While it’s true the Abbotsford Canucks did not win the Calder Cup in front of their home fans on Saturday night, they have to remind themselves they are still in full control of the best of seven American Hockey League Final as the series shifts back to Charlotte.
And if any team in hockey over the past few months has earned every benefit of the doubt to get the job done, it’s the plucky bunch of Canucks from the Fraser Valley who still lead the series three wins to two.
Yes, Saturday was an opportunity lost. There were 7470 fans ready to blow the roof of the Abbotsford Centre. Instead, they – like the Canucks themselves – watched in horror and dismay as Jesse Puljujarvi’s centring feed from behind the net double-doinked first off Ty Mueller and then off a helpless Guillaume Brisebois and past Arturs Silovs for a goal the Checkers may not have deserved based on the run of play in overtime, but it was one they had to have to extend the series. 
After a passive third period where the Canucks looked like they were weighed down by the gravity of the situation and perhaps even distracted by the possibilities that presented themselves in a 3-3 game, overtime was a different story. 
The Canucks were assertive and took the play to Charlotte. First Phil Di Giuseppe nearly caught Kappo Kahkonen straying from his net. Then Max Sasson rattled what would have been the series clincher off the post. And moments after that it was Jujhar Khaira eyeball to eyeball with the Checkers netminder. Those are the chances Abbotsford has to put out of their minds now as they refocuses for a business trip to North Carolina. Nobody wants to hear about the chances that didn’t go in at the one end when the game was settled moments later at the other.
The lesson the Canucks have to take with them as they head south for one – possibly two – more games is that they have to attack like they did in overtime rather than sit back like they did in the third. 
They also need more than just their top line of Linus Karlsson, Arshdeep Bains, and Max Sasson going. Those three combined for all three of Abbotsford’s goals on Saturday and 16 of the team’s 32 shots on goal on the night. They started to get others more involved in the middle stages of overtime, but there wasn’t enough of a push from the supporting cast for much of the night. Oddly, Sammy Blais who has made so much noise throughout the playoffs picked a strange time to have one of his quietest nights of the postseason. It’s hard to imagine that happening again with another chance to clinch the title.
Overall, on Saturday, Abbotsford was outscored 3-0 at 5-on-5 and while there is no need to push any kind of panic button, that is certainly something Manny Malhotra and his coaching staff need to be mindful of. 
But it’s also important to remember that this is an Abbotsford team that is 15-8 in the playoffs. Beyond that, it is 31-5-5 in the last 41 times it has stepped on the ice. It has shown time and time again over the past few months that it learns from its rare mistakes and responds. 
While the Canucks were outplayed in the two early games at Bojangles Arena, they go back to Charlotte now armed with knowledge about what they’re in for. They had never set foot on the mushy ice in North Carolina prior to this series. They now know the subtleties and nuances that building presents. They also have five games worth of scouting reports on the Checkers. There are no longer any surprises between these two teams. 
Aside from a runaway third period in Abbotsford’s 6-1 win in Game 3, this series has been a chess match. Three of the games have gone to overtime and four of the five have been decided by a single goal.
There’s every reason to believe Game 6 – and possibly Game 7 – will be that tight too. There’s also every reason to still believe the Abbotsford Canucks will respond to Saturday’s setback and get the job done. That’s all they’ve done since early March and with two cracks still to win the Calder Cup, they remain in the driver’s seat in this series. 
Sure, there is a new pressure on the Canucks to have to win again on the road. But make no mistake, the bulk of the pressure remains squarely on the Checkers. 
Abbotsford may be feeling down about the one that got away, but they’re the team that is still up in this series. And really, that’s all that matters. 
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