The Abbotsford Canucks' Calder Cup dreams are very much alive, starting off very well with a thrilling 3-2 overtime win over the Texas Stars in Game 1 of the AHL Western Conference Final on Thursday night.
It was a rather loose contest defensively for a high-stakes playoff game, as both the Stars and Canucks exceeded 10 shots on goal in the first two periods. In the third period, the Canucks out-shot the Stars 15-9, but were unable to ultimately break the deadlock that sent the two sides to overtime.
Stars forward Kole Lind and Canucks defenceman Guillaume Brisebois traded first-period goals, with the latter being assisted by Linus Karlsson and Ty Mueller. In the second period, Mueller got himself on the board and put the Canucks ahead 2-1, with Karlsson earning his second assist of the night and forward Arshdeep Bains impressively collecting his eight assist of the Calder Cup campaign.
Antonio Stranges's first goal of his Calder Cup campaign, just over halfway through the second period, tied the knot at 2-2, though goalies Arturs Silovs and Remi Poirier closed down the fort in the final frame.
Canucks defenceman Christian Wolanin was the unexpected overtime hero, scoring his first goal of the Calder Cup playoffs on a skittering one-timer that slipped through Poirier from long range.
Karlsson, with his two assists, and Wolanin, with his game-winning goal, were named the first two stars of the contest, while Poirier, with an impressive 43 saves on 46 shots, earned third star honors. Silovs finished the Game 1 win over the Stars with 36 saves on 38 shots, greatly helping propel the Canucks to a crucial first victory.