Canadiens 5, Canucks 2: Thatcher Demko gets mad but can’t get even
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Demko surrendered three goals on 10 shots in the opening dozen minutes and the loss had his fingerprints all over it.
Thatcher Demko #35 of the Vancouver Canucks and Brendan Gallagher #11 of the Montreal Canadiens rough each other up during the second period at Centre Bell on November 9, 2022 in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. Photo by Minas Panagiotakis /Getty Images Article content
MONTREAL — Thatcher Demko got mad to try and get even Wednesday.
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The frustrated Vancouver Canucks starter is known for his calm demeanour, but he has yet to find his game with bloated numbers and just one win in 10 starts this season. That’s enough to get to any stopper.
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And when Demko found the irritating Brendan Gallagher fishing for a rebound in the crease and getting a stick under his arm in the second period, an ensuing sprawl led to a Demko and Oliver Ekman-Larsson tag team on the feisty Montreal Canadiens winger.
Demko got in a few good punches and was assessed a minor. So was Ekman-Larsson.
It was a sidebar to the bigger story.
Demko surrendered three goals on 10 shots in the opening dozen minutes that would be the foundation of a 5-2 loss because it had his fingerprints all over it.
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“Thatcher owes us nothing,” said Canucks captain Bo Horvat. “He has stolen so many games for us and we have to play well in front of him. He’s an elite goaltender and has been doing this for a long time. He’s obviously showing emotion when he got speared.”
Ekman-Larsson didn’t hesitate to jump in when push came to shove.
“Whenever that happens, you want to stick up for your teammate and even your goalie,” he said. “He (Gallagher) was standing there and I grabbed him and Demmer did a pretty good job, too.”
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The Canucks showed some third-period life with Luke Schenn’s floater from the point finding the short side through a maze. Nils Hoglander, who had been scratched in two of the last three games and replaced Dakota Joshua, then got to the net to score his first goal of the season before J.T. Miller hit the post on the power play. So did Quinn Hughes.
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“If you’re looking for positives, we never quit,” said Canucks coach Bruce Boudreau. “We don’t hit the post on the power play and all of a sudden it’s 4-3 and then who knows? They probably let up in the third period and we came on a bit. You wish you could keep your foot on the gas for 60 minutes and that’s the goal.”
Here’s what we learned as the Canucks fell to 4-7-3 and may have a crease conundrum:
Goaltender Thatcher Demko #35 of the Vancouver Canucks shows his frustration against Brendan Gallagher #11 of the Montreal Canadiens during the second period at Centre Bell on November 9, 2022 in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. Photo by Minas Panagiotakis /Getty Images
Martin is making HNIC sense
There was always the sentimental suggestion of giving Oakville, Ont., native Spencer Martin the hometown start Saturday in Toronto. Not that he doesn’t deserve it on merit.
Martin has yet to lose in regulation in his 10 career appearances with the Canucks. His 37 saves in a wild 6-4 win over the Ottawa Senators to start the trip was another indication of his increased value to be more than an occasional option for coach Bruce Boudreau.
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However, the plan Wednesday was for Demko to channel his strong showing here last season — 33 saves in 2-1 win over the Canadiens on Nov. 29 — and use it as a springboard to face the Maple Leafs.
A better suggestion would be for Demko to put in more work with goaltending coach Ian Clark to “clean up those little things” that the starter keeps mentioning.
Of course, Demko has the capability to work his way out of this because he started slowly last season. But the problem is the Canucks need a goalie to steal a game for them on this tough and defining trip.
That goalie might be Martin, but Demko didn’t get a lot of defensive support either.
“We know the start wasn’t good enough and there’s no excuse for it,” said Horvat. “There were parts I really liked — when we established a forecheck and got on their defence — but they’re a fast team and it wasn’t good enough all around.”
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J.T. Miller #9 of the Vancouver Canucks skates for the puck near goaltender Sam Montembeault #35 of the Montreal Canadiens during the first period at Centre Bell on November 9, 2022 in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. Photo by Minas Panagiotakis /Getty Images
Big dents in Demko’s armour
No stopper wants to be beaten between the arm and body and that’s where Nick Suzuki ripped a power-play shot just 55 seconds into the first period after Tanner Pearson took an offensive-zone hooking infraction.
Demko then had an Arber Xhekaj defection of point shot change direction just enough to elude his glove. And when Miller intercepted a cross-ice pass at the top of the slot and had his clearing attempt go off Kirby Dach’s stick — before his trickier went between Demko’s pads — it was the kind of hole the Canucks were going to have trouble digging out of.
“All turnovers hurt, especially when they end up in the back of your net,” said Boudreau. “Whether it’s J.T. or Bo or Petey, there were a lot of other plays we didn’t make either.”
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The hook didn’t come out after the first period because it would have been a lack of faith in a stopper dubbed a franchise goalie.
But he hasn’t played like one — he would get beat to the stick side off a Mike Hoffman rush in the second period and Dach went glove in the third — and his numbers entering Wednesday were numbing.
An .879 saves percentage ranked 55th and a 3.90 goals-against average was 57th. They pale in comparison to the career numbers he established last season for appearances (64), wins (33) and goal-against average (2.72).
“I’ve got to keep him in there and he’s got to fight through these things,” stressed Boudreau. “If you just keep making it easy, all of a sudden you don’t fight through it. And any of the good goaltenders I’ve had, they want to stay in there and find it.
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“And he made a couple of good saves in the second and I thought it was going to be there, but still things leaked through.”
Vancouver Canucks goaltender Thatcher Demko is scored on by Montreal Canadiens’ Nick Suzuki (not shown) as Canadiens’ Sean Monahan (91) looks on during first period NHL hockey action in Montreal, Wednesday, November 9, 2022. Photo by Graham Hughes /The Canadian Press
A parade to box is toxic
When you own the league’s worst penalty kill at a 60.5 per cent, taking penalties is like slitting your wrist.
That early hooking minor by Pearson led to Suzuki’s goal and he would take a cross-checking minor in the second to up his minors count to eight. That’s one short of his total for the entire 2020-21 season. He later left the game and didn’t return and is listed day-to-day with an injury.
“We’re killing a lot of penalties, but we stayed with it. We have to be a lot more disciplined for sure,” said Horvat.
Boudreau went one better knowing his veteran contingent isn’t setting the right example — especially Pearson who’s up to eight minors. He took nine all of last season.
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“That’s not good and that will be addressed,” said the coach. “That should never happen to anybody, let alone a guy who has won two Stanley Cups and knows exactly what he’s supposed to be doing.”
And it’s more than just that.
“It’s frustrating, the give-aways, the not being able to handle the puck on a pass in the neutral zone and letting pucks bounce over your stick — those are killers,” added Boudreau.
Said Elias Pettersson: “Nothing was there for us tonight and I don’t know what the answer is. We better figure it out.”
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