Stars Fall in Double OT Thriller, Face Elimination

The Texas Stars suffered a heartbreaking 5-4 double overtime loss to the Abbotsford Canucks in Game 4 of the Western Conference Finals Wednesday night at the H-E-B Center. Despite a stunning last-minute equalizer, the Stars now find themselves in a precarious 3-1 series deficit, facing elimination in a must-win Game 5 on Friday.

The game started with promise for Texas as Matej Blümel scored on the power play early in the first, his third goal in two games. However, Abbotsford quickly responded with goals from Linus Karlsson and Tristen Nielsen, taking a 2-1 lead into the first intermission. The second period saw a back-and-forth battle, with Jack Becker and Cameron Hughes briefly putting Texas ahead before Victor Mancini and Nielsen restored the Canucks’ 4-3 advantage.

Texas Head Coach Neil Graham swapped goaltenders to start the third, bringing in Magnus Hellberg for Remi Poirier. With just 19 seconds left in regulation and Hellberg pulled for an extra attacker, Kole Lind fired a shot that was deflected twice, ultimately finding the net and stunning the Canucks, forcing overtime. “We had the quality of chances through 40 (minutes),” Graham noted, explaining the goalie change was for “a little spark.”

After a scoreless first overtime, Abbotsford sealed the marathon contest 3:21 into double overtime, with Danila Klimovich netting the game-winner over Hellberg’s glove. Šilovs earned the win for Abbotsford, stopping 27 shots. Despite the disappointing loss, Graham remains resilient: “We’re down 3-1 and I think that’s the part that’s obviously disappointing. But at the end of the day… reset, take care of your body, move on.” The Stars will now fight to stave off elimination in their final home game of the series.