Vancouver Canucks News

With Thatcher Demko (lower body) out for the remainder of the season, Kevin Lankinen is expected to see most of the action in Vancouver's crease. Still, Tolopilo will get a chance to showcase his talents on Thursday against the Anaheim Ducks. The 25-year-old Tolopilo has spent most of the season in the AHL, where he has a 2.94 GAA and .901 SV% in 13 games (5-5-3) with the Abbotsford Canucks. Vancouver enters the action on Thursday as +123 home underdogs against an Anaheim team whose seven-game win streak was snapped in Tuesday's 7-4 loss to the Edmonton Oilers.

Mancini will slot into lineup in place of healthy scratch Pierre-Olivier Joseph. Mancini will skate with Tom Willander on Vancouver's third pair.

Boeser will miss at least a week before he is eligible to be activated from Injured Reserve. He suffered the injury in the final seconds of Sunday's 3-2 loss to the Pittsburgh Penguins after an illegal hit to the head by Bryan Rust, who has been suspended for three games. The 28-year-old Boeser has three points (2G / 1A) in his last three games, but has had a disappointing season, with 25 points (12G / 13A) through 50 games.

Lankinen will return to the crease on Tuesday against the San Jose Sharks and, with the recent announcement that Thatcher Demko (hip surgery) will miss the remainder of the season, should continue to see a heavy workload for the foreseeable future. The 30-year-old Lankinen has lost 10 of his last 13 games (3-9-1) while posting a 3.23 GAA and .886 SV%. The Canucks enter Tuesday's action as +110 home underdogs against a Sharks team that defeated them 6-3 last month.

Buium exited Sunday's 3-2 loss to the Pittsburgh Penguins in the third period after taking a puck to the face. He was placed on Injured Reserve on Monday, meaning he is not eligible to return for at least one week. Still, early indications are that he will be sidelined for significantly longer. The 20-year-old defenseman has six points (2G / 4A) in 20 games with the Canucks this season.

Lankinen will likely return to the crease on Tuesday against the San Jose Sharks and, with the recent announcement that Thatcher Demko (hip surgery) will miss the remainder of the season, should continue to see a heavy workload for the foreseeable future. The 30-year-old Lankinen has lost 10 of his last 13 games (3-9-1) while posting a 3.23 GAA and .886 SV%. The Canucks enter Tuesday's action as +110 home underdogs against a Sharks team that defeated them 6-3 last month.

Demko has not played in over two weeks and has been officially ruled out for the remainder of the season after opting to undergo hip surgery. This is the latest in a myriad of injuries for the goalie, who has been limited to 32 or fewer games in three of the last four seasons. The Canucks will likely continue to lean on Kevin Lankinen as their starting goalie for the rest of the season.

With Zeev Buium (upper body) on Injured Reserve, Vancouver has recalled Mancini from Abbotsford (AHL). The 23-year-old Mancini has zero points and is averaging 13:12 time-on-ice through nine games with Vancouver this season.

With Brock Boeser (upper body) on Injured Reserve, Vancouver has recalled Lekkerimaki from Abbotsford (AHL). The 21-year-old Lekkerimaki had two points (1G / 1A) in eight games with Vancouver earlier this season.

Boeser will miss at least a week before he is eligible to be activated from Injured Reserve. The 28-year-old Boeser has three points (2G / 1A) in his last three games, but has had a disappointing season, with 25 points (12G / 13A) through 50 games.

Buium exited Sunday's 3-2 loss to the Pittsburgh Penguins in the third period after taking a puck to the face, and will be sidelined for at least a week after being placed on Injured Reserve. The 20-year-old defenseman has six points (2G / 4A) in 20 games with the Canucks this season.

Sasson has been a regular in the lineup this season, already playing a career-high 47 games, but he will be a healthy scratch on Friday against the New Jersey Devils. He has 12 points (10G / 2A) and is averaging 11:25 time-on-ice this season.

Lankinen was solid in Wednesday's 4-3 win over the Washington Capitals, saving 29 of 32 shots (.906 SV%), to help the Canucks snap a miserable nine-game losing streak (0-9-2). Despite the team's recent struggles, Lankinen hasn't been a detriment between the pipes, posting a serviceable 3.08 GAA and .902 SV% in his last nine appearances (3-4-1). The Canucks enter Friday's contest as +129 home underdogs against a New Jersey Devils team that has won four of their last five games (4-1-0).

Chytil will return to Vancouver's lineup for the first time since October 19th due to a concussion and is expected to lineup on the Canucks 2nd line with Brock Boeser and Drew O'Connor. The 26-year-old started the season out hot with three goals and 15 SOG in six games prior to his injury. He will look to stay healthy after only playing 21 games with Vancouver across the last season and a half since being acquired from New York last season.

Chytil has not played since mid-October, limited to only six games this season, but could return to the lineup on Friday against the New Jersey Devils. The 26-year-old Czech forward had three goals in six games before his injury, but has unfortunately had trouble staying healthy over the past few seasons.

Bains has played a career-high 28 games with Vancouver this season, but will report to the Abbotsford Canucks (AHL). The 25-year-old has had trouble staying in the lineup for Vancouver and has five points (1G / 4A) in 28 games.