It has been the burning question practically every day of the Vancouver Canucks postseason to date. Who would be the starting goalie between Thatcher Demko, Casey DeSmith, and Arturs Silovs?
Coach Rick Tocchet is very forthcoming with the media on all hockey matters except the starting goalie designation. He decides the day before the game in consultation with goalie coach Ian Clark, but no official announcements are made.
The rest of us are left to wonder and read the tea leaves for indications. One of the most predictable ways to find out is to see which goalie is the first off the ice at the morning skate. Today that was Arturs Silovs who also reportedly had a long conversation with Clark.
Arturs Silovs is the obvious choice
Vancouver Canucks fans agree that the "emergency goalie" Silovs is the obvious choice. What the 23-year-old Latvian lacks in NHL game experience, he has more than made up for in stellar play when called upon to play during the Nashville series.
Silovs is coming into his own and has gained the confidence of his teamates in the past week. He called Game 6 against Nashville a "character win" which was true, but the win was directly attributed to his performance.
#Canucks Silovs gets the SHUTOUT !!! pic.twitter.com/kExbXbfErd
— Rob Sampare Brotchie (@canucker101) May 4, 2024
Tocchet wasn't about to sit Silovs after that performance even though backup goalie Casey DeSmith is healthy and ready to play. Starting goalie Thatcher Demko is not healthy enough to play yet, but there are indications he could be ready next week in Game 5 or 6.
In the meantime, Silovs needs to adjust to a fast-paced Oilers offense that scored 22 goals in five games; whereas the Canucks scored just 13 goals in six games. He did not face the Oilers this year when the Canucks amassed their 4-0 record against them during the regular season.