In a first-round series that has been defined by low-scoring games, the Vancouver Canucks beat the Nashville Predators 1-0 in Game 6 and punched their tickets for the second round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs winning the matchup 4-2 in six games.
Against all odds, the Canucks did it without starting goalie Thatcher Demko nor backup netminder Casey DeSmith, both of them nursing injuries earlier in the series (DeSmith was available for Game 6, however).
That, by extension, has elevated rookie goaltender Arturs Silovs to a cult-level hero in Vancouver where fans celebrated the series-clinching win over Nashville on May 3 in the streets outside Rogers Arena.
Canucks head coach Rick Tocchet could have opted to start DeSmith on Friday against the Predators with Vancouver entering Game 6 leading the series 3-2, but the coach opted to keep Silovs on net, and the rookie stopped all 28 shots he saw.
It cannot be argued the decision truly paid off for the Canucks, as they reached the second round for the first time since 2011 if we don’t count the 2020 Bubble playoffs in which no fans were allowed into venues.
Canucks Advance to Second Round Backstopped by Rookie Arturs Silovs
Canucks goalie Silovs wasn’t named the starter for Game 6 ahead of game time by coach Tocchet. Only when players jumped onto the ice for pregame warmups was the decision made known to everybody as Silovs was the first man emerging from the locker room.
Silovs’ 28 saves earned him a chunk of NHL history. The netminder became just the 14th rookie goalie to finish off a series with a shutout and just the fifth in 30 years.
With fewer than two minutes left in the third period of Game 6, the Canucks and the Predators were still locked into no-goals affair. It took until 18:21 into the final frame for Pius Sutter to score the game-winning goal for Vancouver.
“He stepped in and what a crazy scenario he’s been thrown into,” Canucks forward J.T. Miller said about Silovs. “He made the saves when he needed to in such a big and crazy environment. We’re happy for him.”
Canucks Injuries Help Arturs Silovs Pull Off Miracle Shutout
The only way Silovs could find a way into the Canucks starting lineup was because of the injuries suffered by fellow netminders Thatcher Demko (week-to-week after winning Game 1) and backup Casey DeSmith (the starter on Games 2 and 3).
Silovs made his postseason debut in Game 4 with the other two Vancouver goalies ruled out, won that matchup earning the Canucks a 3-1 series lead, but then lost Game 5 to the Predators.
Silovs and coach Tocchet, however, never lost any confidence and remained determined to backstop the team into the second round and to keep the rookie goalie on net, respectively, entering Game 6.
“I just embraced the challenge,” Silovs told reporters after the Game 6 win on May 3. “I knew I had already played on big stages before. I was already familiar with what would happen, what kind of games they were going to be.
“It was a great opportunity for me to play for the big club and seize the opportunity.”
The Predators and the Canucks couldn’t win a game in their arena for the last five games of the series following the first-round opener in which Vancouver took a 1-0 lead.
That was the case in Game 6, a 1-0 regulation victory that helped the Canucks advance to the second round where they will meet the Edmonton Oilers.
This season, the Oilers finished the year in second place in the Pacific Division trailing only the Canucks. Edmont geat the Los Angeles Kings 4-1 in their first-round matchup.
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