Two AHL goalies are suiting up for the Canucks tonight
With both of their goalies still in COVID-19 protocol, the Vancouver Canucks are in a precarious position heading into tonight’s game against the NHL-leading Florida Panthers.
Thatcher Demko and Jaroslav Halak will both miss the game at Rogers Arena due to the virus, meaning that two AHL netminders will try to fill the gap.
Spencer Martin will get his first NHL start since joining the Canucks this past offseason. The 26-year-old career minor league netminder has just three games of NHL experience, all with the Colorado Avalanche during the 2016-17 season.
Martin has been practicing with the Canucks since January 8, when he was called up to the taxi squad. He has backed up Demko since January 15, when Halak went into COVID protocol.
“This is a big step for a person that hasn’t played much lately,” Boudreau said after practice. Martin hasn’t played a competitive game since January 7, with the Abbotsford Canucks.
Backing up Martin will be 22-year-old goalie Michael DiPietro, who was a third-round pick by the Canucks in 2017.
While DiPietro was expected to be Abbotsford’s No. 1 goalie this season, Martin has outplayed him. In seven AHL games, Martin has a 5-0-2 record with a .921 save percentage, and earned the first goalie call up. Meanwhile, DiPietro has posted a 4-7-2 record with a .896 save percentage.
The Canucks are also without J.T. Miller, Bo Horvat, and Conor Garland, who are all in COVID-19 protocol. That necessitated Vancouver also calling up forwards Sheldon Dries and Justin Bailey from Abbotsford.
Transactions: #Canucks recall Sheldon Dries, Justin Bailey, and Michael DiPietro (emergency recall) from Taxi Squad. Defenceman Guillaume Brisebois has been placed on LTIR.
— Canucks PR (@CanucksPR) January 21, 2022
Tonight’s game will be the first home game the Canucks have played in over a month. It’s also the first regular season home game in team history to be played at 50% capacity, in accordance with the latest health order.
The Canucks have an 18-18-3 record, but are 10-3-1 since Boudreau took over the team on December 6.
Follow Channels and Categories