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JUST IN: I am not Surprise, because my preparedness had just met golden opportunity
‘You just have to be always ready’: Canucks’ Silovs embracing playoff opportunity
VANCOUVER – Arturs Silovs has rocketed up the Vancouver Canucks’ depth chart this post-season, going from third-string goalie to starter in pivotal elimination games. The rookie remains unfazed.
“You just have to be always ready,” Silovs said Sunday. “A lot of things happen in life like accident, someone gets hurt, right? And you just have to be ready to embrace your moment.”
The 23-year-old Latvian netminder has made the most of his opportunities in recent weeks, backstopping the Canucks to two wins in his first three NHL playoff games.
On Friday, he made a series of crucial saves late as Vancouver blanked the Nashville Predators 1-0 and earned their way through to the second round where they’ll face the Edmonton Oilers. The victory marked Silovs’s first-ever NHL shutout.
“I think that he just did a great job,” said Canucks captain Quinn Hughes. “He’s a young guy but obviously very competitive. And the moment wasn’t too big for him. I’m really happy for him and really happy for our team that we have another guy like that in the locker room.”
Playing Silovs wasn’t the plan when Vancouver started its playoff run. All-star goalie Thatcher Demko was in net for Vancouver in Game 1 of the first-round series, but sustained a lower-body injury.
He was replaced by Casey DeSmith, who went 1-1-0 with a 2.02 goals-against average and a .911 save percentage in Games 2 and 3 before going down with a lower-body injury himself.
The six-foot-four, 203-pound netminder spent much of the season with Vancouver’s American Hockey League affiliate, the Abbotsford Canucks, making just four regular-season appearances for the NHL club.
