The Vancouver Canucks will be without goalie Thatcher Demko when they face the Nashville Predators in Game 2 of their first-round playoff series Tuesday.

Coach Rick Tocchet said the 28-year-old netminder is going to be evaluated later Tuesday and is 鈥渄ay to day.鈥�

鈥淗e skated yesterday. He鈥檚 not going to play tonight,鈥� Tocchet said. 鈥淚t wasn鈥檛 the old injury and that鈥檚 all I really got for you guys.鈥�

Demko played all of Game 1 for the Canucks on Sunday, backstopping the team to a 4-2 victory. Tocchet said he wasn鈥檛 sure whether the injury happened during the game.

鈥淚t might have been in the game, but I鈥檓 not quite sure because he skated yesterday,鈥� he said. 鈥淚 don鈥檛 know the exact timeline. That鈥檚 why I don鈥檛 want to speculate whether it鈥檚 this time or whatever.鈥�

Demko missed 14 games after suffering a knee injury on March 9, but returned for Vancouver鈥檚 two final games of the regular season. He finished with a 35-14-2 record, a .918 save percentage and five shutouts.

Demko showed his work ethic as he rehabilitated and got back into the lineup ahead of the playoffs, said Canucks forward J.T. Miller.

鈥淗e works harder than anybody on a day-to-day basis when he鈥檚 not injured, let alone when he鈥檚 trying to get back in for stuff like this. So you feel for the guy,鈥� he said.

鈥淗e鈥檚 a big part of our team, but we鈥檝e got to find a way to be resilient as a group and move forward. We鈥檙e not the only team going through this type of stuff. So it鈥檚 gonna happen. We need to find a way to be resilient, like I said.鈥�

Casey DeSmith will take over the Canucks鈥� net for Game 2.

The 32-year-old goalie had a 12-9-6 record with a 2.89 goals-against average and .895 save percentage for Vancouver this season.

He went 4-5-1 while Demko was out with the knee injury. Arturs Silovs 鈥� who will be DeSmith鈥檚 backup on Tuesday 鈥� also played four games, going 3-0-1.

DeSmith is a well-liked goalie with a great demeanor, Tocchet said.

鈥淚鈥檓 very confident (in DeSmith),鈥� the coach said. 鈥淎ny time you get in the playoffs, there鈥檚 stories and he鈥檚 looking to be a contributor to his team,鈥� he said. 鈥淎nd we expect, the way he鈥檚 played all year for us, really solid hockey. We鈥檙e not looking for him to be spectacular. We鈥檙e looking for him to be Casey.鈥�

DeSmith has made one playoff appearance in his NHL career.

Playing for the Penguins, he stopped 48 of the 51 shots he faced in Pittsburgh鈥檚 4-3 overtime win against the New York Rangers in Game 1 of a first-round series on May 3, 2022. DeSmith was injured in the second overtime and had to be replaced by Louis Domingue.

The Penguins announced the following day that DeSmith would undergo core surgery.

The Canucks know how they need to play in front of DeSmith on Tuesday, Miller said.

鈥淚f we play the way we鈥檙e supposed to play, it should be an easier night for Casey, in the sense of giving up big chances,鈥� he said.

鈥淲hen that happens, I know (the goalie鈥檚) life鈥檚 a hell of a lot easier. So, like I said, worry about us. There鈥檚 things we can鈥檛 control and that鈥檚 obviously one of them as a player. So we need to be able to just focus on the game. Normal game for us.鈥�

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