Canucks' Markstrom granted leave of absence, expected back on weekend

The Vancouver Canucks have granted netminder Jacob Markstrom a leave of absence to tend to a family matter, general manager Jim Benning announced Monday.

Markstrom is expected to rejoin the club on the road this weekend against either the New Jersey Devils or the New York Rangers.

The 29-year-old puck-stopper has had a strong start to the campaign, collecting a pair of wins with a 2.23 goals-against average and a .926 save percentage over four starts.

Vancouver will lean on backup Thatcher Demko as Markstrom is likely to miss at least two games this week. The Canucks host the Detroit Red Wings on Tuesday before heading to St. Louis for a date with the Blues on Thursday.