Vancouver Canucks starting goaltender Thatcher Demko is expected to be out for approximately six weeks after sustaining an injury.
Demko sustained what appeared to be a lower-body injury during the first period of Thursday’s game against the Florida Panthers. The 26-year-old had to be assisted off the ice after the Panthers scored their third goal in under a minute.
He was replaced by backup goaltender Spencer Martin.
Demko has been struggling to find his groove this season with Vancouver, posting a 3-9-2 record in 14 games, along with a 3.81 GAA and .885 SV%. To compare, the California native finished last season with a 2.72 GAA and .915 SV%.
Martin will undoubtedly be stepping into the starting position with the Canucks in Demko’s absence, as the 27-year-old has already played a bigger role than initially expected this year. In nine starts, Martin has a 3.23 GAA, .902 SV% and a 6-2-1 record.
To fill the hole left in Vancouver’s goaltending lineup, the Canucks recalled Collin Delia from Abbotsford (AHL) on Friday under emergency conditions.