Vancouver will host the Toronto Maple Leafs, its first game since March 24. The Canucks had 22 players and four staff members, including Green, test positive for the coronavirus.
"There was a time just a couple days ago where I really didn't believe I would be, so thankful that I've been able to come and be at the rink the last few days [to watch practice] and get on the ice today and be good to coach tomorrow," Green said. "It was important for me personally. There has been a lot of people that have gone through a lot and are coming back to play and I wanted to make sure I was there. If I didn't feel like I could do it, though, I wouldn't do it."
Defenseman Nate Schmidt and forward Jake Virtanen are the two players listed as unavailable due to the NHL COVID-19 protocol, a number that was at 19 players on April 11. Demko, forward Tyler Motte and defenseman Olli Juolevi have been removed from the protocol list but haven't recovered enough to play Sunday (7 p.m., SN, TVAS, NHL.TV).
"Hopefully they'll be ready to play on Tuesday [against Toronto]," Green said.
The Canucks were coming off a six-day break when two positive tests among players forced the postponement of a game March 31 against the Calgary Flames.
Vancouver was scheduled to return against the Edmonton Oilers on Friday and play Toronto on Saturday, but doctors from the team, the NHL and the NHL Players' Association determined they needed more time.
"In respect to Vancouver, they're a pretty resilient group that, before the situation, was playing as good hockey as anyone in the division," Toronto coach Sheldon Keefe said Saturday. "We're expecting them to get back to their identity right away, and that's all we can prepare for. But the biggest thing for us is just to get our game right and get ourselves right. We need to get a win here, we need to do it by playing the way we're capable of."
The Canucks, who had nine games postponed during the outbreak, are scheduled to play 19 games in 32 days to finish the 56-game regular season, which is now scheduled to end May 19 in the Scotia North Division. They return with four home games: Sunday and Tuesday against Toronto, and Thursday and Saturday against the Ottawa Senators.
"As far as expectations, I know there's a lot of people out there, lots of talk of 'How can you expect them to do this or that?'" Green said. "We're here to win tomorrow, and that's our mindset, that's how our group feels, and I wouldn't want it any other way."
Vancouver (16-18-3) is sixth in the seven-team Scotia North Division, 12 points behind the fourth-place Montreal Canadiens with five games in hand. The top four teams will make the Stanley Cup Playoffs.
Canucks center Brandon Sutter, who was among the players who contracted COVID-19, compared the return Sunday to the first game of a season, but said he doesn't see any reason they can't compete for a playoff spot.
"Your thought is, 'Am I ready to play?' And then you get out there and start skating and pick it up pretty quick," Sutter said. "We expect ourselves to be competitive, just like we were throughout the season. We played a lot of good hockey leading up to our break, and the expectation for us is to come out and pick that up again. I don't see any reason right now why that isn't possible, and the way we've changed in four or five days is substantial, so I'm feeling confidence in our group."
