Casey DeSmith didn’t anticipate being in goal for the Vancouver Canucks on Saturday.
By the end of the night, though, the goalie had stopped 10 shots and recorded his second shutout of the season as the Canucks (42-17-7) shut out the Winnipeg Jets 5-0.
However, the win might be pricey for Vancouver, as all-star goalie Thatcher Demko left in the middle of the second period.
“Obviously not the circumstances I like to be a part of a game, but that’s a great win against a really good team,” DeSmith said. “And from the beginning to the end of the game, we really dominated, that was an impressive win for the team.”
The surprising change in lineup happened 6:40 into the second period when Demko left the ice and went directly down the tunnel. He stopped all 12 shots he faced before leaving.
Canucks head coach Rick Tocchet did not explain why his goalie left the ice.
“I haven’t spoken to the doctor. I don’t think it’s too serious, but I don’t know. I can’t guess,” Tocchet said after the game.
Before Saturday’s game, Demko was tied with Alexandar Georgiev of the Colorado Avalanche with 33 wins this season, the most in the NHL.
Giving Demko more rest is something the Canucks want to do before playoffs, Tocchet said.
“We’re going to have to really manage it,” he said. “I think we play three games in 11 days or something, so there’s a lot of time for him to get some rest and whatever we need to do to get him healthy again. But yeah, we’ve got to manage him for sure.”
Vancouver started their offensive attack early on Saturday, with J.T. Miller scoring his 32nd goal of the season 2:05 into the game.
Elias Pettersson, Nils Hoglander and Pius Suter each scored and got an assist, while Phillip Di Giuseppe added a goal and Quinn Hughes had a pair of assists.
Connor Hellebuyck stopped 32-of-37 shots for Winnipeg (40-18-5), who were coming off a 3-0 win over the Kraken in Seattle on Friday.
For Jets head coach Rick Bowness, the loss was less about what the Canucks did than what his team didn’t do.
“Listen, the bottom line is that’s the worst game we have played in my two years here. By far. Because we didn’t have one player play a good game. Not one,” he said. “It starts there. And it ends there. It’s as simple as that.”
Hoglander gave the home side a two-goal lead 13:47 into the first period, shooting a puck on net that bounced in off Hellebuyck. The goal was the Swedish forward’s 20th of the season.
The Canucks led 3-0 at the end of the first period, thanks in part to Demko.
The goalie stopped Mason Appleton with his left pad and the rebound went to Teddy Blueger in the slot. The Vancouver centre raced down the ice, then passed the puck to Di Giuseppe who scored with three minutes to go in the opening frame.
Vancouver went up 4-0 early in the second period when Pettersson scored his 31st goal of the year on a power play.
Hughes fired a shot from the point, hitting Conor Garland in the slot. The puck landed at Pettersson, who backhanded a shot in around Hellebuyck’s outstretched skate 4:04 into the second.
Vancouver scored once in 2 power play opportunities on Saturday, while Winnipeg did not score in their 1 power play chance.
Hoglander scored at 15:06 of the third period by chipping a pass in from the boards and Suter, facing away from the net, put it in.
The strong Canucks defense helped DeSmith keep Winnipeg from scoring, but he faced pressure later in the game. He stopped Kyle Connor's close-range shot and then saved the rebound from the Jets star's second attempt.
DeSmith said he quickly got ready after being chosen.
“It was good that I faced a shot fairly early. I believe it was on the first shift, so that's always good, to make the first save,” he said. “And then just continue from there, try to feel physically good.”
The win extended Vancouver’s winning streak to four games and maintained their position at the top of the Western Conference standings.
