The Abbotsford Canucks doubled their series lead with a commanding, full-team effort in front of a enthusiatic, sold-out crowd in Fraser Valley.

The Abbotsford Centre was electric, with fans fueling their team with unrelenting energy from the opening faceoff.

Scoring was tough to come by, but this game delivered a mix of end-to-end chances, bone-rattling hits, and jaw-dropping saves.

The deadlock held until the third period when Akito Hirose broke through, his trickling point shot sneaking past the Texas Stars’ netminder to ignite the home crowd.

Despite some penalty trouble, the Canucks’ historic special teams dominance continued, while Arturs Silovs stood tall with 26 saves, earning his AHL-leading fifth shutout of the playoffs.

This game had it all—drama, intensity, and entertainment that lingered long after the final buzzer.

The Abbotsford Canucks received a massive boost up the middle, with their top-line centre, Aatu Räty, returning from injury after an eight-game absence.

He was eased into the lineup, kicking the game off on the fourth line alongside Chase Wouters and Tristen Nielsen.

On the backend, Akito Hirose slid back into the lineup on the third pairing. He replaced Cole McWard, who spent the majority of the second half sitting on the bench after letting Antonio Strangers walk up the middle to tie the game in the second period of Game 1.

As expected, Arturs Silovs got the start between the pipes.

Starts had been a struggle for this Abbotsford team throughout their playoff run.

That changed in Game 1, as they looked much more ambitious and willing to get things going.

Well, that was even more evident in Game 2, as they carried out much of the zone time through the first few shifts.

With contributions from all four lines, the home team used their home-ice crowd to their advantage.

Looking down the lineup, Arshdeep Bains is one of the lone Abbotsford players yet to score a goal during this playoff run.

That said, he’s done all the little things, especially in Game 1 of this series.

He kept that momentum up in Game 2, kicking off some good sustained pressure and momentum for his team early.

After a slick spin-o-rama before playing give-and-go with Karlsson to pick up one of the game’s first shots and start some momentum.

From there, it was all Canucks for much of the following few shifts, grabbing the next four shots on net.

That included Jonathan Lekkerimäki providing the sold-out crowd with one of his Lekk-bombs off the Phil Di Giuseppe one-timer feed.

That momentum was squashed, however, when Linus Karlsson received a two-minute tripping minor, sending the Stars to their first power play of the game.

Despite strong perimeter movement, the Canucks came as advertised and held the visiting team to just one shot.

That shot came in the final second of the penalty, which led to the game’s best chance.

But not for the Stars.

After Silovs made the stop, the puck came out to PDG, who sprung Linus Karlsson out of the box with a terrific heads-up pass.

Although he had space on his side, he wasn’t able to get a full clearance from the Richmond, BC, native, Trey Taylor, and shot the puck into the crest of Remi Poirier.

That stretches their PK to an incredible 36/37 for a 97.3% kill rate.

Meanwhile, Arturs Silovs was up to his usual tricks, sticking with Matěj Blümel, sliding over to throw up his blocker on the point-blank attempt.

Later on, the Canucks were handed their first powerplay, where they enjoyed some quick and effective passing.

While it was filled with its usual fill of hits, end-to-end play and saves, the score remained scoreless through the opening period.

The one item of note was Aatu Räty, who delivered a hit midway through the period. He appeared to have taken the brunt of the collision and left down the tunnel immediately.

He did not return for the remainder of the game.

Shots: ABB 10, TEX 8 | Score: ABB 0, TEX 0

The second period kicked off with a bang as the Abbotsford Canucks nearly broke the deadlock out the gate.

Jonathan Lekkerimäki scooped the puck in the neutral zone and fed a streaking Jett Woo, who lowered his shoulder for a bold power move to the net, shoving Stars’ goaltender Poirier out of position.

Phil Di Giuseppe pounced on the rebound but couldn’t bury it into the open net.

Replay later revealed Poirier’s glove arm, sprawled on the ice, made a miraculous save—one of the most under-the-radar stops in hockey.

The momentum swung abruptly as the Canucks landed in penalty trouble, racking up three straight minors that forced them into a defensive crouch for much of the frame.

First, it was their netminder, Silovs, who got the gate for tripping. Christian Wolanin served his time-out.

During that stretch, Jett Woo reconnected with his former teammate, Kole Lind.

Just old friends exchanging pleasantries.

The Abbotsford Centre grew tense as the Canucks were hemmed in their zone, with the Texas Stars dictating play with a hectic 9-4 run.

But Silovs was a wall, turning away a flurry of high-danger chances.

First, Antonio Stranges showed off his incredible edgework, ripping through the defence to send a shot glove side.

Although Texas couldn’t hop on the rebound, the puck found its way back to the crease, where Silvos ate that up, too.

Just seconds later, the majority of the Canucks’ cast joined the rush, as the Texas Stars transitioned to an odd-man rush to leave Victor Mancini on his lonesome.

While initially, it was thought that Silovs delivered the save, it appears that Mancini dropped down for the massive block.

Yet another undisciplined penalty tested the Canucks’ league-leading penalty kill, which ran their diamond formation like clockwork, stifling the Stars’ power play and forcing Texas to burn a timeout to regroup.

Despite the defensive slog, Abbotsford flipped the script late.

Tristen Nielsen nearly cracked the scoreless tie, intercepting a Texas clearing attempt and breaking in alone. He delivered his signature cheeky five-hole backhand, but Poirier slid across, his back skate stopping the trickling puck in the nick of time.

Silovs’ heroics—10 clutch saves in the period alone—kept the game knotted at zero after 40 minutes, setting the stage for a thrilling third.

The Abbotsford faithful were getting their money’s worth, and then some.

Shots: ABB 19, TEX 19 | Score: ABB 0, TEX 0

The first five minutes of the third period saw a few shots going the way of the Stars.

That said, the back-and-forth style we were blessed with through the initial periods had calmed down as the teams played conservative hockey out of the gate.

Of course, Arty was standing tall and making saves.

The best chance for the Canucks came at the hands of Sammy Blais, who stripped the puck, took his time and fired the heavy slapshot.

Nearly catching the rebound was Christian Wolanin.

Just seconds later, Wolanin blew a tire on the Stars’ clearing attempt, allowing the forward to push forward for a chance.

Victor Mancini, however, was having none of the Stars’ press. Showing his incredible skating ability and overpowering strength, he caught up on the backcheck and shut the door while turning things up the other way.

Thank goodness he did, because his team would finally find one.

The Canucks enjoyed an incredible stretch, forcing the Stars in their own end for over a minute to force an unwilling icng call.

With the visiting team hunched over and searching for air, the home team sent out a pair of fresh legs and went to work.

Linus Karlsson sent the puck to the point, where Akito Hirose noticed a hectic battle happening at the netfront.

With that, he sent a shot toward the net in hopes of a scrambled rebound or lucky bounce.

Well, lucky for him, the puck hit a white jersey on the ice and trickled through the wrong side of a sliding Poirier.

It wasn’t pretty, but they’ll take it.

From that point, momentum had swapped, and the Canucks weren’t backing down with their share of heavy pressure.

Whether it was more chances or massive hits, they were bringing everything they had.

First, Sammy Blais delivered a bone-crushing hit on Gavin White, who was caught with his head down. It was that devastating hit that you could feel at home, which sent Jujhar Khaira on the break.

Next, Ty Mueller made a nice move in the neutral zone to break through for a clean two-on-one attempt.

With under 10 minutes to go, tempers began to flare with the Stars showing some frustration.

After a skirmish in the corner, PDG and Kole Lind exchanged words at the ensuing face-off. Looking for the smoke, the two dropped their gloves for a quick battle.

Both players were assessed unsportsmanlike penalties, sending the game to a 4-on-4 situation for two minutes.

On that stretch, Max Sasson had a glorious chance off the Lekkerimäki stretch pass. Driving all alone, he was looking shot all the way, but missed the far corner to miss the net entirely.

That miss would prove huge, as the Stars pressed in the final minutes.

After Curtis Mackenzie corralled the puck in front of the net, he sent a shot toward Silvos, who squeezed the pad down with his life.

Jamming away were several Stars sticks, eventually pushing the puck off the pad and past the goal line. And just like that, it was a tie game.

Or so they thought.

Although the referee initially signalled a goal, a second look from upstairs confirmed blatant goaltender interference.

With a single call, the referee turned the Abbotsford Centre into a nut house as he waved his hands to keep the home team up in the late stages.

Despite their best efforts with the goaltender pulled, the visiting team fell short as Arturs Silovs shut the door for his fifth shutout of this postseason.

The record books have Mika Noronen with six shutouts during his 1999-2000 playoff run. Just one away, the Abbotsford Canucks’ netminder is inching closer to history with a 26-save performance.

But this one wouldn’t finish without its theatrics.

The moment the buzzer sounded, Kole Lind told everyone to look for trouble. Starting with Silovs, and ending with an entire line brawl and farm sale.

Enjoy the chaos.

The Abbotsford Centre was buzzing long after the final buzzer, and for good reason. Despite a lone goal deciding this Game 2 thriller, the sold-out crowd got a full-effort spectacle worth every penny.

From bone-crunching hits to electrifying end-to-end rushes topped off with Arturs Silovs’ 26 saves, the fans were treated to a show. And if that wasn’t enough, they even got a full-on line brawl once time had expired.

The Canucks’ penalty kill, tested heavily in the second period, remained impenetrable. And with Akito Hirose’s third-period snipe and Silovs’ AHL-leading fifth shutout, Abbotsford showcased the grit and skill that’s defined their four-round run.

No team can rest in a best-of-seven series, but with a commanding 2-0 lead, the Canucks head to Texas brimming with confidence.

The Western Conference Finals are heating up, and Abbotsford is setting the pace.

The series now heads to Cedar Park, Texas, for the next three games. With a quick turnaround, these two teams will play on Monday at 5:00 pm PT at the H-E-B Center for Game 3.