Friday May 9th—Abbotsford, BC— The Abbotsford Canucks eliminated the Coachella Valley Firebirds in a nail-biting 2-0 shutout.  This is the first time in the team's 3-year history that they will not compete in the AHL's Calder Cup Finals.

The match-up was highly physical from the first puck drop.  Fans jeered and heckled the refs for multiple perceived missed calls until John Hayden got two minutes for interference at 8:49.  The resulting power play created a scoring opportunity for Max Sasson whose powerplay goal set the tone for the rest of the night.

The Firebirds threw everything they had at Canucks’ goaltender Artūrs Šilovs but were unable to gain ground through the first or second periods.  The score remained 1-0 as the teams took the ice for period 3. 

The final 20 was brutal.  The hits came fast and hard as the Firebirds scrambled to even the score, but a few missed passes and squandered net-front opportunities kept them off the scoreboard.  With just over two minutes remaining, the Firebirds pulled goaltender Nikke Kokko for the man advantage.  It sealed their fate.  At 18:29, Linus Karlsson scored on the empty net.  The Firebirds continued to attempt a rally, but when the final buzzer sounded the score remained 2-0.

This was Artūrs Šilovs’ second shutout of the post season.  In seven playoff games played, he now holds a .935 save percentage and 1.74 goals-against average.  The Canucks now advance to the Pacific Division Finals where they will face the Colorado Eagles.

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Live Blog: Calder Cup Playoffs Firebirds @ Canucks — Round 2, Game 3; Series Tied 1–1 (Div. Semi-Finals) <br>