Demko returning to Canucks' crease Tuesday

The Vancouver Canucks are getting a big boost between the pipes ahead of the playoffs.

Goaltender Thatcher Demko will return Tuesday against the Calgary Flames for Vancouver's penultimate game of the season, head coach Rick Tocchet confirmed, per Sportsnet's Brendan Batchelor. The Canucks finish off their season Thursday in Winnipeg.

Demko hasn't played since suffering a knee injury March 9 against the Jets. He was originally supposed to be out just two-to-three weeks but ended up missing 14 games. Backup Casey DeSmith handled the bulk of the workload in his absence with mixed results, as his save percentage was just .888 while Demko was out.

Demko was enjoying the best season of his career before the injury, posting a .917 save percentage and a 2.47 goals-against average in 49 games. He still ranks fourth in Evolving-Hockey's goals saved above expected metric despite the missed time and will likely garner some Vezina Trophy consideration.