DeSmith will start Game 3 on the road versus the Predators on Friday, Robby Stanley of NHL.com reports.
DeSmith is now the Canucks' top goalie since Thatcher Demko (undisclosed) is considered week-to-week. DeSmith struggled in Game 2 on Tuesday, allowing three goals on 15 shots in a 4-1 loss. The 32-year-old will likely need a bit more goal support from his team, as well as a better performance from himself between the pipes, in order for the Canucks to have a chance to regain a series lead.
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Canucks' Casey DeSmith: Takes loss Tuesday
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DeSmith allowed three goals on 15 shots in Tuesday's 4-1 loss to the Predators in Game 2. The fourth goal was an empty-netter.
Thatcher Demko (undisclosed) was out of action, so it was DeSmith's turn in the crease for the Canucks. His first outing of the postseason was poor -- the Predators were opportunistic with their chances early on and successfully bunkered down in the third period to hold the lead. DeSmith was mediocre in the regular season with a 12-9-6 record, a 2.89 GAA and an .895 save percentage over 29 appearances. If Demko remains sidelined, DeSmith will likely need more help from the team in front of him in order to find success as the series shifts to Nashville for Game 3 on Friday and Game 4 on Sunday.
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Canucks' Casey DeSmith: Tending twine in Game 2
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DeSmith will patrol the home crease Tuesday in Game 2 against Nashville, according to Brendan Batchelor of Sportsnet 650.
DeSmith will get the nod after Thatcher Demko (undisclosed) was injured following Sunday's series-opening victory over the Predators. DeSmith filled in admirably as the Canucks' No. 1 netminder during the regular season when Demko was out due to a knee injury. The 32-year-old DeSmith posted a 12-9-6 record with a 2.89 GAA and an .895 save percentage in 29 appearances. He also stopped 26 shots in a 5-2 win over Nashville on Dec. 19.
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Canucks' Casey DeSmith: Strong against Oilers
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DeSmith stopped 32 of 33 shots in Saturday's 3-1 win over the Oilers.
DeSmith snapped his four-game losing streak with the victory, though he didn't have to contend with Connor McDavid (lower body). DeSmith improved to 12-9-6 on the year with a 2.89 GAA and an .895 save percentage through 29 appearances. The Canucks have two games left in the regular season -- Tuesday at home versus the Flames and Thursday in Winnipeg -- and Thatcher Demko (knee) could be ready for one or both of those games, which would relegate DeSmith to the backup role.
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Canucks' Casey DeSmith: First off Saturday
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DeSmith was the first goaltender off the ice at the morning skate, per Thomas Drance of The Athletic, indicating he will defend the road net Saturday against Edmonton.
DeSmith has allowed 17 goals on 111 shots for an .847 save percentage during his four-game losing streak. He has gone 11-9-6 this season with a 2.96 GAA and an .891 save percentage through 28 appearances. The Oilers rank fourth in the league this campaign with 3.58 goals per contest.
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Canucks' Casey DeSmith: Loses again Saturday
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DeSmith gave up six goals on 29 shots in Saturday's 6-3 loss to the Kings.
DeSmith took his fourth straight loss, and this is the second time in a row he's given up six goals. The 32-year-old dropped to 11-9-6 with a 2.96 GAA and an .891 save percentage through 28 appearances. While he was steady in a backup role earlier in the year, he's struggled to replace Thatcher Demko (knee) over the last month. The good news for the Canucks is that Demko could be back as soon as Monday's game versus the Golden Knights, which would likely mean a reduced role for DeSmith heading into the final part of the regular season.
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Canucks' Casey DeSmith: Set to face Kings
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DeSmith is expected to start on the road against LA on Saturday, per Zach Dooley of the Kings' official site.
DeSmith will attempt to rebound after losing his past three outings while allowing 11 goals on 82 shots (.866 save percentage). He's 11-8-6 with a 2.84 GAA and an .895 save percentage across 27 appearances this season. DeSmith might have a somewhat challenging time ending his slump against the Kings after allowing three goals on 19 shots in a 3-2 loss to LA on March 25.
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Canucks' Casey DeSmith: Struggles in Vegas
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DeSmith stopped 24 of 30 shots in Tuesday's 6-3 loss to the Golden Knights.
Not all of the goals against were his fault, but DeSmith didn't put the Canucks in a position to win. This was his third straight loss, and he's given up 11 goals in that span. The 32-year-old goalie is down to 11-8-6 with a 2.84 GAA and an .897 save percentage through 27 appearances this season. The Canucks play again Wednesday versus the Coyotes, and it's likely Arturs Silovs will get the nod in that contest.
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Canucks' Casey DeSmith: First off Tuesday
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DeSmith was the first goalie off the ice at the morning skate, per Dan Murphy of Sportsnet, indicating he will guard the road goal against Vegas on Tuesday.
DeSmith has stopped 47 of 52 shots during his two-game losing streak. In 26 appearances this season. he has provided an 11-7-6 record with a 2.71 GAA and a .900 save percentage. The Golden Knights rank 15th in the league with 3.16 goals per contest this campaign.
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Canucks' Casey DeSmith: Narrow loss Thursday
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DeSmith stopped 31 of 33 shots in Thursday's 3-1 loss to the Stars. The third goal was an empty-netter.
The Stars' power play accounted for both of the goals against DeSmith. This was his second loss in a row, but he's given up no more than three goals in any of his last six outings. The 32-year-old goalie is at 11-7-6 with a 2.71 GAA and a .900 save percentage over 26 games this season. With Thatcher Demko (knee) now on long-term injured reserve, DeSmith is likely to see a majority of the starts over at least the next week, though it's possible head coach Rick Tocchet turns to Arturs Silovs on occasion once the Canucks secure a playoff spot.
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Canucks' Casey DeSmith: Slated to face Stars
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DeSmith is expected to start at home against Dallas on Thursday, per Jeff Paterson of CanucksArmy.com.
DeSmith will attempt to rebound after stopping just 16 of 19 shots in a 3-2 loss to LA on Monday. He has an 11-6-6 record, 2.73 GAA and .897 save percentage in 25 appearances this season. The Stars, who rank second offensively with 3.66 goals per game, figure to be a challenging opponent for DeSmith.
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Canucks' Casey DeSmith: Takes loss Monday
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DeSmith allowed three goals on 19 shots in Monday's 3-2 loss to the Kings.
DeSmith was done in by giving up two goals over a span of 1:51 late in the second period. This was his first loss in four outings. The 32-year-old is down to 11-6-6 with a 2.73 GAA and an .899 save percentage over 25 appearances. The Canucks have another tough matchup coming up as they host the Stars on Thursday.
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Canucks' Casey DeSmith: Guarding crease Monday
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DeSmith will get the starting nod Monday at home against the Kings, Jeff Paterson of CanucksArmy.com reports.
DeSmith has won three straight games while yielding just five goals on 58 shots during that stretch. The 32-year-old is 3-1-1 with a 2.22 GAA in his last five starts since Thatcher Demko (knee) was injured. DeSmith is 11-5-6 with an .899 save percentage through 24 games this season.
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Canucks' Casey DeSmith: Yields two goals in win
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DeSmith stopped 22 of 24 shots in Saturday's 4-2 win over the Flames.
DeSmith played with the lead all game as the Canucks scored 48 seconds after puck drop. He backstopped the Canucks to their third win in a row, finishing Saturday's contest with a .917 save percentage and stopping the lone power-play shot he faced. The 32-year-old has been serving as the de facto No. 1 goalie for Vancouver, starting six straight contests, due to the absence of Thatcher Demko (knee). The Canucks host the Kings on Monday.
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Canucks' Casey DeSmith: First off Saturday
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DeSmith will guard the home net against the Flames on Saturday, Brendan Batchelor of Sportsnet 650 reports.
DeSmith will make a fifth straight start with Thatcher Demko (knee) sidelined. The 32-year-old netminder has won his last two outings, allowing three goals on 32 shots in that span. Overall, DeSmith is 10-5-6 with an .898 save percentage and 2.75 GAA this year. The Flames are averaging 3.13 goals per game this season.
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Canucks' Casey DeSmith: Solid in Thursday's win
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DeSmith stopped 16 of 17 shots in Thursday's 4-1 win over the Canadiens.
DeSmith limited the damage to a Juraj Slafkovsky goal late in the second period. The Canucks have done well to limit the pucks getting through to DeSmith, who has faced just 58 shots over his last three outings. He's 2-1-1 as the team's primary starter with Thatcher Demko (knee) sidelined. DeSmith is up to 10-5-6 with a 2.75 GAA and a .900 save percentage over 23 appearances this season. The Canucks' homestand continues Saturday versus the Flames.
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Canucks' Casey DeSmith: Starting versus Montreal
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DeSmith will guard the home goal versus the Canadiens on Thursday.
DeSmith continues his run as the No. 1 goalie with Thatcher Demko (knee) sidelined. DeSmith has allowed eight goals over his last three starts, going 1-1-1 in that span. He won his previous outing against the Canadiens with 30 saves on 32 shots in a 5-2 victory in November.
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Canucks' Casey DeSmith: Lightly tested in win
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DeSmith stopped 15 of 17 shots in Tuesday's 3-2 win over the Sabres.
The Sabres were a bit flat in the second half of their back-to-back, though Rasmus Dahlin's two goals in the third period made it interesting. DeSmith was able to hold on late for his first win in four outings since Thatcher Demko (knee) was injured. The 32-year-old DeSmith has gone 9-5-6 with a 2.83 GAA and an .897 save percentage over 22 appearances. The Canucks have a favorable matchup Thursday versus the Canadiens, and DeSmith will have some workload-based appeal in fantasy as long as Demko is out.
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Canucks' Casey DeSmith: Exits ice first Tuesday
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DeSmith was the first goalie off the ice Tuesday, Brendan Batchelor of Sportsnet 650 reports, an indication he'll guard the cage at home versus the Sabres.
DeSmith continues to see an uptick in opportunities because Thatcher Demko (knee) is sidelined. In his first season with Vancouver, the 32-year-old DeSmith is 8-5-6 with one shutout and a 2.87 GAA in 21 contests. If Demko is out for much longer, the team may have to give a start or two to Arturs Silovs.
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Canucks' Casey DeSmith: Yields two goals in loss
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DeSmith allowed two goals on 24 shots in Saturday's 2-1 loss to the Capitals.
It was a relatively low-event game, but the Capitals scored twice in a span of 1:53 in the second period to turn things around. That left DeSmith with his second straight loss since he took over the starting role due to Thatcher Demko's knee injury. DeSmith is down to 8-5-6 with a 2.87 GAA and an .898 save percentage over 21 appearances. DeSmith is likely to continue handling a large role -- the Canucks aren't scheduled for any back-to-backs over the next week, and Demko's not expected to return until close to the end of March at the earliest.
