The Abbotsford Canucks can take a commanding 3-1 lead in the Calder Cup Finals when they host the Charlotte Checkers in Game 4 of the American Hockey League championship series. 
The Canucks are looking to build off a five-goal third period in a 6-1 win in Game 3 on Tuesday night.

What we know

Abbotsford’s top players showed up in a big way on Tuesday. Arshdeep Bains had two goals and two assists while Linus Karlsson scored once and set up three other goals. Sammy Blais, Phil Di Giuseppe, and Tristen Nielson also scored for the Canucks. 
Karlsson now leads the AHL playoffs with 11 goals and 22 points while Bains has moved into a share of second place with 19 points. Bains had nine points through his first 14 games and has exploded with 10 points in his last seven outings.
The Canucks went two for two on the power play on Tuesday and are now five for 12 (41.7%) in the series. The six goals scored was the team’s biggest single-game output in the postseason. Since trailing 3-1 in the second period of the series opener, Abbotsford has now scored 11 of the last 15 goals in this match-up.
Arturs Silovs stopped 28 of the 29 shots he faced in Game 3. He also collected an assist on Di Giuseppe’s goal. The Latvian netminder has a 94.4% save percentage in three games against Charlotte. Tonight will be his 22nd start of the playoffs which is one more than he made during the AHL regular season.
With 7052 fans cheering them on, the Canucks improved to 9-2 on home ice in the postseason. Dating back to the start of the Texas series, they have now won four straight and eight of their last nine in the Fraser Valley.

The opponent

The Checkers will look to respond to their worst loss of the playoffs. Tuesday was the first time in the postseason they have been defeated by more than a single goal. 
Oliver Okuliar opened the scoring with his second goal of the series midway through the first period on Tuesday. He is the only Charlotte skater with more than one goal through the first three games. Defenceman Matt Kiersted has three assists in the series and leads all Checkers in scoring in the Finals.
Charlotte’s top four highest scoring forwards in the playoffs – John Leonard, Justin Sourdif, Rasmus Asplund and Jesse Puljujarvi – have combined for two goals and five points in the first three games. Former Canuck Will Lockwood has yet to find the scoresheet.
Kappo Kahkonen was shelled for five goals on 28 shots. He has now allowed more than three goals twice in the first three games of the series after holding all previous playoff opponents to three or fewer before running into Abbotsford.
The Checkers suffered their first road loss of the postseason in Game 3. The setback also put an end to a 10-game road win streak stretching back to the late stages of the regular season.

The series at a glance

Game 1: Abbotsford wins 4-3 in 2OT
Game 2: Charlotte wins 3-2 in OT
Game 3: Abbotsford wins 6-1
Canucks have outscored the Checkers 12-7. Abbotsford is 5/12 on the power play while Charlotte is 2/13. Sammy Blais, Linus Karlsson and Arshdeep Bains share the series scoring lead with five points apiece. Max Sasson and Matt Kiersted each have three points. Charlotte holds a 125-72 edge in shots on goal.
Make sure to join the Rink Wide postgame live stream immediately following tonight’s game. Rink Wide will provide a full breakdown and comprehensive coverage of the Abbotsford Canucks through the AHL playoffs. When the final buzzer sounds, be sure to log onto Rink Wide and join the YouTube live chat to discuss the game with other Canucks fans. Subscribe to the Rink Wide YouTube channel and never miss an episode.
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