The Vancouver Canucks face the Montreal Canadiens on Monday night without goaltender Thatcher Demko, who is sidelined for at least a week with a lower-body injury. Forward Conor Garland returns to the lineup after missing five games, while the Canadiens hope to have Josh Anderson back soon.
The Vancouver Canucks (16-23-5) visit the Montreal Canadiens (25-14-6) at 7:30 p.m. ET on Monday, broadcast on RDS and Prime Video. This matchup comes as both teams deal with significant injury updates affecting their rosters.
For Vancouver, goaltender Thatcher Demko returned to the city for evaluation after sustaining a lower-body injury in a 5-0 loss to the Toronto Maple Leafs on Saturday. He allowed three goals on six shots before exiting after the first period and is 8-10-1 with a 2.91 goals-against average and .897 save percentage in 20 games this season. Coach Adam Foote said Demko is expected to miss at least one week. "We'll see what's next," Foote said. "We'll probably find out in the next couple of days. We're hoping it's a week or two; that would be good." Nikita Tolopilo, recalled from Abbotsford of the American Hockey League on an emergency basis Sunday, will start in net.
Forward Conor Garland returns from an upper-body injury, marking his first game since Dec. 30. He has 22 points (seven goals, 15 assists) in 33 games. However, Kiefer Sherwood (undisclosed) will miss time after skating in the morning session. Sherwood, tied for third on the team with 23 points (17 goals, six assists) in 44 games, is expected to be out one to three weeks. "He’s trying to go through something, and my gut says it’s probably going to be a week to three weeks probably," Foote said. "It doesn’t look promising." Defenseman Zeev Buium will be a healthy scratch after 13 consecutive games since his Dec. 12 acquisition from the Minnesota Wild. Forward Marco Rossi is out 2-3 more weeks with a lower-body injury.
The Canadiens' projected lineup features Cole Caufield with Nick Suzuki and Alexandre Texier on the top line. Forward Josh Anderson (upper body) skated but will not play Monday; he could return Tuesday at the Washington Capitals. Anderson has been out since Jan. 1 and has 13 points (nine goals, four assists) in 40 games. Forwards Patrik Laine (lower body), Kirby Dach (broken foot) and Jake Evans (lower body) also skated in non-contact jerseys. Other injured Canadiens include Alex Newhook (broken ankle).
Vancouver's projected lines include Jake DeBrusk with Elias Pettersson and Linus Karlsson, while Montreal scratches Sam Montembeault and Jayden Struble. The Canucks recalled defenseman Victor Mancini and reassigned Elias Pettersson to Abbotsford Sunday.
