Tocchet: Demko has 'improved immensely the last 72 hours'

Vancouver Canucks head coach Rick Tocchet offered a positive update on goaltender Thatcher Demko's uncertain status Wednesday.

Tocchet said Demko has "improved immensely the last 72 hours" but wouldn't say if the netminder could be an option in Vancouver's second-round series against the Edmonton Oilers, according to TSN's Farhan Lalji.

Demko has been out since Game 1 of the first round versus the Nashville Predators with a knee injury. Reports last week suggested he'd be unavailable until at least Game 5 of the second round.

The Vezina Trophy finalist went 35-14-2 with a .918 save percentage in 51 games this season. He missed 14 contests during the regular season with an unrelated knee injury.

After backup Casey DeSmith was injured in Game 3 against the Predators, third-stringer Arturs Silovs took over the Canucks' crease and hasn't looked back. The Latvian has won four of seven starts and has a .907 save percentage in the playoffs, including a Game 6 shutout in Nashville to clinch the series for Vancouver.

The Canucks lost 3-2 in Tuesday's Game 4 and return to Vancouver with the series even at 2-2 against the Oilers.

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