The Abbotsford Canucks were in the hunt to settle the score with the Ontario Reign, who ended their playoff run last spring. Unfortunately, Abbotsford found themselves playing catch-up from the get-go, conceding four quick goals in the first period.

Despite several comeback efforts, the Canucks ultimately fell short, giving up a staggering eight goals in a frustrating defeat.

Let’s check out the crazy back-and-forth affair.

Upfront, the Canucks welcomed a familiar face. Arshdeep Bains, recently reassigned from Vancouver, made his AHL season debut, slotting in on the top line with Nils Åman and Jonathan Lekkerimaki. Danila Klimovich returned after missing two games and reclaimed his spot on the second line.

Layton Ahac moved up to the top pairing with Jett Woo on the backend, while Kirill Kudryavtsev returned after his first scratch of the season.

Nikita Tolopilo was back in goal, aiming for redemption after a rough outing at his last start.

The opening 20 minutes were a rollercoaster for Abbotsford, with little time to catch their breath.

After a shotless few minutes, Chase Wouters got the first attempt on goal thanks to a slick button-hook stretch pass from Åman.

But the Reign struck first with an extremely lucky bounce.

Here’s another look.

Less than a minute later, Samuel Fagemo stood in front of the net when an ariel puck happened to hit his gear on the way across the ice, perfectly redirecting past Tolopilo to open the scoring.

Seconds later, Abbotsford had a chance to respond. Cole McWard poked the puck to Lekkerimaki, who broke up the ice on a 2-on-1 with Bains after a Reign defender slipped on the blueline.

Bains kept it for the shot, but Erik Portillo turned it aside, denying the Canucks an early equalizer. The puck did hop right to Lekkerimaki, but he could not find the trigger.

As typically the case in hockey, it immediately went the other way.

Just seconds later, the Reign charged back. Christian Wolanin was beaten clean on the wing, and Chromiak fed Ward cross-ice, who cashed in to double Ontario’s lead.

This defensive effort was just the beginning of what would become a tough look for the Abbotsford defensive corps.

But Abbotsford wasn’t backing down.

Danila Klimovich had a near-miss with a rocket from the high slot that clanged off the post. He wasn’t done.

On a powerplay, Bains found Klimovich from the goal line, and unleashed a blistering shot to the top corner, scoring his third of the season and putting Abbotsford on the board. This was also Bains’ first point in his AHL debut.

Naturally, the Reign responded.

After Gawdin managed a pass from his stomach, Hudon collected the puck, moving from backhand to forehand and beating Tolopilo cleanly.

The Canucks fought to regain momentum, with Ty Glover creating a strong drive to the net. But no matter how close they came, Ontario seemed to one-up them at the other end.

Brisebois failed to tie up Malott in front, and he deposited the rebound with ease.

By the end of the period, only Cole McWard had escaped as the only defenceman on the team without a negative rating. Tolopilo, meanwhile, got the hook from the game and had allowed eight goals on just 18 shots over his last two starts.

And just like that, it was time for Jiri Patera. Sort of.

As the period ended, things went from bad to worse. Jiri Patera, stepping in for Tolopilo after this tough start, appeared to injure himself after making a trio of (nice) saves. He had to leave with assistance and did not return to the game.

With Patera out, Tolopilo was back in the net, hoping the quick rest led to a redemption game.

Tolopilo started strong, making several stops, including a save on former Canucks prospect Tyler Madden.

But the parade did not last long.

Hudon scored his second after Ahac was taken down in the corner, and Woo failed to glance over and cover for his fallen partner, leaving Hudon with an easy look.

It had gone from bad to worse, and understandably, this team was beginning to lose faith in their ability to play catchup.

In need of a lift, captain Chase Wouters dropped the gloves with hopes of injecting some life into his team.

Perhaps it worked!

On the powerplay shortly after, Lekkerimaki worked the perimeter, sold his pass, and fired a seeing-eye snapshot through traffic for his fifth of the season – and fifth in his last five games.

Then came another.

Ty Mueller, battling in front of the net, redirected a Stevens point shot in off his skate for his first AHL goal. The rookie had been playing strong two-way hockey in his early career, so scoring his first goal felt long overdue.

They finished the period with several good looks, including a near Ty Mueller second-of-the-game attempt.

Suddenly, the Canucks had life and were within two goals heading into the third. With momentum shifting back in their favour, they outshot the Reign 14-10.

The Canucks opened the third with strong defensive play, holding Ontario to zero shots for the first five minutes. But as was the case all night long, it didn’t last.

Madden broke the spell, firing a well-placed shot off the rush to score his third of the season and extend Ontario’s lead.

Bains answered with a tremendous solo effort, sticking with the puck after an initial check to net his first AHL goal and third point of the night. Once again, Bains proves that he’s an absolute killer at the American League level.

Tolopilo made some strong saves to keep Abbotsford within reach, but the Canucks’ comeback bid hit a roadblock.

A poorly timed penalty from Åman gave Ontario another powerplay, and they made no mistake to put this game out of reach. Cue the Mortal Combat “finish him” announcement.

Former Canuck Jack Studnicka was left all alone and fired one past Tolopilo, delivering a crushing blow.

With a little over three minutes remaining, Abbotsford pulled Tolopilo in a final attempt to cut the deficit. But the Reign managed one last blow.

Fagemo buried the empty-netter, giving Ontario their eighth goal and leaving Abbotsford stunned. It marked the first time since Halloween 2023 that Abbotsford had allowed eight goals in a game.

Allowing eight goals is simply unacceptable. The Canucks struggled with defensive breakdowns, and when they did get solid defensive efforts, goaltending faltered. While Abbotsford showed flashes of offensive power, especially from players like Lekkerimaki and Bains, there are serious issues to address if they hope to make any noise in the 2024-25 campaign. Time for the Canucks to revisit the drawing board and shore up their defensive structure.

With an eight-goal defeat, it’s hard to find many bright spots, so we’ll skip naming three stars for this one.

After finishing their three-game California trip, the Canucks head back to Abbotsford to start a four-game homestand. First up, the Bakersfield Condors are in town for a weekend doubleheader. Game one comes Saturday at 7:00 pm Pacific Time at the Abbotsford Centre.