After being acquired from the Vancouver Canucks in July, Arturs Silovs surprisingly got the start in net over Tristan Jarry for the Pittsburgh Penguins’ season opener against the New York Rangers on Tuesday.
Silovs made the most of it, pitching a 3-0 shutout at Madison Square Garden. He saved all 25 shots on goal, becoming just the second goalie in team history with a shutout in his Penguins debut.
However, he will not start in goal for Pittsburgh’s home opener tonight against the New York Islanders at PPG Paints Arena. Jarry will make his season debut, relegating Silovs to the bench.
“It’s so early and we want to get everyone going,” first-year head coach Dan Muse explained during his pregame press conference.
Jarry, a two-time All-Star, has a tough act to follow. He may be in danger of losing playing time to Silovs if his struggles from last year persist, as he posted his worst save percentage since 2018-19.
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While Penguins fans may prefer to see Silovs in goal tonight, Jarry needs some reps as well. The season just started, so he needs to get some playing time before he gets too rusty.
If Jarry continues to struggle, then Silovs may deserve to start more regularly if he plays well. But for now, Jarry is the incumbent with the superior track record.
This is a good matchup for Jarry, as the Islanders ranked 27th in scoring last year. He’s also been more comfortable at home throughout his career, posting a superior save percentage there.
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