The Abbotsford Canucks have the opportunity to do something they’ve never done in franchise history — advance to the third round of the Calder Cup Playoffs. With a 3–1 victory tonight against the Coachella Valley Firebirds, Abbotsford is now 2–1 in their five-game series. Nate Smith, Kirill Kudryavstev, and Phil Di Giuseppe found the scoresheet for the AHL Canucks. Artūrs Šilovs started the game, making 25 saves of 26 shots faced.
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Šilovs, who was pulled in Game 2 of the AHL Canucks’ series against Coachella Valley, proved that the loss was a one-off with an excellent performance tonight. He started the game off with a quick kick save, following that up around five minutes later by doing the splits to stop the puck from crossing the line.
Vancouver Canucks top prospect Jonathan Lekkerimäki slotted back into the lineup and made his impact early, grabbing an assist on the AHL Canucks’ 2–0 goal. He was noticeable both offensively and defensively tonight, making good plays to break up the Firebirds’ passes while in the defensive zone. On the other hand, Abbotsford was without Aatu Räty and Jett Woo, while Danila Klimovich was scratched. When asked about an update, all Abbotsford head coach Manny Malhotra could say was “it’s playoff time, they’re day-to-day.”
This game had a rough undertone to it right from the get-go. Early in the first period, Sammy Blais ended up on the receiving end of a hit after the whistle. This took place after a skirmish at Abbotsford’s net. Only seconds after, when discussing penalties with the referees, the Firebirds continued to pester the AHL Canucks. By the end of the first period, both teams had racked up five different penalties, despite a couple on the Firebirds being missed by the referees. Impressively, Abbotsford continued their penalty killing hot streak, killing all four of their penalties throughout the game.
“We’re not going to back down,” Blais said postgame of the physical aspects of tonight’s game. “Everyone on our team can throw the body and play hard. I think it’s been a big part of our game in the playoffs, so anytime there’s a hit to be made, I think we’re not shying away from it, and it gives us some energy, and when we get on the forecheck and play the body, I think that’s when we get the puck back.”
Despite not registering a shot on net for the first 15 minutes of the game, Abbotsford opened the scoring tonight with a goal from Smith. They later took a 2–0 lead with a last-minute tally by Kudryavstev in the first. While this may have been because the AHL Canucks were on the penalty kill twice, the bulk of the period was still spent in Abbotsford’s zone. With the first period over, the Firebirds led 12–5 in shots, though the AHL Canucks had a 2–0 advantage on the scoreboard.
Abbotsford nearly scored their third goal five minutes into the second period after Victor Mancini shook off a Firebird, helping him bring the puck back into Coachella Valley’s zone. A scramble from Nikke Kokko resulted in a near wide-open cage for the AHL Canucks. However, even with a few stiff pokes, Abbotsford was unable to get the puck across the line.
The roughness continued throughout the game, with both Abbotsford and Coachella Valley making conscious efforts to throw a big hit on opposing players. Nearly halfway through the second period, Di Giuseppe got into a tussle with one of the Firebirds, though no penalties were assessed. Another scrum broke out with 30 seconds left in the frame after Coachella Valley sent a late shot Šilovs’ way. In the third period, Linus Karlsson and one of the Firebirds exchanged blows after the whistle.
Abbotsford faced an onslaught of pressure from Coachella Valley during the third period, forcing Šilovs to make a handful of saves to keep the lead. Playing with their lead narrowed to one after a goal by the Firebirds’ Ryan Winterton, the AHL Canucks needed to keep things tight in order to escape with the win. Aided by a power play late in the period, Abbotsford was able to keep the puck in Coachella Valley’s zone until they emptied the net. A shot from the blueline by Di Giuseppe flew into the empty net and sealed the victory.
“We had contributions up and down the lineup. Throughout different swings, momentum swings in the game. We had different people able to control play for us. Systematically, we did a much better job of limiting their transition,” Malhotra said of his team’s effort postgame.
Earlier tonight, the Colorado Eagles defeated the San Jose Barracuda. If Abbotsford is able to close out the series on Friday, they’ll face Colorado in the next round of the Calder Cup Playoffs. The last time Abbotsford took on the Eagles in the playoffs was in the first round of the 2024 postseason, which the AHL Canucks won 2–1.
Scoring Summary:
1st Period:
15:05 - ABB: Nate Smith (2) from Akito Hirose and Sammy Blais
19:37 - ABB: Kirill Kudryavstev (1) from Jonathan Lekkerimäki and Max Sasson
2nd Period:
No scoring.
3rd Period:
3:24 - CV: Ryan Winterton (2) from Logan Morrison
19:00 - ABB: Phil Di Giuseppe (3) from Jujhar Khaira and Victor Mancini (ENG)
Game 4: at Abbotsford Centre: Friday, May 9 @ 7:00 pm PT
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