LATEST | Thatcher Demko & Canucks goaltending in elite company to start season
While, yes, it's still very early on in the 2023-24 National Hockey League season, Thatcher Demko and Casey DeSmith have been lights out for the Vancouver Canucks and have found themselves in some pretty elite company.
According to the X account, JFresh, who takes a look at advanced and underlying statistics, Canucks goaltender Thatcher Demko sits fourth in the entire National Hockey League with a +7.1 GSAx, which is goals saved above expected. Demko only sits behind Montreal's Jake Allen, Boston's Jeremy Swayman and Toronto's Joseph Woll in that category.
Meanwhile, in terms of goaltending tandems and team GSAx, the Canucks sit third in the National Hockey League with +10.3, while Boston and Montreal are both tied for first at +14.7.
For those unfamiliar with what Goals Saved Above Expected means, here's the definition from Last Word on Sports.
Demko, for his part, has appeared in five games so far this season for the Canucks where he's posted a record of 3-2-0 with a 1.91 goals against average, a .936 save percentage and one shutout. As for Casey DeSmith, he's appeared in four games, one of which came in relief. He has a 2-0-1 record with a 2.76 goals-against average and a .914 save percentage.
It's safe to say that the Vancouver Canucks are in good hands with Thatcher Demko and Casey DeSmith between the pipes; if they're able to keep up their strong play throughout the coming months, the team is going to have plenty of success as they look to advance to the Stanley Cup Playoffs for the first time since 2020.
| POLL | ||
Are you confident in the Canucks goaltending tandem of Thatcher Demko and Casey DeSmith? | ||
| Yes | 592 | 85.4 % |
| Not fully, yet. | 71 | 10.2 % |
| See Results | 30 | 4.3 % |
| List of polls | ||
