'You just have to be always ready': Canucks' Silovs embracing playoff opportunity
Arturs Silovs has rocketed up the Vancouver Canucks' depth chart this post-season, going from third-string goalie to starter in pivotal elimination games.
The rookie remains unfazed.
“You just have to be always ready,” Silovs said Sunday. “A lot of things happen in life like accident, someone gets hurt, right? And you just have to be ready to embrace your moment.”
The 23-year-old Latvian netminder has made the most of his opportunities in recent weeks, backstopping the Canucks to two wins in his first three NHL playoff games.
On Friday, he made a series of crucial saves late as Vancouver blanked the Nashville Predators 1-0 and earned their way through to the second round where they'll face the Edmonton Oilers. The victory marked Silovs's first-ever NHL shutout.
“I think that he just did a great job,” said Canucks captain Quinn Hughes. “He's a young guy but obviously very competitive. And the moment wasn't too big for him. I'm really happy for him and really happy for our team that we have another guy like that in the locker room.”
Playing Silovs wasn't the plan when Vancouver started its playoff run.
All-star goalie Thatcher Demko was in net for Vancouver in Game 1 of the first-round series, but sustained a lower-body injury.
He was replaced by Casey DeSmith, who went 1-1-0 with a 2.02 goals-against average and a .911 save percentage in Games 2 and 3 before going down with a lower-body injury himself.
Enter Silovs.
The six-foot-four, 203-pound netminder spent much of the season with Vancouver's American Hockey League affiliate, the Abbotsford Canucks, making just four regular-season appearances for the NHL club.
Getting called into action in the playoffs hasn't rattled him, though, said Canucks head coach Rick Tocchet.
“Usually you tell a guy he's playing, he gets a little bit more - even as a forward or defenceman - guys get a little bit more intense,” he said. “(Silovs) is the same guy, whether he's a backup or a starter. I like that, guys that don't change just because they're playing or not.”
One of the rookie goalie's mid-game rituals embodies his calm demeanour: between periods, Silovs sits in his stall with an ice bag on his head to cool down.
Whatever he's doing seems to be working. Across Games 4, 5 and 6, Silovs went 2-1-0 with a 1.70 GAA, a .938 save percentage and a shutout.
The goalie credited experience on another big stage for preparing him for playoffs.
Last May, Silovs played in the world championships on home soil in Riga, Latvia. He helped his country to bronze - its first medal - and was named MVP of the tournament.
“I feel like especially playing at home, it was more like a pressure to (win) because like people are hungry for hockey there,” he said. “We don't have like any major team who's playing a full season. So I felt like this was the chance to show the people, to give something back. And I'm glad we managed to do it.”
What role Silovs will play for the Canucks as the post-season continues remains to be seen.
Tocchet ruled Demko out for Game 1 of Vancouver's second-round series on Sunday, but said the star goalie is improving.
The coach said he and Canucks director of goaltending Ian Clark will look at a number of factors when they decided whether Silovs or DeSmith will start against the Oilers.
“You go through the whole list,” he said. “You're playing this team, the play of the goalie, how many practices he's had, the health. It's the same thing (as always.)”
This report by The Canadian Press was first published May 5, 2024.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Community mourns victims of fatal boat crash near Kingston, Ont.
The three people killed in last weekend's tragic collision between a speedboat and a fishing boat north of Kingston are being remembered Friday.
Humboldt Broncos crash victims and families react to decision to deport truck driver
The family of one of the victims of the Humboldt Broncos bus crash in 2018 says they are 'thankful' for a decision by a Calgary immigration board to deport the driver of the truck involved.
More enoki mushrooms, Lamborghini Urus and promotionally-gifted tumbler cups: Here are the recalls for this week
Health Canada, Transport Canada and the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) issued various recalls this week. Here's what you need to know.
'God forgives but we don’t': Loud outburst from stabbing victim’s family during sentencing hearing
An emotional outburst in a London, Ont. courtroom Friday disrupted the sentencing hearing of a woman who pleaded guilty for her part in the death of 29-year-old Mohammed Abdallah.
American Airlines drops law firm that said a 9-year-old girl should have seen camera on toilet seat
American Airlines has replaced the law firm that told a judge a nine-year-old girl was negligent in not noticing there was a camera phone taped to the seat in an airplane lavatory.
Luciano Benetton says he's stepping down as chairman of family-run brand as losses top US$100 million
Luciano Benetton, a co-founder of the apparel brand, announced he was stepping down as chairman in an interview published on Saturday with Milan daily Corriere della Sera. He blamed current management for losses of 100 million euros (US$108.5 million) that he discovered last year.
Three dead after vehicle leaves road in Shediac: N.B. RCMP
Three people have died after a vehicle veered off the road in Shediac N.B., Friday morning.
A woman took her dog to a shelter to be euthanized. A year later, the dog is up for adoption again
Exhausted and short on options after consulting two veterinary clinics, Kristie Pereira made the gut-wrenching decision last year to take her desperately ill puppy to a Maryland shelter to be euthanized.
1 dead, 3 in hospital after flying wheel crashes into bus windshield on QEW
A man is dead, and three others are in hospital after a flying wheel crashed into a coach bus on the QEW in St. Catharines.