Last Week on The Quickie: Thatcher Demko’s Best Game Ever

It was the first time that The Quickie wasn’t, well, quick.

After a hiatus to start the year, last week represented the return of the fastest hockey show on the planet.

Lets get to it.

Taking Stock In Vegas and Toronto

Two of the Stanley Cup favourites at the beginning of the regular season found themselves on the fringe of the playoff picture at the All-Star break.

I asked the question, which team do you have more faith in? Both teams haven’t had problems scoring, but they’ve had issues keeping the puck out of their net.

So far, both teams have surged after their respective hiatuses. Vegas beat Carolina and Nashville over the weekend, while Toronto has won three straight as well.

Believe in Thatcher Demko

In the wake of Jacob Markstrom playing at an elite level, it seems like some people forgot about the Canucks “goalie of the future.”

Well, Thatcher Demko earned himself some notoriety last week when he stopped 36 of 37 shots against the St. Louis Blues. Statistically, it was his best game as an NHL netminder.

It seems like a given that Markstrom will re-sign with this team. So, where does that leave Demko?

It’s a good problem to have for the Canucks, no doubt. This issue is firmly on the back-burner, since they don’t have to make a decision here until next season.

Edmonton & Calgary share similar flaws

Man, both games in the battle of Alberta last week were stellar. Count me in among those who thought that the games wouldn’t live up to the hype. I was wrong.

What I’m not wrong about (pardon my Captain Obvious take) is that both the Edmonton Oilers and Calgary Flames are deeply flawed teams. I talk about the one glaring flaw they share on this episode.

Perfect Landing Spot for Mike Gillis

The former Canucks general manager is doing himself no harm with all the interviews he’s agreed to do over the last 12 months. The next step would be to implement all that research he’s completed with an NHL squad.

There’s one franchise in particular that is screaming for the help of Gillis. It might not be a prime destination for players, but it seems like a good fit for Gillis is a Presidential role.

Best Games of the Weekend

I try not to pick Canucks games in this recurring Quickie feature because A) There’s good hockey to be seen outside of Vancouver and B) I know most of the listeners, along with myself, are going to be watching those games regardless.

Both of the Canucks games on the weekend were entertaining though, especially the Sunday tilt against Carolina.

In terms of the three other games I picked, two were easy choices. I highlighted the Battle of Alberta rematch on Saturday and while it was a blowout, it was worth watching just for the goalie fight in the second period. I also picked the Penguins, Capitals tilt, which turned out to be a good game even though the Capitals struggled for a long stretch.

The third game I picked out was the Vegas Golden Knights and Nashville Predators match on Saturday. On Friday, the Predators had a chance to bump the Golden Knights out of a playoff spot, but two straight weekend wins by Vegas (including the 3-0 win over Nashville) put a six-point gap between the teams.