After an awkward but somewhat harmless looking bump, goaltender Thatcher Demko “will not return to tonight’s game,” writes the Vancouver Canucks RR department in a statement released Thursday night. While he stood up under his own power and looked OK at first, his status quickly changed and Demko may have suffered another injury.

Demko exited midway through the second period in a 2-1 victory, raising concerns about another potential injury setback. He recently returned from a rare popliteus injury suffered in last year’s playoffs, and while he’s had his struggles on the ice, this potential setback is the worst-case scenario fear for Canucks fans.

Demko left the ice after stopping 11 of 12 shots. He appeared to struggle after pushing off his left knee and may have been affected by an earlier collision with teammate Noah Juulsen. Demko did land on his tailbone, and this could be precautionary, but Canucks’ fans are holding their collective breath that this isn’t a serious setback.

Kevin Lankinen stepped in. As of this writing, the Canucks are trying to hold a 3-2 lead with just over eight minutes remaining in the third period versus the Seattle Kraken.

Demko Is Not Having Any Luck with the Canucks

Demko, 29, returned to action on December 10 and has posted a 2-1-3 record with a 3.43 goals-against-average and an .879 save percentage. While his numbers have yet to return to form, the hope was that he would have time to find his game. Another injury, if this is one, is the last thing he needed.