The Abbotsford Canucks kicked off their opening round of the Calder Cup playoffs with a 4-3 win over the Tucson Roadrunners on Wednesday night.

The Canucks held a 4-1 lead before squandering their advantage in the third period, with the Roadrunners given an opportunity to equalize the game with a penalty shot with 34.6 seconds left on the clock. And like he did for Vancouver last season, Arturs Silovs came up in a big way late to make the stop and ensure the Canucks victory.

Offensively, it was Sammy Blais who stepped up for the team, capitalizing twice on the power play, including the eventual game-winning goal.

His first goal, Blais stepped into a howitzer on the left side half-wall, which beat the Roadrunners goaltender short-side:

And on his game-winning goal, Blais left his spot on the half-wall and went to the front of the net, where Max Sasson found him through all the traffic in front, and he made a quick deke to the backhand and roofed it over the goaltender:

The Canucks signed play to an AHL contract that came with a professional tryout. He did not make the team in Vancouver and joined Abbotsford for the entire season. Blais suited up in 51 games, scoring 14 goals and 26 assists for 40 points.

As he was only on an AHL contract, any team around the NHL had the opportunity to sign him to an NHL contract, but he had no bites. And boy, are the Abbotsford Canucks happy they still have him, especially for this playoff run.

Blais enjoyed time in the NHL with the St. Louis Blues for the first four seasons at the professional ranks. This included the year when the Blues won the Stanley Cup in 2019. In that season, Blais would play just 32 NHL games, but became a key contributor come playoff time, due to his big, strong frame that gets exemplified in the postseason.

And he made his presence felt with a similar booming slap shot we saw in Game 1 against the Roadrunners on a breakaway in his first career playoff game:

Blais would remain in the Blues lineup for the following 14 games, adding two assists to his point totals, while playing in a physical fourth-line role, landing 70 hits in 15 games.

The 28-year-old boasts an impressive playoff track record, with 27 NHL playoff games under his belt and a Stanley Cup ring to his name. Which is the exact type of veteran presence this young Abbotsford roster needs coming into the playoff run.

“He shows the veteran presence and the composure that it takes to play at this time of year,” head coach Manny Malhotra told CanucksArmy following Game 1. “He obviously capitalized in a big way on the power play for us, but just in his poise with the puck and the simple plays he makes, and again, his physicality on the ice just kind of leading by example in terms of what playoff hockey looks like.”

Blais plays the same whether it’s the regular season or the playoffs. He’s heavy on the forecheck, throws his 6’2″, 206-lb frame around and displays poise and patience on the ice. That’s why he excels come playoff time, because while the stakes of the games change, he can continue to play the same way.

“I mean, playoffs are always more fun, you know. When I was coming to the rink today, I could feel it in my body that I was going to be a fun one, and it’s way more exciting playing in these types of games,” Blais said. “Like I said, just trying to bring my experience for the guys, and kind of try to lead the way a little bit.”

There are just three active Abbotsford players who are older than Blais: Phil Di Giuseppe (31), Jujhar Kharia (30) and Christian Wolanin (30). Between the three of them, they amount to 19 games of NHL playoff experience.

With such a young Abbotsford roster, many of these young players will look to Blais for leadership and guidance come as an experienced playoff player. And he’s trying to lead by example, especially for his two linemates, making their professional playoff debuts:

“For most of the guys, [it’s] their first pro playoffs. For me, I’m playing with Muels [Ty Mueller] and Klimo [Danila Klimovich]; I’m just trying to be there for them and bring my experience that I’ve had over the years,” Blais told CanucksArmy. “But they’re two really good players, and they’re pretty easy to play with. So for us, it’s just go out there and think we’re three guys that can play pretty physical down there and keep the puck in their zone. And I think tonight, it’s what we did.”

The Abbotsford Canucks have a chance to close out their opening round series with a win tonight in Game 2 over the Tucson Roadrunners. Expect a much hungrier team effort tonight with a chance to advance to Round 2, after the young players watched Sammy Blais lead by example in Game 1.