Goalie switch helps Penguins fight off elimination vs. Flyers

Goalie Stuart Skinner was not the rationale the Pittsburgh Penguins entered Saturday’s Recreation 4 towards the Philadelphia Flyers going through a 3-0 sequence deficit. He was arguably their finest participant by the primary two video games, and performed effectively sufficient to win not less than one in every of them. Regardless of that, head coach Dan Muse nonetheless opted to make a goalie change on Saturday simply to shake issues up and provides the staff a distinct look.

It labored.

Arturs Silovs got here off the bench and stopped 28-of-30 pictures to assist the Penguins earn a 4-2 win, preventing off elimination and forcing a Recreation 5 in Pittsburgh on Monday evening.

Sidney Crosby, Rickard Rakell, Kris Letang and Connor Dewar supplied the offense for the Penguins within the win. 

Arturs Silovs helps Penguins drive Recreation 5 in sequence

Whereas a goalie change in the course of a playoff sequence is normally uncommon, and the kind of factor that solely will get utilized in determined occasions, it’s not actually an enormous shock right here. Largely as a result of the Penguins spent a lot of the common season going with a goalie rotation that noticed Skinner and Silovs share the evening with an almost 50-50 cut up, alternating begins each sport.

It was not till the ultimate two weeks of the common season that Skinner began to separate himself and take over the beginning job going into the playoffs.

Other than simply wanting to alter issues up, Muse might need been a bit of involved about a few the targets that Skinner allowed of their Recreation 3 loss and used that because the tipping level for making the change. 

Regardless of the motive, it labored, and Silovs performed an enormous position within the win. Whereas the Penguins performed what was simply their finest sport of the sequence, they nonetheless had too many breakdowns within the second interval and allowed too many odd-man rushes that might have swung the sport and sequence in a distinct route. Silovs was capable of bail them out, and doubtless earned himself one other begin on Monday. 

Whereas Silovs doesn’t have an in depth observe report of play within the NHL and is technically nonetheless thought of a rookie, he does have big-game expertise and has performed effectively in some moments. He helped the Vancouver Canucks win a playoff sequence a few years in the past by additionally coming off the bench, and has performed effectively on the worldwide stage for Latvia in some huge video games. If he can get the Penguins again into this sequence, it is likely to be his greatest second but.