The Abbotsford Canucks are on their way to the second round after a commanding 5-0 Game 3 win over the Tucson Roadrunners. Tristen Nielsen scored the winner, while Chase Wouters, Max Sasson, Sammy Blais and Phil Di Giuseppe all found the back of the net. As for Artūrs Šilovs, he stopped all 21 shots he faced for his first career AHL Playoffs shutout.

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Abbotsford dominated this game from start to finish. They outshot the Roadrunners 39-21, which included a 20-5 advantage in the first period. Even when Tucson pulled their goaltender with around seven minutes remaining, the AHL Canucks were able to generate chances, with Di Giuseppe eventually putting the game away with an empty netter.

Special teams played a major factor in Abbotsford's win on Saturday night. The Canucks went two for five on the power play, while going a perfect five for five on the penalty kill. Abbotsford even scored a shorthanded goal as they dominated the special teams battle not just in this game, but the entire series.

Arguably, the most impressive part of the Canucks win was their relentlessness in the offensive zone. Despite some strong play from Roadrunners' goaltender Jaxson Stauber, Abbotsford kept firing on net, and were eventually rewarded. In the end, it looked like the Canucks were able to frustrate Tucson throughout the game, as no matter what the Roadrunners did, they had trouble generating sustained pressure in Abbotsfords zone.

With the victory, the Canucks now move onto the second round, where they will play the Coachella Valley Firebirds. This season, Abbotsford went 1-3 against the Seattle Kraken farm team, with their last meeting being a 4-1 win on April 18. The Canucks will have home ice in the best-of-five series, but will play the first two games on the road, with the series beginning on May 1.

Scoring Summary:

1st Period:

16:14- ABB: Tristen Nielsen (2) from Arshdeep Bains and Max Sasson

2nd Period:

00:46- ABB: Chase Wouters (1) from Ty Mueller (SHG)
6:20- ABB: Max Sasson (1) from Chase Wouters and Arshdeep Bains (PPG)

3rd Period:

11:16- ABB: Sammy Blais (3) from Linus Karlsson and Tristen Nielsen (PPG)
17:09- ABB: Phil Di Giuseppe (1) from Nathan Smith (ENG)

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