The 109th season of the National Hockey League has started across the ocean.
The debut of Latvian goalie Arturs Shilovs (in the photo) with the Pittsburgh Penguins was simply fantastic.
His team defeated the New York Rangers 3-0 on the road, and Shilovs stopped all 25 shots that evening, being named the first star of the game.
Puck as a Gift
Shilovs became only the second goalie in Pittsburgh's history to debut with a shutout (the first was Maksim Legasi in 2021 with 29 saves in a game against Buffalo - 1-0).
After the game, he received special praise from the club's management in the locker room, receiving a puck as a keepsake.
"It's great to be in a new team. I think we already have a good understanding with the guys. It's very pleasant to play, and winning on the road is even better. The hard work paid off. I felt confident, I understood that I was playing reliably, and I just continued in the same spirit," said the 24-year-old goalie of the Penguins, who achieved his first career shutout in the NHL, although he had previously played a shutout in the playoffs with Vancouver.
On that day, several other games took place, one of which saw the Stanley Cup holder Florida, without defender Uvis Balinskis in the lineup, defeat Chicago 3-2 at home.
In the upcoming season, Latvian fans will surely be watching Philadelphia forward Rodrigo Abols, as well as forwards Zemgus Girgensons from Tampa and Theodore Blueger from Vancouver. However, the latter two are currently injured and will miss the start of the regular season.
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