The Abbotsford Canucks will kick off their 2024-25 home opener on Friday, hosting the struggling San Diego Gulls at the Abbotsford Centre.
The Canucks held a slight edge over the Gulls in their four-game season series last year, posting a 2-1-0-1 record against their Pacific Division rivals. Historically, Abbotsford has dominated San Diego since their inception in 2021-22, boasting a 12-2-0-2 record with a 6-1-0-1 home record.
Both teams come into Friday’s game off contrasting results. Abbotsford is looking to rebound after a 6-1 loss against the Colorado Eagles last Saturday, their first “egg” of the season. Alternatively, the Gulls, who lost their first three games of the season, are coming off their first victory, a 3-2 win over the Bakersfield Condors.
The Canucks have somewhat struggled offensively so far, managing just nine goals in four games, which places them in a tie for the sixth-lowest goal total in the league. As a result, no individual player has amassed significant point totals, with Tristen Nielsen and Erik Brännström co-leading the team with three points apiece.
On Thursday, the Vancouver Canucks announced the reassignment of Arshdeep Bains — last year’s second-highest Abbotsford scorer with 55 points — and current co-point leader Erik Brännström (three points) to the farm team. Although these moves could be classified as “paper transactions” to accrue more cap space, there’s potential for both players to suit up for Friday’s home opener, if not in both matches.
The Canucks have also been without their expected primary offensive threat, Jonathan Lekkerimäki, who has been sidelined due to an illness. If Lekkerimäki is available, he’s expected to slot into the top line and provide a scoring boost that the team has sorely missed in the season’s early stages.
Additionally, the team has been missing forward Phil Di Giuseppe, who is reportedly dealing with an injury, and AHL veteran Christian Wolanin, whose status is currently unknown.
In goal, Nikita Tolopilo has been rock solid in his first two starts. He has stopped 49 of the 53 shots he’s faced, boasting a 1.92 goals-against average and a .925 save percentage. This includes an impressive 2-1 shootout victory over Colorado last Friday, where Tolopilo held firm under a barrage of Eagles pressure, stopping 29 of 30 shots. He’s expected to start in goal for Friday’s home opener.
Jiri Patera, likely to start the second half of the back-to-back, will be looking for redemption after a challenging outing between the pipes in Colorado. He allowed six goals on 36 shots and has conceded nine in his first two season starts.
The puck is set to drop at 7:00 pm Pacific Time.