Abbotsford Canucks week 5 preview: Predictions, stats, standings, and Silver Knights, oh my!

1 year ago

The Abbotsford Canucks look to close their six-game homestand with a twofer against the visiting Henderson Silver Knights.

Team Stats

Division Standings

Scoring Leaders

Injury Report

Due to lingering concussion issues, Phil Di Giuseppe, Vincent Arseneau, and Michael Regush remain questionable.
The Canucks moved Karel Plasek off Vancouver’s season-opening IR to the AHL within the last couple of weeks. However, he has yet to play for them in that time.
Brady Keeper missed two of the last three games at home. On the 29th, Keeper was involved in a heavy scrap during the team’s 7-3 victory over the San Diego Gulls and presumably took the following night off to recover. The team did not confirm the reason’s for his absence on the 5th against Coachella.

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Games 9 & 10 vs. Henderson Silver Knights

The Vegas Golden Knights AHL affiliate is bad.

Like, really bad!

The Silver Knights are currently dead last in the AHL with a 2-9-0-0 record, a .182 points percentage, the lowest goals scored per game, tied for the worst power play percentage, and the lowest team shooting percentage in the league at 7.25%.

The Silformer Canuck forward and last year’s leading scorer in Abbotsford, Sheldon Rempal. While Rempal is technically on pace to score more goals, his overall production has struggled to keep pace with his form from last season. A lot of that has to do with Henderson’s tragic power play.

The Knights are tied with the Belleville Senators for the highest total power play opportunities in the league, with 56 each.

They’ve scored seven times, with Rempal responsible for three of those goals.

The Chicago Wolves share an equally dreadful power play percentage (12.5%) but have had twenty-four fewer powerplay opportunities over two fewer games played.

Henderson’s powerplay woes should come as good news to the Abbotsford Canucks! Unfortunately, the Abbotsford Canucks are rocking the worst penalty kill in the Western Conference!

At 18.6%, Abbotsford’s powerplay is, as the children say, rather mid, and Henderson’s penalty kill is near the top of the Division at 91.9%.

Over their past five games, the Farm has scored just four powerplay goals over thirty powerplay opportunities, for a power play percentage of 13.3%.

This weekend’s series will be defined by their play at 5v5, as the two squads’ special teams showdown in the ultimate battle between “unstoppable force and immovable object.”

The Canucks’ have come out dead even in goals scored at 5v5, with seventeen goals conceded and seventeen goals scored through eight games played.

Chase Wouters finally found himself on the ice for a goal-for at 5v5 in the Canucks’ last game against the Coachella Valley Firebirds.

Only Michael Regush, Vincent Arseneau, and Marc Gatcomb have yet to be on the ice for a goal scored at 5v5.

Newcomer Kyle Rau leads the way in Abbotsford at 5v5, with a +6 goal-differential at 5v5. On-ice for six goals for and none against through his four games played with the club.

2022-23 Abbotsford Canucks: Goalie Game Log (last three)

The Farm also saw a rebound in goaltending over their last few games, with Arturs Silovs and Collin Delia posting back-to-back save percentages above .900 for the first time all season.

Neither team has received credible goaltending this season from their goaltending department.

AHL Shots-against per game stats as of 11/9/2022

Henderson and Abbotsford lead the league with the second and fourth-fewest shots allowed per game.

At that same time, Henderson and Abbotsford lead the league with the second and third-worst team save percentages.

It seems odd, but the Silver Knights may win the goaltending duel on the backs of Michael Hutchinson’s 3.05 goals-against-average, and 0.880 save percentage or Jiri Patera’s 3.20 goals-against-average and 0.884 save percentage.

The Canucks’ tandem is trying. But their ugly goals against averages stick out like a sore thumb compared to Hendersons.

2022-23 Abbotsford Canucks: Goaltending stats

Predictions

Last week we predicted a tight series, with the Farm taking three out of four possible points against the Coachella Valley Firebirds.

They split the series with a regulation win and a regulation loss.

With Sheldon Dries’ likely return to the lineup this week, we’re predicting a weekend sweep. Expect the Farm to struggle on the powerplay, but dominate the scoreboard at even strength to come away with four points out of a possible four!

Let us know your predictions in the comments!

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