The Vancouver Canucks entered the 2017-18 season with Jacob Markstrom pegged as the starting goalie with Anders Nilsson as the backup.
However, Markstrom lost three of his first four starts and Nilsson picked up a 32-save shutout in his season debut Tuesday.
“I think that the goaltending competition is wide open now,” Canucks radio colour commentator Corey Hirsch told Sportsnet 650 Thursday morning. “I know it’s only one game but when you watch Nilsson play—I’ve watched him practise and he made me nervous in practice I’ll be honest—but when I watch him in the game he’s very composed, he’s very compact, he moves really efficiently and he could be a really good find.”
Markstrom had strong performances against the Oilers and Senators in his first two starts of the season but struggled in regulation losses to the Jets and Flames.
“He tends to overplay things at times,” Hirsch said of Markstrom. “He’s a little too active in the net for me right now but I am not going to sit here and say one guy is better than the other at this point after one game for Nilsson. I still believe in Markstrom.”
Following his playing career and prior to his transition into broadcasting, Hirsch served as a goaltending consultant for Hockey Canada and also worked with the Maple Leafs and Blues.
The Canucks visit the Bruins Thursday night and the team announced Nilsson will begin the game between the pipes.
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