Masalskis stopped 38 of 39 shots in the disappointing 1-0 loss to Switzerland in the tournament opener. In his second start he allowed four goals on 39 shots in a 4-2 loss to the Czech Republic. He should be prepared to face a ton of rubber again this afternoon as he looks to propel Latvia into the quarterfinals.
Masalskis was excellent in Wednesday's tournament opener. He almost single handedly defeated the Swiss by stopping 38 shots, however with just eight seconds remaining, a fluky bounce off his own defenseman snuck by him. Latvia was unable to beat Jonas Hiller at the other end and suffered the 1-0 loss. The performance has kept the 33-year-old ahead of highly-rated youngster Kristers Gudlevskis from Syracuse Crunch. Latvia will look to upset the Czechs today, they lost 4-2 to Sweden in their opener.
Masalskis, 33, is in his third season Khanty-Mansiysk Yugra of the KHL. He has posted a 17-11-3 record with a 2.94 GAA and .910 SV% in 32 starts this season. He is an under-sized netminder at 5-foot-8 but will get the start over Tampa Bay prospect Kristers Gudlevskis, who is 6-foot-3 in Latvia's tournament opener.