It may not be resulting in nightly wins, but the Abbotsford Canucks’ recent stretch has at least offered baby steps in the right direction.

The team welcomed the Coachella Valley Firebirds to the newly minted Rogers Forum for the final pair of games of a four-game homestand. Despite strong efforts from goaltenders Jiri Patera and Aku Koskenvuo, the Canucks dropped both games to draw their record to 5-15-1-3 on the season.

It was a Saturday night in Abbotsford, and as the team hosted its fifth annual Teddy Bear Toss game, the building buzzed with energy.

After staving off an early Jujhar Khaira hooking penalty, the fans did not have to hold onto their teddies for long.

On a power play of their own, Jackson Kunz jumped on a failed Firebird clearing attempt. Collecting the puck behind the net, he found Nils Aman in the slot, who wasted no time from his knees to send the teddy bears flying.

He joins a list that includes Jett Woo, Chase Wouters, Phil Di Giuseppe, and Will Lockwood as Teddy Bear Toss goalscorers in franchise history.

Carrying play for much of the remaining period, the Firebirds evened the score on yet another man-advantage. Collecting the puck on the goalline, Oscar Fisker Molgaard spun and found Jagger Firkus with the perfect dish to send Jiri Patera spinning.

But the stalemate was short-lived, as Jimmy Schuldt responded promptly with his first as an Abbotsford Canuck. Following the initial face-off, Schuldt sent a pass intended for the front of the net, which took a fortuitous bounce off a skate and past Nikke Kokko.

Despite being outshot by a 17-6 margin, the Canucks enjoyed a 2-1 lead after 20 minutes of play.

Just three minutes into the second frame, Mackenzie MacEachern provided some insurance. Jockeying for control on the rush, he fired a quick snapshot to the short side to beat the netminder for the 3-1 advantage.

The middle stanza saw a total of six penalties called, and despite being outshot for a second straight period, the Canucks enjoyed a solid lead heading into the final stretch.

But the Firebirds had other plans and responded quickly to kickstart an eventual comeback.

Just seconds after the opening minute of the third period, defenceman Tyson Jugnauth sent a relatively routine shot from the blueline toward Patera. Unable to control the puck, he gave up a juicy rebound that bounced out to Firkus. Despite the netminder’s best attempts to slide over, the young sharpshooter deposited the puck for his second goal of the game.

Despite allowing a goal that he likely wants back, Patera was the story of the game. Heading into the final minutes of the match, he had made close to 40 shots and kept up his end of the bargain to provide the team’s second win of the homestand.

But with their netminder pulled in the final two minutes, the Birds pressed hard. With some terrific puck movement, the puck found its way to Ben Meyers in the slot, who sent a one-timer past Patera to tie the game late to send this game to an eventual shootout.

The visiting team would score on their first two attempts in the shootout en route to a 4-3 victory to spoil the Tedyd Bear Toss event at the Rogers Forum. Despite the loss, Jiri Patera earned the game’s second star with a 42-save effort on home ice.

Unlike Saturday evening, game two wasn’t nearly as electric and eventful. Aku Koskenvuo received his fifth start of the season and was only tested five times in the opening period. For the first time all weekend, the Canucks enjoyed the advantage (9-5) on the shot clock.

The Canucks did draw first blood in the second period, courtesy of Duncan, BC’s Ben Berard. Gaining entry, Nils Aman patiently held onto the puck before firing a spinning pass to the slot where Berard was lurking from the corner. Redirecting the pass, the puck found its way through Victor Ostman for his sixth of the campaign.

But like most leads from the weekend, it was relatively short-lived. While killing a penalty of their own, the Firebirds jumped for an odd-man rush on the Canucks.

Collecting the puck on the entry was J.R. Avon, who snapped the shot shortside on Koskevnuo to even the score.

Like Patera on Saturday, the young Finnish netminder played a strong game and kept his team well within the game up until the final buzzer.

With under five minutes to play in the third period, however, the Firebirds struck for yet another late dagger.

Having felt like he was held up, Jimmy Schuldt was caught complaining to the referee, allowing the Firebirds to jump ahead for an odd-man rush. Jacob Melanson dropped the puck back for Ben Meyers before he placed a perfect shot to the short side top corner to ice the game.

With the netminder pulled, the Canucks provided a late-period push, but weren’t able to find the equalizer. For a second consecutive game, a Canucks goalie was awarded with a player of the game honour (third star) as Aku Koskenvuo stopped 25 of 27 shots in the 2-1 defeat.

Despite being in each game, the Canucks conceded late tallies and dropped both matches to the Coachella Valley Firebirds. They will enjoy a week-long break before heading to Calgary for a quick two-game road trip against the Wranglers.

The puck will drop for game one at the Scotiabank Saddledome at 5:00 pm PT on Saturday, December 13.