“You’re going to get worse if you’re not getting better and I still look like a pretty young kid with a lot to learn,” says the Canucks rising star between the pipes.
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The morning after the night before, the image of Thatcher Demko darting from booth to booth to rob Jamie Benn of a scoring chance on Sunday was still etched in many memory banks.
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However, for the Vancouver Canucks goalkeeper it was not getting his stick on a shot destined for the short side at a 2v1 break during the 6-3 win over the Dallas Stars. It was the next shot.
“You still have to do the next one too,” Demko reasoned Monday. “It doesn’t mean much if the next shot goes in. I didn’t feel very good because they made a power play a minute later and ended up scoring.
“I just try to make as many stops as I can and fashion is unpredictable. But I’m human too, and it feels good to make a cool stop every now and then. “
Press Demko into her pleat steal and you’ll get the usual nod and shrug.
Puts your preparation in perspective. He has a credible 2.59 goals against average and a .918 save percentage, but the real story of his endurance as a bona fide starter is the amount of rubber he has faced.
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The 317 shots are second in the National Hockey League after Robin Lehner of the Vegas Golden Knights, who has faced 332. That might be enough to say that my work here is done because those numbers speak for themselves. Not Demko.
“You’re going to get worse if you’re not getting better, and I still see myself as a pretty young kid with a lot to learn. I’ve come a long way in recent years, but I can still be better and a lot of that is just experience and strategy on the net and reading.
“This is my first year as the number one player and that aspect is a bit new, but playing a lot in a row is no different.”
NEXT GAME
Tuesday
Anaheim Ducks vs. Vancouver Canucks
7 pm, Rogers Arena. TV: Sportsnet Pacific. Radio: AM 650.
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Meeting of minds
You can imagine what a power play meeting of the first unit might look like.
Some raised voices, a lot of finger points, and maybe not much progress. That was not the case on Sunday morning.
The responsibility and openness to watch videos and accept new shot rotations paid off in finishing a 0-for-18 funk with three power play goals that night.
“Makes us look pretty good, I guess, doesn’t it?” Canucks captain Bo Horvat said, laughing. “It took a long time and we just had to be honest with our group and with ourselves that it wasn’t good enough. I don’t know if it provoked us. It is a game and it has to be consistent.
“But it definitely opened our eyes that the guys were willing to play anywhere and do whatever. I’m happy the five of us are back because we know what to do to be successful. “
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