The Vancouver Canucks will be turning to rookie goalie Arturs Silovs for tonight’s game against the Vegas Golden Knights.
It’s a big game in the standings, as the Edmonton Oilers are suddenly breathing down their necks. After being seven points clear of Edmonton before the weekend, Vancouver now has just a three-point cushion on the Oilers for first place in the Pacific Division.
The Canucks, who haven’t beaten a playoff team since Thatcher Demko got injured on March 9, have lost four of their last six games, with their lone wins coming against Anaheim and Arizona.
Silovs was the starting goalie in both those games, and the 6-foot-4 Latvian netminder is going for three in a row tonight at Rogers Arena.
“He’s played really well for us those two games,” Canucks head coach Rick Tocchet told reporters after the morning skate. “I’ve liked his demeanour, he looks big in the net… I don’t think the moment’s too big for him, I really don’t.”
Casey DeSmith has struggled since the All-Star break, posting a 4-6-2 record with a .867 save percentage. The veteran backup was 7-3-4 with a .911 save percentage in 14 starts prior to the All-Star break.
Silovs, by contrast, has a 2-0-0 record with a .930 save percentage — albeit in a small sample size against weak opponents. The 23-year-old has a 15-11-6 record in 33 AHL games this season, with a .907 save percentage.
The Canucks would really love to be able to play Demko, who has yet to practice with the team since suffering a knee injury last month.
NHL insiders Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet and Rick Dhaliwal of CHEK have suggested that Demko could return by Saturday. That would leave him just two games to prepare for the playoffs.
“Thatcher is doing great, like unreal,” Tocchet said today, though he added that he doesn’t have an exact date for his return.
If the #Canucks beat Vegas in regulation tonight, they’ll clinch home ice advantage in the first round of the playoffs. pic.twitter.com/VY4T8jmRMa
— Rob Williams (@RobTheHockeyGuy) April 8, 2024
While the No. 1 concern has to be holding onto first place in the Pacific Division, a regulation win for the Canucks tonight would clinch home ice advantage in the first round.