Penguins Fans Locked In as Arturs Silovs Starts for Latvia vs Germany

The word out of Team Latvia is clear, Silovs gets the crease against Germany on Saturday. It is a big swing game for a group trying to stay alive.

This matters in Pittsburgh because Silovs has already turned into a real 2025-26 storyline between the pipes.

Through 26 NHL games, he sits at 11-7-8 with a .896 save percentage and one shutout. That is not perfect, but it is NHL work.

Latvia just took a 5-1 loss to the United States, so this start feels like a quick vote of confidence.

If Elvis Merzlikins is still viewed as the top option, Silovs is pushing the issue anyway. This is how goalies steal pecking orders, one high-pressure night at a time.

Silovs is 24, a 2019 sixth-round pick by Vancouver, and he plays like a guy who learned to survive chaos early.

Penguins fans have been burned by shaky goaltending years before, so the hope comes with a side of nerves.

Against Germany, the key is rebounds. Latvia cannot trade second chances all night and expect Silovs to bail them out.

Watch his puck touches, too. When he is decisive, Latvia exits cleaner and he looks calmer.

For the Penguins, this is a live stress test, traffic, broken plays, and every shot feels like it weighs double.

Win or lose, a steady Silovs performance is the kind of signal Pittsburgh needs heading back to NHL business.

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