Arturs Silovs absolutely robbed the Florida Panthers, stopping 25 shots and spoiling a historic night as the Pittsburgh Penguins shut them out 4-0 on Thursday. You had to feel for Cooper Black, the Panthers’ netminder, because he made his NHL debut and instantly became the tallest goalie ever to play in a regular season game at a staggering 6-foot-9. Talk about an entrance! But even with all that buzz, Silovs and the Penguins were having none of it.
Historic Debut Meets a Wall
Cooper Black, all 6-foot-9 of him, made 18 saves in his first NHL game. This dude from Michigan, only 25 years old, got the call up from the AHL’s Charlotte affiliate after Jacob Markstrom went down with a shoulder injury. He was sharp early on, no doubt. But the Panthers, bless their hearts, just couldn’t find their legs. They were coming off an emotionally charged loss in Ottawa the night before, and it showed. Pittsburgh’s coach Dan Muse had shuffled his lines looking for a spark, and boy, did they find it. They solved Black, the towering rookie, three times. Hendrix Lapierre doubled Pittsburgh’s lead right at the game’s halfway point, taking a sweet feed on the rush from Ville Koivunen, and Evgeni Malkin’s third goal in four games sealed the deal. Silovs, on the other hand, was only sporadically challenged en route to his second shutout of the season, the fourth of his career. What a brick wall.
Bouncing Back After a Brutal Road Trip
This win was HUGE for the Penguins, who desperately needed to shake off what can only be described as a miserable Western Conference road trip. They were badly outplayed in losses against Chicago, Colorado, Vegas, and Utah. Yikes. Getting shut out on the road after getting absolutely wrecked for four straight games? That’s tough. But they responded big time. This team needed a jolt, and they got it, not just with the win, but with some solid individual performances. Nick Robertson lit the lamp twice, and both Lapierre and Malkin ended the night with a goal and an assist. This is the kind of response you want to see when things are looking grim.
Beyond the game itself, there’s a serious note we can’t ignore. 19-year-old forward Ben Kindel collapsed on Tuesday during the flight back to Pittsburgh. He spent the night in a Salt Lake City hospital for observation and thankfully returned to the Penguins’ facility on Thursday. The team put him on injured reserve, but they’re hopeful he might be able to get back to practice as early as next week. You never want to see that, and our thoughts are with Kindel for a speedy and full recovery.
The Panthers are still on their four-game road trip and will be in Chicago on Sunday. Meanwhile, the Penguins are back home, hosting Nashville on Saturday. Let’s see if Pittsburgh can carry this momentum forward after a much-needed win.
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by Yahoo Sports.
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