Canucks: Arturs Silovs playoff acclaim means much more in big picture
We have seen this movie play out before on the biggest stage to critical acclaim.
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Arturs Silovs has always had a flair for the dramatic, and his performance in a 1-0 blanking of the Nashville Predators last May sent the Vancouver Canucks to the second round of the Stanley Cup playoffs.
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It also sent a message because at 23 years and 42 days, the lanky Latvian became the youngest franchise stopper to post a shutout. And even though the Canucks then fell in seven games to the Edmonton Oilers — overshadowing a 42-save win by Silovs in Game 3 — it was a sign of encouraging times.
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He became just the fourth AHL goalie to post four post-season shutouts in a 5-0 victory over the Colorado Eagles to advance to the Western Conference final for the first time in franchise history. The best-of-seven series against the Texas Stars opens Thursday at the Abbotsford Centre.
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What really stands out is that Silovs equalled the shutout record in only a dozen games. It took Frederic Cassivi of the Hershey Bears 21 games in 2006 to hit that mark. Michal Neuvirth of the Bears needed 22 games in 2009, and Petr Mrazek of the Grand Rapids Griffins required 24 games in 2013.
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If that isn't enough, three of the playoff blankings by Silovs this spring were series clinchers against the Tucson Roadrunners, Coachella Valley Firebirds and Colorado Eagles. Is this a product of the player, coaching, or the club playing better defensively in front of Silovs?
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'He's always been a big-moment goalie,' Kevin Woodley of InGoal Magazine told Postmedia on Tuesday. 'He's always had high skill on in-tight stuff and laterals, but I'm not sure how much AHL teams would go after the elements he had struggled with (screens especially).
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Silovs rode a rollercoaster of NHL struggles and AHL success this season in a rite of passage for the demanding position. He appears on the right trajectory because his demeanour has always matched determination.
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The parent club's pecking order of Thatcher Demko, 29, and Kevin Lankinen, 30, splitting the cage next season is a foundation to get the Canucks back to the playoffs. Demko must stay healthy on his expiring five-year $25-million US extension to give management the confidence that the pending unrestricted free agent is worthy of reasonable salary and term.
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