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Vancouver Canucks head coach Rick Tocchet hit a home run with his most difficult decision on Friday.
The bench boss decided to start Arturs Silovs for the third consecutive game and the 23-year-old goalie rewarded his confidence with a shutout as the Canucks punched their ticket to the second round.
“They’re tough decisions to make but a guy like him, you just see his demeanour,” said Tocchet today after the big win. “He does these routines for hours in the hallway, you can just tell the moment’s not too big. He’s calm in the net. I mean this is the Stanley Cup Playoffs.”
“The guys are confident with him in the net.”
Silovs has quickly become a surprise hero for the Canucks with his strong play in these playoffs. He’s made the absence of starter Thatcher Demko due to injury a much easier pill to swallow.
The Latvian was rewarded with tonight’s game puck as the player of the game for his 28-save shutout. He became the first rookie goalie in team history to record a series-clinching win and did so without allowing any goals.
The pARTY continues with tonight’s game puck 🎉 pic.twitter.com/0p2FwGQ53V
— Vancouver Canucks (@Canucks) May 4, 2024
What’s impressed some of his teammates and coaching staff most is his calm demeanour.
“I don’t think anything bothers him, he doesn’t say too much, he goes to dinner with the guys, he does his thing,” continued Tocchet.
The rookie was on the end of a prank, as many freshman are in the NHL, the other day as J.T. Miller wore his pink dress shirt onto the ice at practice. It didn’t seem to faze him at all.
“Sometimes as a young kid you’ve got to take a bit of ribbing but I think he loved it,” said Tocchet.
“I’m just super happy for the kid, he stepped in and what a crazy scenario he’s been throw into,” said Miller after Game 6 about Silovs. “To make some saves when he needed to in such a big, crazy environment, we’re happy for him.”
“He seems like he’s not overthinking anything, he’s just being himself.”
The Canucks are going to face a high-powered offensive team in the next round in the Edmonton Oilers. It’ll be a brand new challenge for Silovs but if he’s proven anything so far it’s that a new opponent, or anything really, is unlikely to intimidate the young netminder.