Arturs Silovs' stellar performance helps Vancouver Canucks secure a hard-fought victory against the Chicago Blackhawks.
In his first game since Oct. 30th, Arturs Silovs secured his first victory of the season for the Vancouver Canucks by making 28 saves in a 4-1 win over the Chicago Blackhawks at Rogers Arena on Saturday.
J.T. Miller scored a goal and contributed an assist for the Canucks (9-4-3), rebounding from a 5-2 defeat against the New York Islanders to reach a 5-2-0 record in their last seven games. Vancouver has won two out of its last six home games. Ilya Mikheyev netted a goal against his old squad while Arvid Soderblom stopped 29 shots for the Blackhawks (6-11-1), who suffered their fourth loss in the last five games.
In each of the four losses, Chicago has scored only one goal. Mikheyev returned to play after being benched for two games and scored to put Chicago ahead 1-0 just 6:50 into the first period. Nick Foligno skated with the puck toward the net, getting past defenseman Erik Brannstrom with one hand.
The rebound landed at Mikheyev’s feet on the opposite side of the crease. Mikheyev scored his second goal of the season in 16 games. He previously played for the Canucks for two seasons before being traded to Chicago on June 26. He replaced Taylor Hall in the lineup, who was unexpectedly not playing.
Pettersson equalized 1-1 with a power play goal at 4:56 of the second period, as his quick pass from the left side of the net towards Conor Garland deflected off Chicago defenseman Connor Murphy’s skate and into the net. In his fourth start of the season and second in the last month, Silovs made a crucial save on Foligno’s breakaway five-hole shot at 14:15 of the second period, following a turnover near the Canucks blue line.
The young Latvian goalie, 23, primarily played in the American Hockey League last season. However, he stepped in during the 2024 Stanley Cup Playoffs after injuries to Thatcher Demko and Casey DeSmith, assisting the Canucks in eliminating the Nashville Predators before falling to the Edmonton Oilers in the second round. This season has had a rough start for him, as he holds a 0-2-1 record and a .808 save percentage, limiting his chances until Saturday.
Brannstrom scored to give the Canucks a 2-1 lead in the third period at 4:25 with a one-timer from a loose puck near the left face-off circle. The shot deflected off Murphy’s skate in front of the net and beat Soderblom on the near side. The defenseman scored his second goal in three games and his first game-winning goal in the NHL. The Blackhawks want to join in the enjoyment.
In the first period, they had 14 shots compared to Vancouver’s 9, but in the second period, they were outshot 17-8. After Brannstrom scored the go-ahead goal 4:25 into the third period, they only managed to take four shots.
Chicago scores an average of 2.33 goals in each game, which is higher than the Nashville Predators’ 2.28. At 18:04, Miller scored a goal from center ice into an unguarded net to increase the score to 3-1, as Chicago center Connor Bedard, playing his first NHL game in his hometown, missed a dump-in attempt. Bedard has gone nine games without scoring.
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