Penguins' Goaltender Artūrs Šilovs Showing Big-Game Prowess In Series Against Flyers

One of the primary reasons that Pittsburgh Penguins ' general manager and president of hockey operations Kyle Dubas acquired goaltender Artūrs Šilovs from the Vancouver Canucks last summer was the young goaltender's ability to elevate his game when it matters most. That sentiment was echoed by head coach Dan Muse as well during training camp and throughout the regular season. "He's gained some really good experiences in his career so far, and he's obviously still a relatively young guy," Muse said of Šilovs earlier this season.

"I think those things, they seem to all kind of stack up. To have that [AHL Calder Cup run] that he had last year, and then to have the playoffs before, and then you also look at some of the different experiences that he's had in international play... you look at it and see he's not that old.

"He's got all these things already, and you own those now. You own those experiences, and you carry them with you. " And, through two playoff games in which the Penguins have faced elimination, he sure has carried that with him.

After making the post-season for the first time in four years, the Penguins went down 3-0 in their first-round series against the Philadelphia Flyers with Stuart Skinner between the pipes. Although Skinner - a veteran who has been to two Stanley Cup Finals with the Edmonton Oilers - hadn't really done anything to contribute to his team's deficit in the series, Muse made the bold decision to change goaltenders for Game 4 with Pittsburgh's season on the line. Well, it worked.