Tonight is the night Canucks fans have waited for. Thatcher Demko, who has served as the backup the past two games, gets the call in goal tonight. It’s the first time he’s seen game action since Game 1 against Nashville in the opening round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs on April 21st.

After a full team day off on Monday, all available Canucks were on the ice for a 30-minute morning skate. Max Sasson, who was sent to Abbotsford on Monday, was back with the team and looks like he’ll be in the lineup again tonight.

The Canucks could make one change on defence. Derek Forbort was paired with Erik Brännström this morning, although Rick Tocchet suggested that Forbort may not play tonight. If he doesn’t, look for Vincent Desharnais or possibly Mark Friedman to slide in. Due to a lower-body injury, Forbort has not played since November 2nd in San Jose. 

The other big news of the morning was the return of JT Miller, who joined his teammates for the morning skate. Miller, who remains on a personal leave, will not play tonight. He is expected to practice with the group on Wednesday. The team has not set a date for his return to game action although Saturday against Boston looks like it may be the target.

On Sunday, the Canucks fell 4-2 to Tampa Bay. Quinn Hughes and Kiefer Sherwood scored the Vancouver goals. The goal extended the captain’s point streak to seven games (13 points). Sherwood has now scored in back-to-back games, pushing his tally to eight goals on the season, and is just two off his career high established in 68 games last season in Nashville.

At 4-6-3, the Canucks are looking to solve their many home ice issues. They are 0-3-2 so far this season when opening the scoring at Rogers Arena. 

Brock Boeser will appear in his 499th NHL game tonight. He is fifth all-time among players that have played exclusively for the Canucks throughout their careers (Henrik Sedin 1,330, Daniel Sedin 1,306, Stan Smyl 896, Dennis Kearns 677).

The opponent

The Blues have been off since a 4-2 loss in Edmonton on Saturday. Dylan Holloway and Jake Neighbours each scored their ninth goal of the season, while Jordan Binnington made 17 saves. It was the team’s first regulation loss since Jim Montgomery took over as head coach on November 24th (4-1-1).

Holloway and Neighbours share the team lead in goals with Jordan Kyrou. The Blues are one of only four teams in the league without a double-digit goal scorer. As a group, they are tied for 27th overall in offence this season averaging 2.57 goals per game. Their power play is tied for 26th at 16.9%.

Kyrou is the team’s top point producer with 23 on the season. No one else on the St. Louis roster has more than 17 points. However, Robert Thomas has 16 points in 16 games after missing a dozen games with a fractured ankle. Holloway has five goals and four assists on a six-game point streak.

The Blues’ defence features Ryan Suter, who turns 40 next month. The veteran is averaging 22:53 of ice time per game. A 2003 Nashville first-round pick, Suter has played 1,472 regular season NHL games. That is 27th all-time and is the most among active players. If he remains healthy, he’ll soon become the 22nd player – and seventh defenceman – to ever reach the 1,500-game mark.

Because of the lack of available hotel rooms in Vancouver due to the Taylor Swift concerts over the weekend, the Blues remained in Edmonton and practiced there Monday before flying into town.

Tonight’s matchup is a battle of the last two Jack Adams Award winners. Rick Tocchet won it last season with the Canucks while Jim Montgomery earned the honour in 2022-23 with Boston.

The Canucks went 1-1-1 in three games against St. Louis last season. The teams will meet twice more this season on January 27th and March 20th, both in St. Louis.

Tonight’s referees: Peter MacDougall & Cody Beach

Tonight’s broadcasters: John Shorthouse & Dave Tomlinson

What we heard

Rick Tocchet on what made tonight the right time for Thatcher Demko to make his first start of the season: “There are a bunch of factors. You want him to feel comfortable. You want to communicate with him. You know, Lanks is playing well, too. So it wasn’t a pressing issue to get him in, but we want to get him in. He’s comfortable enough to go in. We’re excited and obviously he’s a huge part of our team.”

Tocchet on next steps for JT Miller: “I know he’s going to practice with the full team tomorrow so we’ll get him in with a line and cooking. I’ll talk to him and see how he feels. He’s been skating and he’s anxious to get going, but on his terms.”

Conor Garland was not surprised Quinn Hughes returned to the game Sunday with a full cage and opened the scoring: “I mean, he didn’t get shot. He got stitches to the mouth and he came back like himself. He’s impressive every night, but he’s taken another step this year. He has the puck the whole game. Right now, he’s one of the top two, three players in the league. He’s fun to watch. And we have to make sure when he’s pushing the pace, we are as well.”