The Abbotsford Canucks rolled into Game 2 of the AHL Calder Cup Finals with a golden opportunity:

Enjoy a 2-0 series lead after a double-overtime steal, and a chance to head back to the Fraser Valley with a stranglehold on the Charlotte Checkers.

But the Eastern Champions had other plans.

Unleashing a relentless 42-shot barrage on Arturs Silovs in a sold-out Bojangles’ Coliseum, Charlotte dominated stretches and capitalized on both turnovers and special teams.

Silovs, fresh off a 51-save marathon, was a brick wall again. But with just 13 shots going the other way, he could only do so much.

With a powerplay dagger from Michael Benning, the Checkers sealed a 3-2 overtime win, knotting the series at 1-1.

Although Game 1 wasn’t perfect, it ended with a win. As a result, Manny Malhotra continued to roll a successful formula with just one change in the lineup, with fourth liner Ty Glover replacing Dino Kambeitz.

That meant that rookie Jonathan Lekkerimäki continued to ride the press box, having missed his third consecutive game.

Fresh off a 51-save performance, Arturs Silovs got the nod between the pipes for his 20th consecutive start.

Di Giuseppe – Sasson ‐ Karlsson
Bains – Mueller – Klimovich
Blais – Khaira– Smith
Nielsen – Wouters – Glover

Brisebois – Mancini
Wolanin – Woo
Hirose – Kudryavtsev

Silovs

Fueled by some nerves and egregious giveaways, the Canucks were pinned out the gate, staving off several looks early on.

Showing no signs of wear from his 51 saves less than 48 hours prior, Arturs Silovs was sharp early.

But the arguable playoff MVP could only handle so many odd-man rushes.

Following a pair of defensive giveaways, the Checkers pressed and found a wide-open man in front.

Choking up on his stick, John Leonard poked the puck past a sliding Silovs to open the scoring just three minutes into the game.

But trailing hasn’t fazed the Canucks much during this playoff run and they delivered an equalizing punch just one minute later.

Forcing the offensive turnover, Sammy Blais transitioned the puck to Jujhar Khaira, who took his time with his shot on Kaapo Kähkönen.

Unable to handle the rebound, the puck bounced back out to Blais, who managed to get a stick on the puck and drive it past the line.

Despite a lengthy review, the goal was deemed good by the referees.

But it wasn’t without its controversy, as Sammy Blais was handed a goaltender interference penalty on the play. It’s a scenario you don’t see often, but the Canucks will take it.

A penalty and a goal in the same play? That’s just Sammy Blais hockey, folks.

On that penalty kill, it was the Canucks enjoying the best chance, following yet another giveaway in the game.

Finding himself behind the defence, Chase Wouters, who led the team with three SHG in the regular season, was sent on a clear-cut breakaway, where he elected for the backhand move.

Kähkönen managed to get his body on the puck before his defence bailed him out on the rebound.

Although they managed to kill things off, Linus Karlsson took a cross-checking penalty just past the midway point of the period.

This time, Charlotte made it count.

Collecting the puck at his own line, Wilmer Skoog saw the sea part in front of him, signalling an open lane to rush.

Gaining the zone, he faked the slapshot to freeze Silovs before snapping the shot up and over his shoulder.

The Canucks didn’t learn, instantly taking another penalty in the corner. This time, courtesy of a Christian Wolanin slash.

But Silovs brushed the last goal off and continued to provide saves for his team, weathering the storm to keep his team in it.

After a Jesse Puljujärvi interference penalty, it was the Canucks’ top unit’s turn to go to work, utilizing some good movement.

They kicked things off strong, working the perimeter, crashing the net and grabbing several chances for the equalizer.

They never let up, and eventually, it paid off.

Continuing to work the passing game, they connected for the perfect bumper play, going Bains-to-Blais-to-Karlsson.

Showing strong patience, Karlsson cut toward the middle and forced the puck behind Kähkönen to tie the game in the paint.

It was a sigh of relief for the Swede, who had a tough first half with a giveaway that directly led to the opening goal and an unnecessary cross-checking penalty.

With his 10th goal, he officially hops over the leaderboard to sit at the top as the Calder Cup goalscorer.

As for Sammy Blais, the primary assist was his third helper of the series and fourth point. He may lead the Calder Cup playoffs with 71 penalty minutes, which hasn’t always been a positive, but he’s been a substantial addition to this team’s run with 16 points.

Of course, it wouldn’t be a Calder Cup Final without some rough stuff.

Credit to the Canucks for hanging around for this one. As was the case in much of Game 1, it wasn’t their best hockey, but they managed to come out relatively unscathed on the scoreboard.

As if he wasn’t tested enough on the opening frame, Arturs Silovs was thrown into the deep end early in the second.

After some back-and-forth battles in the neutral zone, the puck squirted out to a lone Checkers forward, who ripped the shot to the netminder’s glove hand.

Glove save? Check.

After a destructive first period, Sammy Blais was forced to leave the ice after catching a hit on the boards in his own end.

Luckily, he only missed a few shifts.

And as he re-entered the rink, he had some choice words, channelling his inner “Stone Cold Steve Austin” moment.

“Sammy’s back.”

From that point on, he was public enemy number one at the Bojangles Coliseum, getting booed with every puck touch.

The initial five minutes took an eternity, as teams exchanged penalties and several stoppages in play.

This series was getting rougher by the minute, as more players were forced to the dressing room. This time, it was Tobias Bjornfot after getting crunched into the boards by Chase Wouters.

Offensive looks felt secondary in the middle frame, as most of the first half was spent exchanging pleasantries with one another.

But that didn’t stop Ty Mueller from making a tremendous solo effort, beating out the Checkers defender to break through and draw a holding call.

The power play was unsuccessful, and in fact, the Canucks didn’t have a single shot in the second half of the frame.

But with a kill of their own to end the frame, the Canucks held tight with the 2-2 stalemate through 40 minutes.

It was a period where both teams forgot the puck existed and tempers flew high.

The third saw the Canucks offer a much more energetic effort in the offensive zone.

Not only did they pick up their first shot in over 10 minutes of play, but they nearly took the early lead.

Showing patience, Christian Wolanin worked the line before delivering a seeing-eye snapshot.

He beat Kähkönen, but couldn’t beat the post.

In the defensive end, Abbotsford was getting the whole team effort, with several forwards laying out for the block and, of course, Arturs Silovs with some saves.

Just before the midway point, Danila Klimovich got clipped awkwardly by the Checkers forwards at the face-off.

With help from the trainer, he remained on the bench and did come back for one more shift at the tail end of the period.

Wolanin made friends with the post again following a tremendous strip from Max Sasson.

Stealing the puck, he acted quickly to find a creeping Wolanin in the slot. Unfortunately, he was stymied by the post for a second time in the period.

For a second straight period, it was slim pickings for offensive looks, as the Canucks managed just four shots in the final frame.

Although you can’t tell from the shot totals, the third period was by far the team’s best through the series, with good movement, a few posts and heavy forechecking.

For the fourth time in their last five outings, the Canucks needed overtime to settle the score.

Could Danila Klimovich do it again?

It took just 16 seconds for the first whistle. And luckily for the Canucks, it was a good whistle.

Max Sasson was hauled down while chasing the puck, drawing the early tripping call to head to their third powerplay of the game.

It was Sasson who grabbed the first good looks, ringing the puck off the post, which had been Kähkönens’ best friend all night.

But tit for tat, and at the tail end of their man-advantage they took a defensive end trip of their own, sending the Checkers on a powerplay of their own.

And the Canucks paid the price, combining a little bit of everything that bit them throughout the game: Penalty, giveaway and of course, another shot.

Phil Di Giuseppe had a prime opportunity to clear the puck out of danger, turning and firing the puck.

Unfortunately, Justin Sourdif, the former Vancouver Giant, stuck with it on the boards, quickly sending the puck to Michael Benning.

Uncontested, Benning (Jim Benning’s nephew) loaded up and released the wrist shot that beat Silovs clean.

Ultimately, the Canucks collected just 13 shots, and were outshot by a 29-margin. Coming away with a victory would have been a tremendous steal, but the harsh reality was that they needed much more to come on top in this one.

Luckily for the Canucks, they head back home for three games, and a chance to either take the lead or even take the series in front of their Fraser Valley faithful.

It’s gut check time.

With an opportunity to take this series by the horns, the Abbotsford Canucks put up a uninspiring effort in Game 2, firing just 13 shots in an overtime loss.

While they may have played somewhat better than the stat-line may show, their game was plagued with too many giveaways, penalties and unfinished opportunities.

Luckily, Arturs Silovs continued his playoff reign, turning aside 39 shots in a performance that nearly kept his team ahead. But even he can’t carry the load alone every night.

A late power-play snipe by Michael Benning exposed cracks that need fixing, and now, the series heads to the Abbotsford Centre tied 1-1. Enjoying home-ice, the Canucks get three straight games to seize control and chase the Calder Cup in front of their Fraser Valley faithful.

Manny Malhotra, no stranger to making significant adjustments, will tweak the game plan and expect a recharged squad to hit the ice with fire.

Game 3 is slated for Tuesday, where the Abbotsford Centre will host its first Calder Cup Finals bout in franchise history. The puck drops at 7:00 pm PT, and we will have all of your coverage here at CanucksArmy.