Thatcher Demko (Boston College) certainly made his Stanley Cup Playoff debut a memorable one. Demko, 24, stopped 42 shots on Tuesday night to backstop the Vancouver Canucks to a season-saving 2-1 win over the Vegas Golden Knights at Rogers Place in Edmonton. The best-of-seven Western Conference semifinal series now stands at three games to two for Vegas, with Game 6 scheduled for Thursday.
Starting in place of injured regular netminder Jacob Markstrom, Demko stopped 38 of 39 shots at even strength, and all four attempts he faced while Vancouver was shorthanded, as the Canucks were outshot, 43-17, overall on the evening. The only goal Demko surrendered came late in the second period, although Vancouver tied the game just 24 seconds later on a goal by Brock Boeser (North Dakota), who then assisted on the game-winning goal in the third period.
A fourth-year pro out of San Diego and the U.S. National Team Development Program in Michigan, the 6-foot-4 Demko played in an NHL career-high 27 games during a COVID-19 abbreviated regular season for the Canucks, going 13-10-2 with a 3.06 goals-against average and a .905 save percentage. He appeared in nine games for Vancouver during the 2018-19 season, after making his league debut in 2017-18 and posting a victory in his first-ever start, his only appearance at the NHL level that year. In 39 career NHL regular season games, he has registered a 18-13-3 mark (2.96, .909). He spent the bulk of his pro career with Utica (AHL) from 2016 to 2019, fashioning a 55-36-5 record (2.56, .915) with three shutouts in 107 regular-season appearances with the Comets.
Selected by Vancouver in the second round (36th overall) of the 2014 NHL Draft following his freshman campaign at BC, when he was named to the Hockey East All-Rookie Team, Demko backstopped the Eagles to Beanpot Tournament titles and NCAA Frozen Four berths in both 2014 and 2016. He went 62-26-10 (2.08, .928) with 13 shutouts in 98 career appearances at the Heights, including 10 shutouts as a junior as he earned Hockey East first team accolades and second team All-America status that winter. He also won the Mike Richter Award as the nation's top goaltender that season, and was also tabbed as the Hockey East Player of the Year before turning pro shortly afterwards.
ADDENDUM: Demko made 48 saves in a 4-0 shutout in Game 6, but the Vancouver bubble finally burst in Game 7 , a 3-0 Vegas win. He stopped 33 of 34 shots in the finale, but the Canucks surrendered two late empty-net goals after Demko was pulled for an extra attacker.
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