Going into training camp and the Pittsburgh Penguins seemed fairly content with Arturs Silovs as a strong option as a goalie for their team this season. He hasn't lived up to expectations thus far after showing some promise in their playoff defeat against the Philadelphia Flyers this past spring.
They are counting on Silovs to be a solid netminder to take the pressure off of Sergei Murashov, but that plan might be taking a detour.
Pittsburgh suffered a 7-4 loss during an exhibition game against the Detroit Red Wings. In a game where Silovs started, and many assumed would do well. Unfortunately for the veteran things went south, and his performance was lackluster. You could even argue it was one of his ugliest starts in recent memory. He needs to be better if he wants a shot at taking the top spot on the depth chart.
When it comes down to it, things just aren't as positive around Arturs Silovs as many would have assumed when training camp started. He is a veteran, but the history of his career paints a goalie who is inconsistent. Without Silovs showing he can become a solid veteran to take the heat off of Murashov early in his NHL career, the Penguins could be in some trouble before the season begins.
Pittsburgh Penguins training camp problem of goalie Arturs Silovs is getting exposed
Things got ugly for Arturs Silovs against the Red Wings. In a battle where he didn't face a full starting lineup, he still allowed an eye-popping seven goals. He only faced 23 shots on goal and made a meager 16 saves. That means he produced an embarrassing .696 save percentage during the exhibition.
Those are alarming numbers and not something Pittsburgh should shrug off.
We will see how the rest of training camp develops for the Penguins goalies. They certainly have to consider demoting Silovs, especially if one of the younger netminders behind him on the depth chart starts to step up. Pittsburgh is full of young and talented goaltenders in their system, so it's not out of the question.
Silovs must be careful not only when it comes to losing his starting gig, but his roster spot.
In an ideal world, the Penguins would be able to start Sergei Murashov off slowly during his first full campaign in the NHL. That doesn't appear to be on the table for now after Silovs most recent performance against Detroit. It was a tough watch and something the team must monitor going forward. It could lead to some trade activity right before the season if he can't turn things around.
The franchise could use a solid veteran presence to take the heat off of Murashov. That was once thought to be Arturs Silovs, but that may no longer be written in stone as before. His play in this exhibition won't define him for now, but if it continues throughout the preseason, then the alarm bells will only get louder. That could lead to the Penguins starting to panic with their goalies.
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