Pittsburgh Penguins goaltender Arturs Silovs got the nod over Tristan Jarry for Tuesday’s opening-night game against the New York Rangers and didn’t disappoint.
Silovs, who was acquired from the Vancouver Canucks for forward Chase Stillman and a 2027 fourth-round pick in July, stopped all 25 shots he faced in the Penguins’ 3-0 shutout victory over the Rangers. His glove-hand looked a little shaky at the start of the game, but once he settled in, it was smooth sailing the rest of the way, saving 2.5 goals above expected.
The decision to start Silovs came as a little bit of a surprise since Jarry was the slight favorite to start going into the game, but head coach Dan Muse wanted to reward Silovs for his strong training camp and preseason. Silovs responded with a great effort and became the second goalie in franchise history to pitch a shutout in his first start with the team. It was also his first career regular-season shutout in the NHL.
Silovs was over the moon about his performance during a post-game interview with SportsNet Pittsburgh’s Hailey Hunter.
“I mean, it’s great. Guys competed, so many great blocks, great individual effort,” Silovs said. “You know, it’s like team effort, and I felt comfortable. The guys did a good job, and the result showed us.”
Muse spoke about Silovs after Wednesday’s practice and was also impressed with his performance during Tuesday’s game.
“He showed it yesterday,” Muse said. “He’s gained some really good experiences in his career so far, and he’s obviously still a relatively young guy, and I think those things all stack up. To have that run that he had last year and then to have the playoffs before, and you also look at some of the different experiences that he has had in international play, he’s not that old. So, he’s got all these things already, and you own those now. You own those experiences and you carry them with you.”
“So, now you go into a new experience there to get the game one start on the road at Madison Square Garden. I thought you saw that poise, and he made some big saves early, too. I always feel like with guys, that sometimes that can help somebody into a game a little bit. It’s not by design that we were killing a penalty with a minute to go, but those things happen. The guys did a great job, but he had to come up there with some saves, and I thought he was really able to build off that start and obviously carry it through the entire game.”
‘We View Him As A Responsible Player’: Penguins’ Top Winger Embracing New Role
When Pittsburgh Penguins’ winger Rickard Rakell came into training camp this season, he was doing it on the back of a career year that saw him register 35 goals and 70 points.
Silovs has more than earned the start for Thursday’s home-opener against the New York Islanders, and if he also plays well in that game (assuming Muse gives him the nod), he could also start Saturday’s game against the Rangers at home. It would send a message to Jarry that the 1A goaltender spot is wide open this season.
Jarry came into training camp and the preseason as a slight favorite for that spot, but after giving up three goals on 19 shots during the Penguins’ last preseason game against the Buffalo Sabres, Muse opted to go with Silovs, who was the second-best goaltender during camp.
He came into camp riding a lot of momentum from last season, guiding the AHL’s Abbotsford Canucks to the Calder Cup. He was the MVP of the Calder Cup Playoffs, winning 16 games and finishing with a 2.01 goals against average and a .931 save percentage. Before that, he started for the Canucks in the 2024 Stanley Cup Playoffs and helped them reach Game 7 of the second round against the Edmonton Oilers, but they ultimately fell.
Silovs has the talent, but he just has to bring it on a consistent basis. Tuesday was a good first step in that direction.
Puck drop for Thursday’s home-opener against the Islanders will be at 7 p.m. ET on SportsNet Pittsburgh. The Penguins lost three of the four meetings against them last year and have lost seven of their last 10 against them overall.
Bookmark THN – Pittsburgh Penguins on your Google News tab to follow the latest Penguins news, roster moves, player features, and more!
Read the full article here