Rangers 6, Canucks 4: Arturs Silovs gets NHL baptism in demanding crease call

It was an intriguing decision, but in reality, was it the right one?

Rookie Arturs Silovs certainly thought it was. Management believed he deserved to play and the goaltender certainly believes in himself.

Changing the goalie was supposed to change the constant Vancouver Canucks narrative of pushing for structure, commitment, conviction and culture. It wasn’t supposed to spark debate.

Rewarding Silovs, a promising 21-year-old prospect, with a recall and his first National Hockey League regular-season start Wednesday against the high-octane New York Rangers certainly created a pre-game buzz at Rogers Arena.

Want to play better defensively? Plop the lanky Latvian, who sports stellar American Hockey League numbers, behind a mistake-prone back end and see if it serves as a wake-up call and not hang the kid out to dry.