The Canucks’ misfortunes in front of the net propelled Arturs Silovs into the spotlight.
The goaltender, called in relief after injuries to Thatcher Demko and Casey DeSmith, played the last two games of the series against the Nashville Predators, which Vancouver leads 3-2. He looked good in his first two career playoff starts, where he allowed a total of five goals, keeping his team in the game in the first duel to complete a comeback.
It’s quite a change of scenery for the young 23-year-old goalkeeper, who even went through the Trois-Rivières Lions organization two seasons ago.
It was at this time that he met the Lions goaltending coach, Alex Cousineau, who was not surprised to see his former player climb the ranks.
“He’s an extremely competitive guy, a guy who is a gamer. He was like that in Trois-Rivières, he was an excellent asset for us who showed up every day with the desire to learn. When you put him in a net, he wants to do everything to stop pucks,” Cousineau said on the show Hockey 360.
“He is combative and fast. He’s not the most technical, but he manages to be behind the puck. What particularly struck me was his reading of the game. These are the qualities that mean he finds himself in front of a National League net today.”
For the Quebec organization, this is a third player who has tasted the NHL, after Pierrick Dubé who spent a stint with the Washington Capitals this season and Cam Hillis with the Montreal Canadiens last season. This is a Source of great pride for Cousineau and the Lions.
“He is our third player to reach the National League in our first three seasons in the ECHL. It’s comforting to see this in our young history, to see players breaking into National League lineups, we are very proud of them. »
The Canucks lead the first-round series against the Preds, but head coach Rich Tocchet has yet to disclose whether DeSmith will be able to return to his job Friday or if Silovs will get another start.
