no coincidence their struggles ended on a night veteran defenseman Erik Gudbranson played for the first time since the opening week of the season and top-line center Sean Monahan returned after missing 28 games.
This is the time of the season when players push through ailments that should sideline them. And when they can’t play, you know it’s severe because so much is at stake.
Look at the Edmonton Oilers right now. They will be without both Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl for the near future. Whether either or both would play if this were Game 7 of a playoff series, we don’t know. But whatever the issues, don’t for a second think they are minor.
True, the Oilers are a solid bet to clinch a playoff spot soon and even have an outside shot at winning the Pacific Division. But given how things stand, they are in a tight battle with the Los Angeles Kings for home-ice advantage in the opening round.
If you don’t think it’s a big deal, consider this: The Oilers and Kings have met in the first round each of the past three seasons, and Edmonton has won each time while holding home-ice advantage.
It’s also a safe bet the Calgary Flames, who are in the wild-card battle, wouldn’t be too upset if Draisaitl and McDavid remain out at least through their meeting on Saturday.
So when you’re watching games or catching up on results, be sure to track who has been sidelined or returned to action. These lineup changes will have a massive impact when the Stanley Cup playoffs begin April 19.
You never know which injury will be the one that finally quashes a team’s chances—the Minnesota Wild’s ability to hang tough is remarkable.
Likewise, you never know whose return will put a team over the top, whether that means simply reaching the playoffs or lifting hockey’s holy grail.
And that could be someone like Colorado captain Gabriel Landeskog, who appears to be ramping up efforts to return for the first time since winning the Cup in 2022.
