The Canucks now 3-1 this postseason with different goalie winning each game

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — Injuries have forced the Vancouver Canucks to change goalies now for a third time in their first four playoff games.

Thanks to Casey DeSmith and now Arturs Silovs winning the first postseason games of their careers, the Canucks are making history and are one victory away from the next round.

Silovs made 27 saves in his NHL playoff debut Sunday as Vancouver rallied and staggered Nashville with a 4-3 overtime victory.

A sixth-round pick in the 2019 draft, Silovs said he had a little bit of a blackout at the final horn and didn't know who hugged him first. But with All-Star Thatcher Demko and then DeSmith both sidelined by injuries, Silovs learned Saturday he would be starting.

"It was great. My time to shine,” Silovs said.

The Canucks became only the second team in NHL history to have three different goalies win each of their first three games in a postseason. Vancouver also did it during the 2004 Western quarterfinals with Dan Cloutier in Game 1, Johan Hedberg in Game 3 and Alex Auld in Game 6.

Chicago in the 1972 quarterfinals was the only other team in NHL history with three different goalies to win a game at any point in a series. Tony Esposito won Game 1, Gary Smith took Game 3 and Gerry Desjardins was in net for Game 4.

The Canucks started Demko in a Game 1 win in the All-Star goalie's third game back from a knee injury that sidelined him March 9. Coach Rick Tocchet announced Demko is week-to-week with an unspecified injury.

That's when DeSmith started both Games 2 and 3, and he got his first postseason victory Friday night. DeSmith was leveled by a hit from Predators forward Michael McCarron behind the net, which earned McCarron a $2,000 fine from the NHL on Saturday. DeSmith was seen at practice Saturday.

Tocchet said DeSmith is dealing with an injury. Asked who will start in net Tuesday night for Game 5 with Vancouver having a chance to clinch a series on home ice for the first time since the 2011 Western Conference final, Tocchet said they would evaluate DeSmith's status Monday.

“It’s next man up, so I think that’s the approach and we’ll see how it shakes out," Tocchet said.

A native of Riga, Latvia, Silovs is 6-2-1 with a 2.62 goals against average and an .898 save percentage in the regular season. He leaned on his experience playing for Latvia in the world championships in this game.

“It was like the same atmosphere, I would say,” Silovs said. "Either they boo you or they’re for you. It’s always great to play.”

Tocchet didn't think Silovs looked nervous, even before the game when the goalie wasn't saying much.

“I don’t think the moment’s too big for him,” Tocchet said. "I like his demeanor. I think watching Casey and watching Demmer is something that he’s watched the last couple of years for help.”

AP NHL playoffs: https://apnews.com/hub/stanley-cup and https://apnews.com/hub/nhl

Vancouver Canucks goaltender Arturs Silovs (31) warms up before the start of Game 4 against the Nashville Predators in an NHL hockey Stanley Cup first-round playoff series Sunday, April 28, 2024, in Nashville, Tenn. (AP Photo/George Walker IV)

Vancouver Canucks goaltender Arturs Silovs (31) warms up before the start of Game 4 against the Nashville Predators in an NHL hockey Stanley Cup first-round playoff series Sunday, April 28, 2024, in Nashville, Tenn. (AP Photo/George Walker IV)

Vancouver Canucks goaltender Arturs Silovs (31) blocks a shot on goal against the Nashville Predators during the second period in Game 4 of an NHL hockey Stanley Cup first-round playoff series Sunday, April 28, 2024, in Nashville, Tenn. (AP Photo/George Walker IV)

Vancouver Canucks goaltender Arturs Silovs (31) blocks a shot on goal against the Nashville Predators during the second period in Game 4 of an NHL hockey Stanley Cup first-round playoff series Sunday, April 28, 2024, in Nashville, Tenn. (AP Photo/George Walker IV)

Vancouver Canucks goaltender Arturs Silovs (31) dives onto the puck as it slides toward the goal during the second period during Game 4 against the Nashville Predators in an NHL hockey Stanley Cup first-round playoff series Sunday, April 28, 2024, in Nashville, Tenn. (AP Photo/George Walker IV)

The Canucks now 3-1 this postseason with different goalie winning each game

The Canucks now 3-1 this postseason with different goalie winning each game

Vancouver Canucks goaltender Arturs Silovs (31) and defenseman Carson Soucy (7) celebrate the team's 4-3 overtime win against the Nashville Predators in Game 4 of an NHL hockey Stanley Cup first-round playoff series Sunday, April 28, 2024, in Nashville, Tenn. (AP Photo/George Walker IV)

BANGKOK (AP) — Thailand’s prime minister on Wednesday offered his condolences to the family of a young activist who died in detention after a monthslong hunger strike, amid a public debate on the country’s justice system.

Netiporn “Bung” Sanesangkhom, 28, died on Tuesday after suffering cardiac arrest while she was being detained at Bangkok’s Central Women’s Correctional Institution on charges that included defaming the monarchy. She had been on a hunger strike to protest the revokation of her bail in January.

Her death has prompted calls for reviewing a judicial process that allows people accused of politically-motivated, nonviolent offenses to be held for extended periods ahead of trial.

Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin told reporters that Netiporn’s death was a loss that no one wanted, and said he has ordered the Justice Ministry to investigate.

Officials from the Corrections Department said during a press conference on Wednesday that while Netiporn appeared fatigued following her prolonged hunger strike, she had been well and there was no sign that she would develop such critical conditions, and that they had done everything to try to save her life.

They also said the activist had already resumed eating, but refused to take other supplements that could help her body take nutrients better after fasting for so long. They declined to speculate on the possible cause of death until the autopsy results are released.

An autopsy was carried out on Wednesday morning and the initial results are expected on Thursday, said Netiporn’s lawyer Kritsadang Nutcharat. But Kritsadang told reporters that he doesn’t believe the Corrections Department's version of events.

“She died in your arms. If she had been well, she wouldn’t have died,” he said, adding that the public should focus on the fact that Netiporn died while being detained, not whether she had been eating.

Netiporn was a member of the activist group Thaluwang, loosely translated as “breaking through the palace.” Its members are known for aggressive campaigns demanding reform of the monarchy and abolition of the law that makes it illegal to defame members of the royal family.

Until recent years, criticism of Thailand's monarchy was taboo, and insulting or defaming key royal family members remains punishable by up to 15 years in prison under a law usually referred to as Article 112 of Thailand’s Criminal Code.

But student-led pro-democracy protests began to challenge that taboo in 2020, openly criticizing the monarchy. That led to vigorous prosecutions under what was previously a little-used law. Critics say the law is often wielded as a tool to quash political dissent.

Netiporn was one of more than 270 activists, many university students, charged under the royal defamation law following those protests. Their supporters say that the authorities have violated their rights by holding them in prolonged pretrial detention and denying their release on bail.

She was originally detained in May 2022, and released on bail in August 2022 after a previous hunger strike. She was rearrested in January for breaking the terms of her bail by participating in a political rally in 2023.

Netiporn was facing several charges stemming from political activities, including two charges of defaming the monarchy. Both involved conducting polls in public spaces in 2022 to ask people’s opinions about the royal family, according to the group Thai Lawyers for Human Rights.

Thai Lawyers for Human Rights said they had requested bail 45 times for 27 political prisoners from January to April. None of those requests were granted, it said.

Another activist who is facing lese mejeste charges and had been detained several times, Panusaya “Rung” Sitthijirawattanakul, expressed disappointment in Srettha’s government, which took office in August following an election that ended nearly a decade of military rule.

“Before the election, they said that after they became a government they would ask the court to release political prisoners, and they would amend Article 112,” she said during a candlelight vigil for Netiporn on Tuesday night, “None of that ever came true.”

When asked about growing calls for young political detainees to be released, Prime Minister Srettha said “I believe the Justice Minister has heard these calls. It is under consideration and there will be discussions regarding all processes of justice. Everyone must be treated fairly.”

The U.N.’s human rights office in Southeast Asia, in a Tuesday post on the social network X, said it was “deeply disturbed” by Netiporn’s death and called for a transparent investigation. It also emphasized that freedom of expression and peaceful assembly are fundamental rights.

Kritsadang, the lawyer, also called for the prime minister to take serious action on problems in the system of justice before making an official visit to France and Italy this week, noting the government’s bid for a seat on the U.N. Human Rights Council’s for the 2025-2027 term.

Netiporn’s funeral service will be held at a Buddhist temple in Bangkok from Thursday to Sunday, the Thaluwang group said.

FILE - A Thai activist holds a portrait of Netiporn Sanesangkhom, a member of the activist group Thaluwang, known for their bold and aggressive campaigns demanding reform of the monarchy and abolition of the law that makes it illegal to defame members of the royal family outside of Criminal court in Bangkok, Thailand, on May 14, 2024. Thailand's prime minister on Wednesday, May 15, 2024. offered his condolences to the family of the young activist who died in detention after a months long hunger strike, amid a spark of public debate on the country's justice system. (AP Photo/Sakchai Lalit, File)

FILE - Thai activists hold a portrait of Netiporn Sanesangkhom, a member of the activist group Thaluwang, known for their bold and aggressive campaigns demanding reform of the monarchy and abolition of the law that makes it illegal to defame members of the royal family outside of Criminal court in Bangkok, Thailand, on May 14, 2024. Thailand's prime minister on Wednesday, May 15, 2024 offered his condolences to the family of the young activist who died in detention after a months long hunger strike, amid a spark of public debate on the country's justice system. (AP Photo/Sakchai Lalit, File)