Demko has not played yet this season due to a knee injury and will make his debut on Friday, serving as the backup to Kevin Lankinen. The 28-year-old Demko was tremendous for the Canucks last season, posting a career-best 2.45 GAA and .918 SV% in 51 games (35-14-2). The Canucks next game will be on Sunday afternoon against the Tampa Bay Lightning.
Vancouver Canucks News
Lankinen was on the wrong end of a 3-2 loss to the Minnesota Wild on Tuesday, allowing three goals on 29 shots (.897 SV%), but will return to the crease for a fourth straight game on Friday against the Columbus Blue Jackets. The 29-year-old Lankinen is sporting a solid 2.66 GAA and .906 SV% through 18 games this season (12-3-3). The Canucks enter Friday's contest as sizeable -209 home favorites against a Blue Jackets club that lost 6-3 to the Edmonton Oilers last night.
Lankinen was on the wrong end of a 3-2 loss to the Minnesota Wild on Tuesday, allowing three goals on 29 shots (.897 SV%), but will return to the crease for a fourth straight game on Friday against the Columbus Blue Jackets. The 29-year-old Lankinen is sporting a solid 2.66 GAA and .906 SV% through 18 games this season (12-3-3). The Canucks enter Friday's contest as sizeable -209 home favorites against a Blue Jackets club that lost 6-3 to the Edmonton Oilers last night.
Lekkerimaki spent five straight games with Vancouver last month, his first exposure to the NHL, before being return to Abbotsford (AHL). The 20-year-old Lekkerimaki was the 15th overall pick of the Canucks in the 2022 NHL Entry Draft.
McWard is an undrafted product of Ohio State University with six games of NHL experience. The 23-year-old McWard has five points (1G / 5A) in 21 games with the Abbotsford Canucks (AHL) this season.
Lankinen will be in search of a fifth straight victory when the Canucks travel to Minnesota to take on the Wild on Tuesday. The Canucks' de facto starting netminder stopped 27 of the 31 shots he faced in a 5-4 overtime victory in Detroit on Sunday. Lankinen boasts an impressive 12-3-2 record to go along with a .907 SV% on the season. He and the Canucks enter action on Tuesday as slight underdogs at +120 on the money line.
Hronek has not played the last two games due to an upper-body injury and, after being further evaluated in Vancouver, will miss approximately eight more weeks. The 27-year-old Hronek has nine points (1G / 8A) in 21 games this season.
Hronek has not played the last two games due to an upper-body injury and has returned to Vancouver for further evaluations. The 27-year-old Hronek has nine points (1G / 8A) in 21 games this season.
Lankinen has a 2.56 GAA and .909 SV% in 15 games this season (10-3-2). The 29-year-old Lankinen has fallen off a bit from .923 SV% he had in his first nine games (7-0-2) but has still given the Canucks a chance to win on most nights. The Canucks enter the action on Friday as slight -108 road favorites against the Buffalo Sabres.
Hronek is among ice time leaders for the Canucks this season, averaging 23:36 time-on-ice. He has nine points (1G / 8A) in 21 games this season. Vincent Desharnais will draw into the Canucks lineup as Hronek's replacement on the blueline.
Filip Hronek (upperbody) will not play on Friday, allowing Desharnais to re-enter the lineup for the Canucks. The 28-year-old Desharnais has played 11 games this season, averaging 14:54 time-on-ice and scoring one point (0G / 1A).
Friedman has played 88 career games in the NHL but has had trouble solidifying himself on a roster. The 28-year-old defenseman has spent the entirety of the 2024-25 campaign in the AHL with the Abbotsford Canucks, scoring four points (1G / 3A) in eight games.
Bains has been back and forth from the AHL all season but has spent most of the 2024-25 campaign in Vancouver. The 23-year-old Bains is averaging 10:56 time-on-ice and has one point (1G / 0A) in 11 games.
Bains will take a seat as the Canucks opt to get some fresh legs into their lineup for the tail-end of their back-to-back. Max Sasson will draw into the lineup in his place.
Sasson will play just his second game of his career on Wednesday as the Canucks opt to get some fresh bodies into their lineup for the tail-end of their back-to-back. Arshdeep Bains will sit in his place.
The Canucks will turn to Silovs on Wednesday as they get set to play their second game in as many nights. It's Silovs' first appearance since November 19th, when he surrendered four goals on 33 shots in a 4-3 loss to the Rangers. The 23-year-old netminder owns an ugly .857 SV% and 3.91 GAA across six appearances this season. That being said, he's got a good chance of getting back in the win column on Wednesday, as the Canucks enter action as -120 favourites in Pittsburgh.
Despite some recent struggles, allowing three or more goals in four of his last five games (2-3-0), Lankinen has been solid for the Canucks this season and will return to the crease on Tuesday against the Boston Bruins. The 29-year-old Lankinen is sporting a 2.74 GAA and .901 SV% in 14 games this season (9-3-2). The Canucks enter the action on Tuesday as +103 road underdogs against a Boston Bruins club that has failed to score more than two goals in five straight (2-2-1).
Brock Boeser (upper body) will return from a seven-game absence, resulting in Sasson being a healthy scratch. The 24-yearold Sasson is coming off his NHL debut where he scored one point (0G / 1A) in 7:49 time-on-ice.
Boeser has missed seven straight since suffering an upper-body injury November 7th against the Los Angeles King, courtesy of an illegal hit from Tanner Jeannot. Before his injury, Boeser was picking up where he left off with last seasons career-best totals, scoring 11 points (6G / 5A) in 12 games.