Make it five shutouts for Artūrs Šilovs in these AHL playoffs and a 2-0 lead for the Abbotsford Canucks in the best-of-seven Western Conference finals.
Šilovs made 26 saves Saturday night this time as Abbotsford blanked the Texas Stars 1-0 at the Abbotsford Centre. Defenceman Akito Hirose scored the lone goal for the home side.
Abbotsford had won Game 1 by a 3-2 count in overtime on Thursday at home. The series now shifts to Texas for Game 3 on Monday.
Šilovs, who was so good in the playoffs for the Vancouver Canucks last spring pinch hitting for Thatcher Demko, is now 9-3 in these playoffs, with a 1.61 goals against average and a .941 save percentage to go along with the five shutouts.
Abbotsford (44-24-2-2) were three points better than Texas (42-26-3-0) in the regular season. The teams didn’t meet at all in league play.
This is the fourth season that Vancouver has had its farm team in Abbotsford. Coach Manny Malhotra’s crew has won three playoff rounds already this year. The club won two rounds combined in the previous three years.
We did a live blog of the game. You can follow along underneath.
Read more about the Abbotsford Canucks:
• Abbotsford Canucks Recap: Christian Wolanin scores OT goal as Abby beats Texas 3-2 in Game 1
• Does Abbotsford’s success mean Malhotra will outskate the Canucks?
• The Abbotsford Canucks’ strong season and what it may mean in the long run
Live updates5:22 p.m.
Classic entrance video. A little foreshadowing, as it were, with the Aatu Räty inclusion?
6:23 p.m.
Pregame prep from the Stars side.
6:28 p.m.
No lineups posted as of yet but Abbotsford PXP man Brandon Astle reporting that Räty is back tonight after missing the past eight games with injury.
6:56 p.m.
A sellout is expected. Astle said on the broadcast that there’s even a resale market tonight.
7:03 p.m.
We have lineups.
7:11 p.m.
Teams go back and forth to start. No whistle for the first 2:44.
7:13 p.m.
Continue to notice how much the Abbotsford defence activate and get up the ice.
7:15 p.m.
Good early chance on a one-timer from top of the circle by Abbotsford’s Arshdeep Bains. Swallowed ups by Texas goalie Remi Poirier.
7:18 p.m.
We’re knotted at 0-0 at the 6:33 mark. Shots are 4-3 in Abbotsford’s favour.
7:22 p.m.
First power play for Texas, with Linus Karlsson going off for tripping Arttu Hyry.
7:24 p.m.
Astle on Guillaume Brisebois: “He eats pucks for breakfast, lunch and dinner.”
7:26 p.m.
Canucks kill off the penalty, Karlsson gets a breakaway coming out of the box but he fires directly into Poirier’s chest protector.
7:36 p.m.
Astle says that Raty has gone to the dressing room for medical attention after colliding with Texas’ Trey Taylor.
7:38 p.m.
Abbotsford has first power play, with the Stars’ Gavin White going off on an interference minor.
7:45 p.m.
We’re done one, and it’s still 0-0. Shots are 10-8 in Abbotsford’s favour. Good chances at both ends.
8:08 p.m.
Raty still not back for Abbotsford.
8:12 p.m.
Šilovs gets a tripping minor to put Texas back on the power play.
8:14 p.m.
Abbotsford kills off the penalty. Texas manages just a single shot. There’s also a big hit by Abbotsford’s Jett Woo on former Canucks prospect Kole Lind.
8:19 p.m.
Another Texas power play, with Sammy Blais going off on a high sticking minor.
8:20 p.m.
Another “Arty, Arty,” chant after Šilovs blockers away a Cameron Hughes chance.
8:22 p.m.
Abbotsford kills off the penalty. Šilovs thwarts late flurry.
8:26 p.m.
Abbotsford takes a third penalty in second period, getting dinged this time for too many men on the ice. They had a single penalty in Game 1.
8:30 p.m.
Another Abbotsford penalty kill, led by Šilovs and the puck control of Phil Di Giuseppe. Shots are 9-4 Texas in the second period with just over five minutes to go in the frame.
8:34 p.m.
Still scoreless, with 4:08 to go the second period. Shots for the game are 19-15 for Texas.
8:41 p.m.
Tristen Nielsen tries to go backhand five-hole on a breakaway but is foiled by the Stars’ Poirier.
8:43 p.m.
We’re deadlocked 0-0 after two periods. Shots are 19-19.
9:04 p.m.
Shots are 20-19 in Texas’ favour a couple of minutes into the third. It’s a much tighter contest than Game 1, which saw Abbotsford have a 46-38 shot advantage.
9:13 p.m.
Abbotsford’s Jonathan Lekkerimäki is wide open in front of the net when the puck comes to him, but he can’t corral it on the backhand.
9:16 p.m.
Abby leads 1-0. A tired Texas line has to stay out on the ice after an icing, and the Canucks take advantage, with Hirose’s point shot hitting a gaggle of players in front and then slowly trickling past Poirier at 7:39 of the third. Hirose didn’t play in Game 1, but came in tonight for Cole McWard.
9:20 p.m.9:27 p.m.
Lind seemed to bait Di Giuseppe off a face-off in neutral ice following a brouhaha in Abbotsford territory. Di Giuseppe drops the gloves, Lind does not. After a discussion by referees, Lind ends up with a penalty as well. They both get unsportsmanlike conduct minors.
9:37 p.m.
Texas thought they had tied it with 2:46 when Curtis MacKenzie shovelled one past Silovs in a scrum. The referee called it a goal initially but after a discussions it’s waived off, with the officials saying Silovs had it covered.
9:37 p.m.
Abby wins 1-0. Šilovs gets the shutout with 26 saves. Lind says something to Silovs at the final horn, creating a ruckus in front of the net. There’s later a fracas by the Texas bench.