It was a bit surprising to see Arturs Silovs lead the Penguins out onto the ice for the start of the second period in what ended up being a 6-2 loss to the Avalanche at PPG Paints Arena on Tuesday.
The Penguins trailed 4-1, with Silovs stopping 12 of 16 shots in the first period. A change in goal in that situation isn't always even an indictment of the play of the starter, and often can just be the coach looking to spark his team toward a turnaround. But still, Dan Muse stuck with Silovs for the remainder of the game.
I asked Muse why he didn't make that change.
"You look at the score, but then you also have to look at the goals, the quality," Muse said. "Then we're also looking at the guys continuing to battle, and that's what we saw. We felt like he still had a lot of fight left in him, which he did, and that's why we made that decision."
While Muse didn't elaborate on the "quality" of the goals, the first two from Colorado stand out. The Avalanche opened the scoring after Nathan MacKinnon stripped Parker Wotherspoon of the puck at the Colorado blue line and raced the other way on a breakaway before lifting the puck over Silovs' glove.
Sam Malinski's goal that put Colorado up 2-1 was aided by a screen from both Valeri Nichushkin and Ryan Shea before the puck hit the post and deflected in.
The latter two goals in the period were cleaner shots -- Martin Necas ripped a one-timer from the left circle on the power play, and then Parker Kelly sniped a far-side shot from in close after Silovs was back in his net hugging the near-side post, leaving a wide-open spot for Kelly.
The Penguins limited Colorado to 14 shots for the remainder of the game, and Silovs stopped 12 of the 13 he faced -- conceding another goal to Necas before the Avalanche scored their sixth goal into the empty net. A .923 save percentage over the last two periods is that "fight left in him" that Muse believed he still had, but that four-goal first period proved to be too much for the Penguins to overcome.
Silovs wasn't available to speak postgame, though that wasn't his choice. He's never declined to talk before, and is usually pretty forthcoming and honest when he does. PR made the decision to not have Silovs talk, seemingly attempting to protect him after an off night.
The Penguins can't really afford for their goaltenders to have "off" nights the rest of the way, as they sit third in the Metropolitan Division, barely hanging onto a playoff spot. It's a tough schedule, with games just about every other day until the end of the season with three pairs of back-to-backs still to go. The Penguins' defense could do a lot better to prevent some of those "quality" chances, but they'll need their goaltenders to steal them a couple of games, too.
THE ASYLUM
Why did Muse stick with Silovs?
It was a bit surprising to see Arturs Silovs lead the Penguins out onto the ice for the start of the second period in what ended up being a 6-2 loss to the Avalanche at PPG Paints Arena on Tuesday.
The Penguins trailed 4-1, with Silovs stopping 12 of 16 shots in the first period. A change in goal in that situation isn't always even an indictment of the play of the starter, and often can just be the coach looking to spark his team toward a turnaround. But still, Dan Muse stuck with Silovs for the remainder of the game.
I asked Muse why he didn't make that change.
"You look at the score, but then you also have to look at the goals, the quality," Muse said. "Then we're also looking at the guys continuing to battle, and that's what we saw. We felt like he still had a lot of fight left in him, which he did, and that's why we made that decision."
While Muse didn't elaborate on the "quality" of the goals, the first two from Colorado stand out. The Avalanche opened the scoring after Nathan MacKinnon stripped Parker Wotherspoon of the puck at the Colorado blue line and raced the other way on a breakaway before lifting the puck over Silovs' glove.
Sam Malinski's goal that put Colorado up 2-1 was aided by a screen from both Valeri Nichushkin and Ryan Shea before the puck hit the post and deflected in.
The latter two goals in the period were cleaner shots -- Martin Necas ripped a one-timer from the left circle on the power play, and then Parker Kelly sniped a far-side shot from in close after Silovs was back in his net hugging the near-side post, leaving a wide-open spot for Kelly.
The Penguins limited Colorado to 14 shots for the remainder of the game, and Silovs stopped 12 of the 13 he faced -- conceding another goal to Necas before the Avalanche scored their sixth goal into the empty net. A .923 save percentage over the last two periods is that "fight left in him" that Muse believed he still had, but that four-goal first period proved to be too much for the Penguins to overcome.
Silovs wasn't available to speak postgame, though that wasn't his choice. He's never declined to talk before, and is usually pretty forthcoming and honest when he does. PR made the decision to not have Silovs talk, seemingly attempting to protect him after an off night.
The Penguins can't really afford for their goaltenders to have "off" nights the rest of the way, as they sit third in the Metropolitan Division, barely hanging onto a playoff spot. It's a tough schedule, with games just about every other day until the end of the season with three pairs of back-to-backs still to go. The Penguins' defense could do a lot better to prevent some of those "quality" chances, but they'll need their goaltenders to steal them a couple of games, too.
Want to participate in our comments?
Want an ad-free experience?
Become a member, and enjoy premium benefits!
We’d love to have you!