PHILADELPHIA — There might not be another soul in the state of Pennsylvania who has a better idea of what Pittsburgh Penguins goalie Arturs Silovs can do in a demanding situation than Rick Tocchet.
Currently employed as head coach of the Philadelphia Flyers, Tocchet previously held the same station with the Vancouver Canucks.
And during the 2024 Stanley Cup playoffs, the Canucks ran into problems when their two top goaltenders — Thatcher Demko and Casey DeSmith — were injured during a first-round series against the Nashville Predators.
By Game 4 of that series, Tocchet turned the net over to Silovs, a sixth-round draft pick (No. 156 overall) in 2019 who had all of nine NHL career games on his resume.
Silovs ended up winning two of the next three contests to claim the series in six games. He then led the Canucks against the powerful Edmonton Oilers in the second round, losing in seven games.
The so-called “Arty Party” started in Vancouver and Tocchet helped organize it.
Two years later, he may have involuntarily RSVPed for another gala with Silovs after the goaltender guided the Penguins to a do-or-die 3-2 win in Game 4 of a first-round series against the Flyers at the Xfinity Mobile Arena on Saturday.
The victory allowed the Penguins to avoid a sweep as they return to Pittsburgh for Game 5 on Monday, down 3-1 in the series.
“He did the same spot for us (with the Canucks),” Tocchet said after Saturday’s game. “He wasn’t even going to play and (DeSmith) got hurt and he was thrust in. He was the third goalie and he ran with it.
“So, he’s capable. He’s a good goaltender. We have our hands full with him in the net.”
Silovs, who still qualifies as a rookie per the NHL’s parameters for the designation, made 28 saves on 30 shots in Saturday’s victory after replacing Stuart Skinner, the Penguins’ starter in net for the first three games of the series.
“It’s an exciting opportunity,” the 25-year-old Silovs said. “Playing playoffs is the most fun you can ever have. You’ve been waiting for a whole season to get to this point. Just enjoying every minute of it.”
There were a handful of minutes that were anxious for the Penguins on Saturday, however. Particularly during a handful of power-play sequences, when they allowed the ambitious Flyers penalty killers to create some short-handed scoring chances.
Silovs regularly quashed those aspirations.
Artūrs Šilovs atvaira 28 no 30 "Flyers" metieniem un glābj "Penguins" sezonu – būs piektā spēle sērijā! ???????????????????????? pic.twitter.com/ScmlVpmMkT
— NHL Latvija (@Latvija_NHL) April 26, 2026
“He was awesome,” Penguins forward Rickard Rakell said. “He made some big saves to keep our lead, especially when we got a little sloppy there on the power play and gave them a little bit too many easy looks. He was coming up big for us.”
Saturday’s contest was Silovs’ first truly meaningful game since he made 29 saves on 31 shots in a 5-2 home win against the Florida Panthers on April 5
After that, he appeared in two regular season games that largely meant nothing to the Penguins’ postseason hopes. Then, he sat for the first three games of this series.
“You get to the playoffs, just the way he handled that (being relegated to backup duties), the professionalism, the way he just focused in on his day-to-day (process), made sure he was prepared,” coach Dan Muse said. “And when his name was called, he was ready. Great by him.”
Silovs’ fastidious devotion to his craft is evident to anyone who happens to be early to watch a Penguins’ practice session. He is routinely the first player on the ice and will engage in a lengthy and intricate warmup routine as his teammates join him on the ice.
“He sticks to his routine,” Penguins forward Bryan Rust said. “Works extremely hard. Doesn’t matter if things are going extremely well or they’re aren’t going the way he wants. He continues to work day in and day out and just continues to build his craft. That says a lot about his character.”
Silovs’ regular season figures were somewhat mundane. In 39 games, he posted a 19-12-8 record, a 3.07 goals- against average, an .887 save percentage and two shutouts.
But his postseason acumen isn’t anything to overlook. In addition to his exploits in the 2024 Stanley Cup playoffs, he guided the American Hockey League’s Abbotsford Canucks to the Calder Cup and won the Jack A. Butterfield Trophy as postseason MVP in the process.
His play in Game 5 was the latest example of what he can do in the most important of games.
“He works really hard,” Penguins forward Sidney Crosby said. “Competes hard in practice. Obviously, you see it in the games transfer over.
“Tonight, with the situation that we were in and a loud building like this, I thought he was really poised and made some big saves for us. At different points, when they pushed — when they got some chances short-handed there where they could have gotten a lot of momentum — I thought he made some big saves to hold it off and to give us a chance to get back in it.”
Presumably, Silovs will be back in net for Game 5.
“It’s meaningful hockey,” Silovs said. “Everyone does their hardest. You’re playing for something. There’s an ultimate goal to do something. It’s fun to play, be a part of it.”
Note: The Penguins had a scheduled day off to travel Sunday.