The Canucks had not seen Colorado since Feb. 17. With a three-month gap, they got a quick lesson on what will be required to handle the Eagles in their best-of-five Pacific Division Finals.
“They’re a very talented group that plays at a high pace,” head coach Manny Malhotra said following Game 1. “They put us on our heels early in the game. Give them a lot of credit. They took it to us for a while there. That’s definitely not a recipe that we want to continue to flirt with.”
Eventually the Canucks did adjust. Until then, they had Artūrs Šilovs, who recorded his second consecutive shutout with 22 stops. Since being pulled in Game 2 of the division semifinals against Coachella Valley, Silovs has handled 76 of 77 shots in his past three games.
“He’s been a rock back there,” captain Chase Wouters said.
Abbotsford also had physical defenseman Jett Woo back in the lineup following a two-game absence, but they remain without Christian Wolanin, the former Eddie Shore Award winner who has missed the last six games.
Win or lose, Karl Taylor’s disposition is holding firm.
The Admirals head coach oversaw his team playing three elimination games in the Central Division Semifinals to slip past Rockford. A 4-2 loss to Texas in Game 1 on Thursday left him maintaining the same stoic approach afterward.
“We lost, so let’s get ready for [tonight],” Taylor said following Game 1. “Some adversity came our way. We’ve got to keep it cool, stay focused.”
With a couple of days to process the loss, Admirals forward Jake Lucchini mostly liked how his team handled Game 1, albeit with a need for some improvement. They impressively killed off a first-period Texas 5-on-3 situation only to then surrender a goal with 3.6 seconds to go before the intermission that put the Stars ahead, 2-1.
“I don’t think we played poorly,” Lucchini said, “but I think we could have done a little more.”
Life is good right now for the Stars, who are 4-0 this postseason.
Having played only four games in the last 28 days, strong practice habits and a commitment to intensity have been a must. Head coach Neil Graham and his staff have worked to keep the team sharp. And after tonight’s game, the Stars could face as many as three games in a five-night stretch to finish the series in Milwaukee.
“I liked our intensity,” Stars defenseman Kyle Capobianco said Saturday. “I like how we stayed level-headed, and I liked how throughout the game, we got better. I think that’s a testament to our coaching staff getting ready, and also us for competing in practice and never letting the foot off the gas.”
Texas has largely been able to have strong starts. Doing so again will be imperative tonight given that the Admirals will be trying to avoid going back home facing elimination.
“That’s the fun part about playoff hockey,” Capobianco explained. “It really challenges you, the physical grind and mental grind.”
― with files from Patrick Williams
