There was a bit of a question about Elias Pettersson missing practice yesterday, as it was theorized that he may have an injury that kept him out. Tocchet took to the media to confirm that Pettersson isn't injured, but instead is just taking a maintenance day due to illness.
Tocchet also confirms that Silovs is the starter again for game 1, which is the expected outcome. Silovs is the Canucks' rookie third string goalie who was thrown in to their series against Nashville after the injuries of their first two goalies. He finished the first round with a .938 save percentage and a shutout, with 2 wins and a loss.
Silovs is still a rookie goalie however, and the Oilers offence should be looking to exploit that. Nashville never really tested Silovs the way that the Oilers are going to, as the Canucks are really good at high danger shot suppression. If the Oilers can test Silovs hard and often, it should be easy for them to overwhelm him and break his confidence. Despite the question mark in net, Elias Pettersson talks about what the Canucks can do to beat the Oilers in their series.
In the interview, Pettersson talks only about what the Canucks can do in the series and avoids speaking about the Oilers' strategy. He talks about their defensive structure and how they look to play a very defensive style of hockey to shut down the Oilers' crazy offense. The series is going to be extremely entertaining no matter what, and the game tonight may show how the series looks to play out.
POLL | ||
8 MAI | 88 ANSWERS Tocchet says Canucks aren't lying about Pettersson injury in game 1 Do you think Silovs will continue to be a difference maker in net? | ||
Yes, he will an issue for the Oilers | 24 | 27.3 % |
No, he will drop down to average | 39 | 44.3 % |
No, the rookie will be exploited by the Oilers | 25 | 28.4 % |
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