How goalie DeSmith will provide playoff insurance for Canucks
Casey DeSmith has a flair for the dramatic.
He also has the demeanour to keep exceptional performances in perspective and put in the work when his game goes awry. It hasn’t gone unnoticed.
It’s why the amiable and articulate Vancouver Canucks backup goaltender is more than an insurance policy as the NHL playoffs approach. He sports a trademark grin of gratefulness in a grind where you’re only as good as your previous game amid the distraction of being an unrestricted free agent.
The likable intangible is infectious because DeSmith, 32, is an undrafted and unflappable hockey-lifer whom players gravitate toward. It’s evident in the room, on the bench and on the ice.
The image of a post-game hug with Thatcher Demko on Saturday after backstopping a 3-1 victory in Edmonton was telling. It might be the last start for DeSmith with Demko scheduled to play Tuesday after missing 14 games with a knee injury.
Demko is a super-serious starter, who takes a Zen-like approach to his craft and keeps emotions in check. However, he let loose after his crease-mate made 32 saves as the Canucks inched closer to clinching the Pacific Division title — their first since 2013 — by ending the Oilers’ run of 10-0-2 on home ice.
“It’s not the ultimate goal that we have this season, but it’s definitely something we’ve been working toward and it’s something we take pride in,” DeSmith told reporters.
The only effort to beat DeSmith at Rogers Place was a double deflection of a Darnell Nurse point shot as his game returned to a more calm and structured approach.
No lunging after pucks. No trouble tracking. Crisp movements. Sealing up the short side. Sharp as a tack. Especially when the Canucks started slow and coughed up an early four-shot power play.
DeSmith made 13 saves in the opening period — including robbing Leon Draisaitl on a cross-ice feed for a one-timer — before making another dozen saves in the second period. He didn’t have to face superstar Connor McDavid, who’s resting a minor lower-body ailment.
“I’m really happy for Smitty,” said Canucks head coach Rick Tocchet. “He gave us a great game.”
It was a testament to DeSmith working with goalie coach Ian Clark to recapture his game after allowing an alarming 17 goals in four previous winless starts. DeSmith also won three straight last month and gave up just five goals, so Clark needed to get the consistency back.
“There’s no doubt he’s one of the best minds out there,” DeSmith told Postmedia earlier this season. “He works hard for us and expects us to work hard. His general intensity is really good. But it’s not so tense where he sucks the fun out of being a goalie.
“He keeps it light most of the time, but he expects hard work and results. Definitively, high expectations, but I love his general approach.
“It’s an ongoing discussion of where we want to go and develop my game and things that need to be rectified, cleaned up and made more efficient.”
DeSmith sports a 12-9-6 record this season with a 2.85 goals-against average, .896 saves percentage and one shutout.
He has played just one playoff games, but it was memorable. It was a window into his competitive world as a career backup with high expectations.