Arturs Silovs wasn't as good as hoped, but you can't blame the loss on the rookie netminder when the players aren't playing well enough to win.
There had been an elevated amount of speculation regarding Thatcher Demko's possible return. When he first got injured, the belief was that he'd be back at 100% for games six and seven. The latest reports even suggested that the netminder was making significant progress and was nearing a return.
Following the game six loss, Tocchet was as clear as it gets, Thatcher Demko will not guard the Canucks' net during game seven:
With the confirmation from the coach, Oilers' fans can sleep in peace; their dream of going to the Conference Finals will not be broken with the return of the Vézina Trophy nominee.
It could've been a huge morale boost for the troops to have Demko back, but Silovs has done a tremendous job keeping the boat afloat and deserves the opportunity to take the team to the next step of the playoffs. Hopefully, he still has some magic left in him to carry the Canucks through the Oilers one more time.
POLL | ||
18 MAI | 1782 ANSWERS Tocchet confirms it for Arturs Silovs and Thatcher Demko for game 7 Do you believe that the Canucks have what it takes to win game seven? | ||
No Demko, no win | 145 | 8.1 % |
Yes, Silovs will get it done | 1164 | 65.3 % |
The netminder doesn't matter, they're done | 357 | 20 % |
See Results | 116 | 6.5 % |
List of polls |