Thatcher Demko's return didn't last long.
The Vancouver Canucks goalie will be out two to three weeks with an injury unrelated to the ailment that caused his previous absence, Sportsnet confirmed Wednesday.
Demko came back from an eight-day layoff on Tuesday against the Winnipeg Jets, but exited with a lower-body injury after allowing three goals on eight shots in the first period.
The 29-year-old previously played on Nov. 3, a 5-4 overtime win against the Nashville Predators, before missing three games for undisclosed reasons.
Canucks head coach Adam Foote said Friday that Demko was "taking care of himself" due to the season's condensed schedule but did not indicate whether he was dealing with an injury.
After Tuesday's game, Foote added that he believed Demko was ready to play against the Jets and that this injury is unrelated to the maintenance he had over the weekend.
Demko entered Vancouver's matchup against Winnipeg with a 5-4-0 record, a .912 save percentage and a 2.57 goals-against average.
He missed much of last season with a knee injury, playing just 23 games and posting a 10-8-3 record with a .889 save percentage and a 2.90 goals-against average.
