Breathe a sigh of relief, Vancouver Canucks fans, because it doesn't appear the injury that took Thatcher Demko out of Saturday's game is serious.
The starting netminder left against the Toronto Maple Leafs halfway through the first period and was later ruled out for the remainder of the game.
Kevin Lankinen took over in the crease. In 33 games for the Canucks this season, mostly as the starter while Demko readied himself to return to game action, Lankinen has a .904 save percentage and a 2.57 goals-against average.
Head coach Rick Tocchet told reporters after the game that he doesn't believe Demko's injury is serious, and confirmed that the netminder did not re-injure his knee. The Canucks have a two-week break for the 4 Nations Face-Off.
Prior to this setback, the 28-year-old goalie was re-finding his elite form for the first time since making his season debut in December. He recorded a shutout and a .971 save percentage in his previous two starts.
Demko was sidelined for eight months after suffering a knee injury in April. He was runner-up in Vezina Trophy voting last season, where he put up career bests in save percentage (.918) and goals-against average (2.45).
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