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There was plenty of buzz Tuesday after a report by Daily Faceoff’s Frank Seravalli suggested Thatcher Demko could yet play a role in the Vancouver Canucks’ Pacific Division final series versus the Edmonton Oilers, which begins Wednesday evening at Rogers Arena.
Seravalli suggested there’s a possibility that Demko would be back by Game 5 but “that is probably pushing it.”
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To be clear, Game 5 is scheduled to be played on May 16, in just over a week’s time.
Game 6 — scheduled for May 18 — or Game 7, scheduled for May 20 “get interesting,” Seravalli added.
Of course, this is in line with Postmedia’s reporting two weeks ago, where we suggested there was a small chance of a return to action for the Canucks’ No. 1 netminder late in this round, though it was most likely he wouldn’t be ready until the conference final.
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After checking with sources, it’s clear that the conference finals remains most likely.
Demko is still skating on his own. He has been seen late in recent practices taking the ice as his teammates are leaving the ice.
He didn’t do so on Tuesday, as the Canucks held a full practice at Rogers Arena, though it’s believed he skated earlier in the day. The limited movement drills he’s been doing are not indicative of a goalie who is terribly close to a return.
Checking with sources, it remains tough to see Demko truly ready to return for Game 6 or 7, though again, not impossible. It would be a bit of a desperation call, with those games being just over three weeks since the original injury … but apparently not far off the previously reported estimate, which said he’d be out for about four weeks, give or take.
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