Canucks: Gut feel was play Jaroslav Halak, rest Thatcher Demko against Senators

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Rest is the best.

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It’s the ultimate weapon for any NHL club during the draining pursuit of playoff positioning. Want your starter to be stellar? Make sure he’s mentally and physically dialed in to make a difference when it matters most.

There’s also statistical evidence that revealed in 100 occasions this season where a starter got the call with no rest days, he dropped the ball. The average save percentage in those outings was a paltry .883.

Coach Bruce Boudreau didn’t use that summation to make his goaltending call Tuesday in the latest and greatest must-win game for the Vancouver Canucks. The coach went with his gut and gave Jaroslav Halak the nod over Thatcher Demko in a dangerous trap game against the upset-minded Ottawa Senators at Rogers Arena.

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“My thought process was pretty simple — Halak has played pretty well for us,” Boudreau said before puck drop. “I just do it more on feel. Demko has been hot and Halak, since we put him back in, has been really good.

“And especially watching the Nashville (weekend) games and it really made my mind up. (Jusse) Saros went first in an emotional game against Chicago (4-3 win) — and the next night against St. Louis they went back to him — and he just didn’t have it (8-3 loss).”

Saros allowed four goals on 20 shots and was replaced in the second period by David Rittich, who didn’t fare any better in the blowout.

“We’ve got two goalies and we may as well use them — especially in the last five games — and Demko may have to play all five and he’s been pretty solid, so that’s an advantage for us,” reasoned Boudreau.

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It would also mean Demko playing in back-to-backs against Los Angeles here and then in Edmonton to close out the regular season — and if those games have playoff implications — Demko would be running on adrenalin and not fumes.

The fact Halak is coming off two solid showings in splitting the cage in back-to-backs — a 28-save effort in a 5-1 win at Arizona on April 7 and 32 saves in a 3-1 stunner in Colorado on March 23 — gives Boudreau some comfort.

He knows that the 36-year-old unrestricted free agent still has something to prove in a roller-coaster season where pursuit of performance bonuses and his no-movement clause gained as much notoriety as two brutal outings in February.

Halak was bombed 6-3 here by the New York Islanders on Feb. 9 and gave up five goals on 13 shots in the first period. He was yanked in a 7-2 loss at New Jersey on Feb. 28. In the Devils’ demolition, he was playing too deep in his net, looked out-of-sync and chased from the net in the second period when New Jersey went up 6-1. I have stopped just eight of 14 shots.

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Halak then took a 2-6-2 record, bloated 3.41 goals-against average and .886 save percentage into that memorable late March effort in Denver and it helped take his game to another level.

“Around the trade deadline, there were a lot of things going on in everybody’s mind and he came back and was the true professional that he is,” said Boudreau. “I’ve seen it first-hand. When he puts his mind to it, he can be a great goaltender and we’re expecting that.”

Halak was philosophical after his effort against the Avalanche and getting through the trade deadline.

“It’s always nice to get a win in this league,” he said. “It never gets old. As a player, you always want to play and it’s hard to go in every two or three weeks and my last two starts (February) were not the way I wanted things to go.

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“Obviously, I didn’t know what was going to happen (trade deadline), if I was going to remain with the Canucks or be traded.”

Following a 3-1 win in Chicago on Jan. 31, Halak opened a window on his world, even if it was just a crack, to get inside his head.

“I don’t put pressure on myself anymore,” he stressed. “I just try to go out there and enjoy it because you never know when it’s your last game. I go day-by-day and game-by-game and when I get a chance, I just try to do my best.”

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