Canucks Coffee: What to make of struggling Arturs Silovs?

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Arturs Silovs could have had a rare NHL starting call Wednesday in Calgary.

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Had the Vancouver Canucks deemed workhorse starter Kevin Lankinen needed a night off to guard against fatigue after facing the Montreal Canadiens on Tuesday — even though he was up for the challenge to frustrate the Flames in a 4-3 shootout win — the lanky Latvian would have been thrown into the fire.

A classic four-pointer with wild-card playoff positioning implications made road-warrior Lankinen the logical choice. His stunning 16-5-3 record and three shutouts away from Rogers Arena is quite the calling card. And so is Lankinen’s league record 10-straight road wins to start this season.

Silovs was no stranger to danger last spring with prime time playoff performances. They included a Game 6 series-winning shutout over the Nashville Predators and nearly backstopping the Canucks to the Western Conference final with 2-1 and 3-2 second-round series leads before a bitter Game 7 loss.

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Why does that now seem like so long ago?

Silovs is struggling at the NHL level this season and has lost his last four starts. Call it a slump or simply the rite of passage in the game’s most-difficult position that demands compete and consistency and, above all, composure.

He is 23 and still many years away from reaching his prime, so amid the angst and his frustration to advance the curve, patience must become a priority.

The rudiments of the game that are essential to success for any stopper — calm and square positioning, puck tracking at a distance and rebound control — have been wavering. It has led to a 1-6-1 record, bloated 3.85 GAA and lowly .858 saves percentage and more work in the AHL to get his game in order.

Silovs was blitzed for six goals on 26 shots in a 6-5 opening night overtime loss to the Flames. The Canucks blew 3-0 and 4-1 leads and Silovs allowed three third-period goals on nine shots. It got worse on Oct. 30 when he allowed six goals on 22 shots in a stunning 6-0 home-ice loss the New Jersey Devils.

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He could get the call Saturday at home against the lowly Chicago Blackhawks in the front end of back-to-back games. It would allow Lankinen to deal with the upstart Utah on Sunday because the club remains in wild-card contention.

Silovs had a signature outing Nov. 16 at the United Centre. He made 28 saves in a 4-1 victory over the Blackhawks as the Canucks had a season-low 14 shots. They also paraded to the penalty box and forced Silovs to make six short-handed saves and 11 total in the opening frame. He wasn’t beaten until the 16th shot.

He finished with 30 saves and renewed confidence that he can deliver at this level. And he had to as the Canucks were held to just 15 shots, their second lowest total of the season.

“I felt good,” said Silovs. “Guys did a good job in front of me on the penalty kill covering their dangerous guys and boxing out pretty well. We just have to keep going.”

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However, that night was sandwiched between allowing five goals on 23 shots in a 5-4 loss at Pittsburgh and four goals on 24 shots in a 5-1 loss at Anaheim. It comes with the territory of trying to finding a rhythm. He either had it last season or was playing or pure adrenalin. Probably a bit of both.

Silovs was talk of the town last spring.

He was effective, engaging, upbeat and playoff series slayer. The plaudits were plenty. So was his playful nature and calm and resolute demeanour, a rarity for a raw NHL rookie.

He donned an ice bag on top of his head during intermissions. He slumped in his stall and didn’t talk. He had that laser focus when the mayhem resumed. He just wanted to stake his place here this season in a goaltender tandem.

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After all, his brief 2023-24 book of work with a 3-0-1 regular-season recall record and 2.47 GAA teased of potential. And his 5-5-0 playoff performance, 2.91 GAA and .898 saves percentage proved a building block. Everything was trending in the right direction. What could go wrong?

Silovs isn’t on the front-burner of concerns — especially with emergence of Lankinen, 29, as a bona fide starter who earned a five-year contract extension — but the latest injury rehab prognosis for Thatcher Demko and his contract future are part of an intriguing mix.

Demko, 29, is expected to soon practise in recovery from a March 8 injury against the Toronto Maple Leafs. He winced after making three saves in the warm-up and then flexed his left leg in the first period before giving way to Lankinen.

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Demko also has another year left on his five-year extension at a US$5 million salary cap hit. He’ll obviously be looking to regain his game and be in top form next season to gain a sizable raise. Term may be the biggest concern for management because of durability.

Demko has been limited to 17 games this season due to injury and his 6-6-3 record has been a mix of good and bad. He was placed just 32 games in 2022-23.

Silovs has another year left on his two-year extension that carries an $850,000 cap hit. He then becomes a restricted free agent with arbitration rights. If he puts up strong numbers the crease could get more crowded or something may have to give.

bkuzma@postmedia.com

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