Pacific Division Power Rankings: Playoff Edition

3. Vancouver Canucks

What happens when a team loses their starting goaltender for the rest of the playoffs? Should they freak out and pull their hair out? Should they set themselves on fire, scream, and wave their arms around? That's the question the Vancouver Canucks are asking, for they've lost goaltender Thatcher Demko. Life gets harder for a Canucks team searching for their first Stanley Cup.

With the San Diego native out of the picture, Casey DeSmith takes the reins. However, this is another setback for a Vancouver team that was hoping to take the next step. With young stars like Elias Pettersson and Quinn Hughes, the Canucks have ascended to the top of the NHL. The pressure's also on DeSmith to carry the load, keeping Vancouver in the game. That will be a tall task in itself.

However, that ascension appears to be in jeopardy with the goaltender's injury hurting the team. Their opponent, the Nashville Predators, were the fifth-hardest hitting team this season (2,145 team hits). Granted, the Canucks were ahead of them (fourth in the NHL with 2,189 team hits). However, a long, physical series can benefit Nashville without Vancouver having Demko. Therefore, they must rely more on their offensive firepower to carry them into the next round.