The Farmies: Abbotsford Canucks jump into home ice advantage playoff spot with win over Calgary

Jeremy Colliton deployed their usual power play lineup as follows:

The top unit came out flat, failing to muster up any momentum, but the second group generated several strong scoring chances, putting pressure on Oscar Dansk early in the game.

The action began with Max Sasson, who gained steam circling from his own end, carrying the puck coast-to-coast to beat the defender wide and get the game’s first good look.

We’ve said it before, but it’s worth reiterating: Sasson’s speed is something else.

Following that, the Canucks displayed smooth puck movement, connecting with four players in rapid succession before Sasson came close to scoring from the bumper spot.

Ty Glover, who had been on the receiving end of a questionable call late in the third period the previous night, capitalized on a wild rebound, which was then deflected by a Calgary defender and slowly slid into the net.

This time, however, it was the Wranglers who had the best chance. After a Canucks defender sent in an easy flip, Dansk caught the puck and delivered a heads-up hail mary feed to Jacob Pelletier, who took a low-danger chance to the far pad.

Around this time, the Wranglers began to throw their bodies around. The first victim was Arshdeep Bains, who was caught with a thunderous hit by Calgary’s newest addition.

In an attempt to clear the puck out of harm’s way, Matt Irwin made a poor decision, batting the puck to the corner. The issue? His stick was about three feet over the crossbar, which led him to clear the puck directly over the glass for a delay of game penalty.

Nothing came of the power play, and the Canucks headed into the intermission with a 1-0 lead and a whopping 15-6 shot advantage.

Although shorthanded, the Canucks wasted no time picking up where they left off in the opening frame, creating a deadly chance to double their lead.

John Stevens, resembling a heavier-framed Pavel Datsyuk, stripped Jordan Oesterle of the puck before driving to the net for a backhand shot. Chase Wouters followed up on the rebound, but somehow failed to jam it past the sprawling Dansk before Calgary managed to clear it.

After an offensive first period, the second didn’t offer much excitement in the initial five minutes.

In fact, one of the few highlights during that time was a Wrangler forward losing his balance after losing his skate blade.

Funny stuff.

However, the game picked up, but not for the team you are rooting for, and the Wranglers managed to tie the game. Sawchenko made the initial save on the one-timer, but the puck trickled past the line.

This goal was a result of a strong push from Calgary, who were outshooting the Canucks 7-4 midway through the period.

Cue the string of Wrangler chances.

With a 1-1 tie heading into the final frame, the game was evenly poised for an exciting finish.

Abbotsford finally gained an advantage with a power play opportunity just before the 10-minute mark, courtesy of a hit on Matt Irwin by Calgary’s Matthew Wedman.

After going scoreless in their first three attempts, all in the first period, the Canucks finally capitalized.

After Filip Johansson thwarted a shorthanded odd-man rush, Nielsen rushed up the wing before unleashing a short-side shot for his 15th goal of the season.

By the six minute mark of the final frame, Zach Sawchenko had seen 29 shots against. However, the Canucks had done a solid job at keeping their opponents to the outside, and many of the netmidner stops were textbook stops from the perimeter.

In the final minutes of the period, Karlsson came close to extending the Canucks’ lead with a dipsy doodle, but wasn’t able to bank it behind Dansk.

He did manage to score into the empty net, though. Just under the two-minute warning, the Swede grabbed the puck from behind his own blueline and deposited the puck directly into the centre of the open cage.

Linus Karlsson emerged with a goal and an assist in the third period to secure the win for the Canucks. His offensive contributions were pivotal, and he tied with Max Sasson for the second-highest number of shots on goal.

Max Sasson, despite not registering any points, displayed a strong offensive presence throughout the game. He generated several scoring opportunities and was buzzing around the ice for much of the game. He’s our third star of the game.

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