Jesse Puljujarvi scored the overtime winner on a crazy double-bounce for the Charlotte Checkers in Game 5 against the Abbotsford Canucks to extend the 2025 Calder Cup Finals.
Puljujarvi looked to be attempting to pass the puck from behind the net to Justin Sourdif in the left faceoff circle, the puck hit Canucks forward Ty Mueller before deflecting off defenseman Guillaume Brisebois and past Arturs Silovs.
Overtime started as a back and forth period but Abbotsford came on strong in the final five minutes as the Checkers looked tired. Max Sasson rang a puck off the post and Charlotte goaltender Kaapo Kahkonen was forced to make several pointblank saves.
Ben Steeves, Brett Chorske, and Rasmus Asplund scored for the Checkers in regulations as they got offensive contributions from up and down the lineup.
Jack Devine and Eamon Powell both picked up assists and have looked good since re-joining the lineup in Game 4.
Abbotsford's two biggest offensive drivers scored in regulation as Linus Karlsson notched two goals and Arshdeep Bains added the other. Karlsson leads the playoffs in goals (13) and points (25) in 23 games, Bains is second with 22 points. Both players have eight points in the finals.
Abbotsford scored twice while the game was being played 4-on-4, taking advantage of the extra ice.
Kahkonen made 29 saves on 32 shots while Silovs had 36 on 40 shots. Both goaltenders made highlight reel saves at different points in the game. Charlotte needs a repeat performance from Kahkonen in Game 6 if they hope to extend the series once more.
The last NHL/AHL affiliate combo to win the Stanley and Calder Cups in the same season was the New Jersey Devils and Albany River Rats in 1995, Charlotte's hope to join the club remains alive.
Game 6 is back at Bojangles Coliseum in Charlotte on Monday June 23 at 4pm PDT/7pm EST.
Check out The Hockey News' Vancouver Canucks and Florida Panthers team sites for more updates on the series.
Make sure you bookmark The Hockey News' AHL Page for the latest news, exclusive interviews, breakdowns and so much more.
Photo Credit: © David Gonzales-Imagn Images