Silovs makes 26 saves as Pittsburgh beats Florida
Latvian goaltender Arturs Silovs stopped all 26 Florida shots in an NHL game as the Pittsburgh Penguins won 4-0 over the Panthers. Uvis Balinskis returned to Florida's lineup, while Sandis Vilmanis was left out for the first time this season.
In the National Hockey League (NHL), North America's top ice hockey league, the Pittsburgh Penguins beat the Florida Panthers 4-0 at home. Latvian goaltender Arturs Silovs saved all 26 shots he faced and was named the game's first star. The win ended a four-game losing streak for the Penguins.
Silovs' shutout
Silovs played the full 60 minutes, including stopping six shots while the Penguins were short-handed. He took a four-minute penalty himself for a high stick on Sam Bennett, but Florida failed to capitalise on the power play.
It was his second shutout this season and fourth in his NHL career. He shares second place in the league in that category with Dallas Stars goaltender Jake Oettinger, who has three. Silovs has four wins in seven games, a save percentage of 88.5% and a goals-against average of 3.01. After the game he said the team played more structured defensively and teammates did a better job protecting the area in front of the net, which made his job easier. In the previous four-game road trip, the Penguins conceded 21 goals.
Latvians in Florida's lineup
Uvis Balinskis replaced Radko Gudas in the lineup. The defenceman played 14 minutes and nine seconds, took one shot on goal, drew two penalty minutes and finished with a plus-minus of -2. Sandis Vilmanis was a healthy scratch for the first time this season; Florida head coach Paul Maurice announced the change two and a half hours before the game.
How the game unfolded
Nick Robertson scored twice, while Hendrix Lapierre and Evgeni Malkin each had a goal and an assist. Connor Dewar added two assists. It was Malkin's third goal in the last four games and his sixth of the season.
In goal for Florida, 25-year-old Cooper Black made his NHL debut. At about 206 centimetres, he became the tallest goaltender to play a regular-season game in the league. He stopped 17 of 20 shots on debut.
Pittsburgh forward Ben Kindel, 19, collapsed on the team plane on the way back from the road trip and spent the night under observation at a Salt Lake City hospital. He has returned to the training centre but was placed on the injured list; the club hopes he can resume practice next week.
