Canucks Take A 3-1 Series Lead Against The Texas Stars In Double Overtime Thriller
The Abbotsford Canucks squared off against the Texas Stars for Game 4 of the Western Conference Finals, aiming to grab their third win of the series and take a commanding lead. Artūrs Šilovs and Remi Poirier once again manned the nets as the series resumed in Texas.
Looking to set the tone early, the Canucks had their momentum halted just three minutes in with a penalty to Chase Wouters. Texas didn’t waste the opportunity—Matej Blumel opened the scoring on the powerplay, giving the Stars a 1-0 lead. Trouble continued as Jujhar Khaira was called for another penalty shortly after. The Canucks were pinned in their zone, outshot 7-0 on the PK, but managed a critical kill before resetting.
The game turned when Linus Karlsson buried a feed from Max Sasson to tie the game 1-1. Soon after, the Canucks earned their first powerplay of the night. Though it came up empty, Tristen Nielsen fired a shot just as the advantage expired, giving Abbotsford a 2-1 lead heading into the break.
The second period was just as action-packed. The Canucks killed off another penalty, but Texas struck again midway through—Jack Becker buried a rebound to even the score. Just two minutes later, Cameron Hughes deflected a Michael Karow shot off his skate to give the Stars a 3-2 lead.
But Abbotsford wasn’t done. A net-front battle saw Victor Mancini jam home a rebound to tie it again. Then, with momentum building, Nielsen forced a turnover in the neutral zone and finished with a silky backhand for his second of the night. The Canucks headed to the third with a 4-3 edge.
With Texas turning to Magnus Hellberg in net, the final 20 minutes saw tight defense and clutch saves. Abbotsford couldn’t extend their lead, leaving the margin for error small. The Stars pulled their goalie late, and with just 18 seconds left on the clock, Justin Hryckowian found the equalizer through traffic—sending Game 4 to overtime.
The first OT period was a goalie showcase, with Šilovs and Hellberg trading big saves. A late penalty to Curtis McKenzie gave Abbotsford a golden opportunity to start the second OT on the powerplay. Though they couldn’t convert on the man advantage, the breakthrough came just 3:21 into the period—Danila Klimovich played hero, backhanding the game-winner to seal a 5-4 victory for the Canucks.
With the win, Abbotsford takes a 3-1 series lead and now sits just one victory away from punching their ticket to the Calder Cup Finals.
The teams will rematch Friday in Texas.
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