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Arturs Silovs surge fuels Pittsburgh Penguins playoff push with 5-2-2, .936 stretch
Photo credit: Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images
Kelsey Surmacz says Arturs Silovs is trending up, and the Pittsburgh Penguins rookie just blanked Vegas, raising the stakes in their crease.
Silovs also sounded it in his own words afterward.
"I think it's going the right way."
- Arturs Silovs
- Arturs Silovs
Sunday's 5-0 shutout of the Golden Knights was not a quiet night, even if the scoreboard looked easy. He faced 22 shots and stayed sealed.
Surmacz's stat is the real hook for me, 5-2-2 with a .936 save percentage in his last nine appearances. That is separation, not a hot cameo.
The bigger picture is messier, because Silovs' full 2025-26 line sits at 27 GP with a .899 save percentage. The swing is the story.
Pittsburgh has played like a team that finally trusts its structure again, and this win pushed them to 31-15-13. That gives the goalie room to breathe.
What I liked versus Vegas was his patience, not the highlight saves. He let pucks hit him, killed rebounds, and kept the slot calm.
The Penguins did their part too, cleaner layers through the middle and fewer second looks. A goalie run always starts with five guys behaving.
Arturs Silovs puts the Pittsburgh Penguins on notice
Pens fans have been burned by "fixes" in net before, so the optimism comes with crossed fingers.
Still, the resume under pressure is real, AHL and NHL playoffs, plus Latvia duty. He has shown he can hold a game when it gets tight.
Just remember the label, he is still a rookie, 24 years old, drafted in 2019 in the sixth round by the Vancouver Canucks.
That matters because scouting catches up, and the league starts aiming for the same holes until you shut them off.
If this nine-game surge is his new baseline, Pittsburgh's blue line can pinch harder and the forecheck can stay aggressive.
Next up is proving it again, not talking about it, with the Boston Bruins coming in on Tuesday.
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| POLL | ||
MARS 2|191 ANSWERS Arturs Silovs surge fuels Pittsburgh Penguins playoff push with 5-2-2, .936 stretch Should Arturs Silovs be the Pittsburgh Penguins clear No. 1 right now? | ||
| Yes | 134 | 70.2 % |
| No | 57 | 29.8 % |
| List of polls | ||