Thatcher Demko is back. Back on the ice, that is, and back to playing NHL games, with Tuesday’s overtime loss to the St. Louis Blues being his first action since April 21 of last year.

Demko, however, fell down injured after playing just one postseason game, and he's been sidelined ever since. This year, the Canucks have leaned heavily on offseason signing Kevin Lankinen in his absence.

There could have been some measure of rust, but trust was the bigger must for Thatcher Demko on Tuesday at Rogers Arena. The Vancouver Canucks starting goaltender finally returned after suffering a left-knee popliteus muscle injury on April 21 during late stages of Game 1 in a first-round playoff series against the Nashville Predators.