The Vancouver Canucks clinched a berth in the Stanley Cup Playoffs on Saturday.
The Canucks (45-20-8) reached the playoffs after not qualifying for the past three seasons when the St. Louis Blues lost 4-0 to the San Jose Sharks.
Vancouver, which has lost two in a row and did not play on Saturday, is first in the Pacific Division, four points ahead of the second-place Edmonton Oilers.
It's the first time the Canucks have qualified for the playoffs since 2019-20, when they lost to the Golden Knights in seven games in the Western Conference Second Round.
Vancouver is led this season by J.T. Miller, who has 92 points (35 goals, 57 assists). Elias Pettersson is second with 84 points (33 goals, 51 assists). Quinn Hughes is third on the Canucks with 81 points (13 goals, 68 assists), which is tied with Cale Makar of the Colorado Avalanche for the most points among NHL defenseman.
Thatcher Demko is 34-13-2 with a 2.47 goals-against average, .917 save percentage in 49 starts, but has not played since March 9 because of a lower-body injury. He has five shutouts, tied for third in the NHL with Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen of the Buffalo Sabres and Charlie Lindgren of the Washington Capitals.
Casey DeSmith is 11-7-0 with a 2.71 GAA, .901 save percentage and one shutout in 26 games (24 starts).
Vancouver has never won the Stanley Cup but has reached the Final three times, the most recent in 2011 when they lost to the Boston Bruins in seven games.
