Vancouver starting goaltender Jacob Markstrom underwent an MRI Monday after suffering a lower-body injury in a 9-3 win over Boston on Saturday, Canucks general manager Jim Benning announced Monday.
With concern in net as the postseason push continues in a congested Western Conference, Benning dealt for New Jersey goaltender Louis Domingue just before the NHL trade deadline at 3 p.m. ET.
"He is flying back tomorrow [to Vancouver] and will meet with the doctors on Wednesday morning," Benning said of Markstrom, after announcing the Domingue deal. "[We] will have a better timeline after that."
Markstrom stopped 34 of 37 shots in Saturday's victory over the Bruins, but briefly exited in the first period after taking a stick to the mask in a different injury. He missed 1:48 of the period. Markstrom improved to 23-16-4 with a 2.75 GAA and a .918 save percentage with the win. He has made 43 starts.
Backup Thatcher Demko is likely to carry the bulk of the workload in Markstrom's absence, starting against the Canadiens on Tuesday in Montreal. And Domingue, who has rotated between the Devils and their AHL affiliate this season, should slide in as the backup.
"Louis has experience in the league and he's played well,¨ Benning said. "He's flying into Montreal to back up Thatcher [Tuesday]."
The Canucks shipped AHL goaltender Zane McIntyre to New Jersey for Domingue, who was 3-8-2 in New Jersey with a 3.79 GAA.
