It is the morning after the Game 7 defeat to the Edmonton Oilers, but in an effort to adopt a glass half-full approach to the end of the Vancouver Canucks 2023-2024 NHL season, it is time to dwell on the positives.
There are plenty, but the one enormous positive that came out of the Canucks' run in the Stanley Cup playoffs is the Latvian goalie, Arturs Silovs. Thatcher Demko and Casey DeSmith were injured so Silovs was called up as the emergency goalie with plenty of AHL accolades but no measurable experience at the NHL level, playing in only nine NHL games before the playoffs.
Silovs was a confident professional from the moment he stepped on the ice. He never showed anything less than faith and trust in his training and abilities as a goalie. You could make a serious argument for Silovs being the one player whose consistent play kept the Canucks in the playoffs as long as they were.
Arturs Silov made 'the save' of the NHL Postseason
He is a rockstar at goalie, and Silovs delivered the best save of the entire NHL Postseason to date in Game 7 with this gem.
Cannot ask more of Silovs at this point. Insane save. pic.twitter.com/TLqAsLD5oY
— Wyatt Arndt (@TheStanchion) May 21, 2024
Silovs is adept at lunging from side to side at goal and uses every part of his body and equipment to make the save. It felt like he was facing a firing squad with the Oilers defending many shots at goal and some coming at him at 80-90 miles per hour.
Is he really only 23 years old? His play and demeanor had a maturity well beyond his years. In a league that exemplifies, "next man up" because of the physicality of the game, Arturs Silovs answered the call in an amazing way. His play will be one of the indelible memories of the 2024 postseason. which is why we are still basking in the afterglow of it one day after the season ended.