The Vancouver Canucks absolutely stunned the Nashville crowd in game four. Two late third-period goals from Brock Boeser sent the game to overtime, where Vancouver’s Elias Lindholm fired home the game-winner only 1:02 into the extra frame.
More Goalie Problems
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Game 4 started off with more goalie drama from Vancouver as Casey DeSmith was ruled out with an undisclosed injury shortly before the puck drop.
Vancouver would then call on AHL netminder Arturs Silovs to man the net in game four. Silovs had played in only four career regular season games up to this point for Vancouver, going 3-0-1 with a .881 save % and a 2.47 GAA.
Running Theme For VAN’s Goalies:
Silovs is Vancouver’s third goalie used in these playoffs so far, with starting goalie Thatcher Demko and backup goalie Casey DeSmith both going down with injuries.
Vancouver’s past couple of playoff appearances have featured goalies who have gone down. Corey Schneider went down in 2013, Ryan Miller in 2015, Jacob Markstrom in 2020, and Thatcher Demko in 2024.
Boeser Sets the Tone:
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Vancouver showed that they were not too worried about their goalie situation. Two minutes into game four, J.T. Miller found a wide-open Brock Boeser on the left circle and fired it past Saros for the early lead. For the second straight game, Vancouver scored on their very first shot of the game.
Nashville Won’t Go Quietly:
Nashville responded almost immediately as Mark Jankowski tipped home his first goal of the playoffs just about three minutes after Boeser’s goal. The Preds would then grab the lead in the second period off of a 2-on-1 opportunity with Gustav Nyquist going top-shelf on Silovs.
Then, 12 seconds into the third period, a bouncing puck off the skate of Filip Forsberg gave Nashville a two-goal cushion. It was all Nashville for two-thirds of the third period as they outshot Vancouver 11-6 and possessed the puck in Vancouver’s end for most of the period.
Lindholm on the Assist
With the goalie pulled and 2:47 remaining, Elias Lindholm found Brock Boeser for a back door tap in past Saros’ glove side.
Down one, Vancouver was scrambling with the little time they had left, and with six seconds left, a rebound off of a Miller slapshot found the stick of Boeser, who hit the post with his first shot but buried the second chance, tying Game 4 and sending it into overtime.
Lucky Lindholm:
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Vancouver would only need one shot to end Game 4 as forward Conor Garland found a wide-open Elias Lindholm in front of Saros, who one-timed it home to complete the comeback. Headed back home for Game 5, Vancouver now has a commanding 3-1 series lead.
Silovs Shines In Playoff Debut:
In Arturs Silovs’ first-ever playoff game, he stopped 27 of 30 shots helping the Canucks complete the comeback and becoming the third Vancouver goalie in this series to record a win.
Game Five:
Game 5 will take place in Vancouver on Tuesday, April 30th, at 10 PM EST. It is still undecided who will be manning the net for Vancouver, but should we also ask the same question for Nashville? Saros has accumulated a .857 save percentage in these first four games, and with Nashville’s back against the wall, Nashville’s head coach Andrew Brunette might lean on backup Kevin Lankinen to save the Preds’ season.
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About the author: Trevor Poetzinger is a senior at Western Michigan University studying journalism in hopes of becoming a sports journalist. Poetzinger is a big Chicago sports fan, with the Blackhawks and White Sox as his favorites. Poetzinger also loves talking about anything hockey and baseball-related, whether it’s the pros, semi-pros, or college.
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