Pittsburgh Penguins coach Dan Muse made his biggest call of the postseason Saturday morning, announcing that Arturs Silovs will start in net for a pivotal Game 4, replacing Stuart Skinner.
The Penguins trail their intrastate rival Flyers 3-0 in the first round entering Saturday night's game in Philadelphia.
Skinner started the first three games and allowed nine goals as the young, upstart Flyers are outskating Sidney Crosby and the veteran core of the Penguins.
Muse, the first-year head coach who hit all the right buttons in the regular season, said he was just looking for a change.
Skinner entered the postseason with 50 games of playoff experience, having helped lead the Edmonton Oilers to the past two Stanley Cup Finals. However, Edmonton and Pittsburgh were both looking for goalie changes, which led to Skinner getting traded to the Penguins in December for Tristan Jarry.
Entering a crowded goalie room in Pittsburgh, Skinner emerged as the starter by the playoffs. He is playing for a new contract this summer.
Silovs, 25, has limited playoff experience with the Vancouver Canucks from 2024. During this regular season, the Latvian appeared in 39 games and posted a 19-12-8 record, 3.07 goals-against average, .888 save percentage and two shutouts.
