If there was one player on the Vancouver Canucks who needed a good game on Saturday night, it was Artūrs Šilovs. Fortunately for everyone concerned, he did just that in a 4-1 win against the Chicago Blackhawks which was a lot closer that the scoreline suggests.
Šilovs had actually begun the campaign as the opening night starter for the Canucks. However, it soon became pretty evident that something was not quite right with last season's playoff hero.
The 23-year-old struggled to take advantage of the opportunity in front of him, and he quickly fell behind Kevin Lankinen in the goalie depth chart. He lost all three of his starts during October, continued to show a weakness when dealing with long-range shots, and finished the month with a .797 save percentage and 5.00 Goals Against Average.
Canucks head coach Rick Tocchet relied heavily on Lankinen, to the point that Šilovs had to be assigned to Abbotsford, just to see some playing time. He looked decent in a 4-2 win against the Bakersfield Condor, and returned to Vancouver to wait patiently for his next opportunity.
Opportunity finally knocks
That opportunity came on Saturday night, in a home matchup with the Chicago Blackhawks. Admittedly part of the reason for he start was due to this being the first of back-to-back games over the weekend, but it still presented a chance for Šilovs to remind people of what he was capable of.
The Latvia native went on to more than do his part in a game where the Canucks never quite had control, relying on two late empty-netters to create the flattering final scoreline. What was most important though, was that their goalie overcame allowing an early goal, to provide the solid presence that was needed between the pipes.
When it was all said and done, Šilovs stopped 28 of the 29 shots he faced for a regular season single game career-high save percentage of .966, secured his first win of the season, and took home the Second Star of the Game. In fact you can make the case that he deserved the First Star, but that's not really the point.
The main thing is, that Šilovs presented the case to Tocchet -- and his teammates -- that he can still help the team. This stood out most during the third period, when the Canucks were leading 2-1 and the Blackhawks were pushing for the tying goal.
Canucks coach impressed
Speaking to the media postgame, Tocchet acknowledged the efforts of his young goalie. He said:
""Yeah, really good. I thought he was solid. He had a solid start in Abbotsford and some good practices. I think he can string some good days together. He looked good, especially in the third period, you know he looked big in the net. He made a couple of saves where he looked big.""
As for Šilovs himself, he was extremely happy with his performance and how the game went against the Blackhawks. Also speaking to the media, he said:
""I felt great, I had a lot of confidence. Guys are doing a lot of jobs (in front of me), like good (penalty) kill. That gives you a huge boost, especially at the end of the first period, it's crucial. And then we started to play really well in the second and took over.""
Looking ahead
Ahead of Saturday night's game, Lankinen had started 11 of the previous 12 games for the Canucks, and he will get the nod on Sunday night against the Nashville Predators. It's what happens after this, which will be telling.
More specifically, does Tochett now have enough increased confidence in Šilovs, to give him improved playing time? And even if he does, will it actually matter?
The reason we say this, is because of the potential for Thatcher Demko to return any time soon. Pending when this is, it will be Šilovs going back down to Abbotsford because, aside from Lankinen just playing better overall, he is still waiver exempt.
For what it's worth, until Demko is actually back, there are still theoretically opportunities there for the 2019 sixth round draft pick to continue improving confidence in him. Consider that another back-to-back is coming for the Canucks on Nov. 26 and 27, against the Boston Bruins and Pittsburgh Penguins respectively.
Further, even when Demko returns -- harsh or not -- there is the reality that he has a history of being injury-prone. As such, it's up to Šilovs to take advantage of any playing time he gets, no matter how infrequent, and show that he deserves to be a part of the long-term plans in Vancouver.