All it took was a hit from behind for the Abbotsford Canucks to rattle off five straight goals against one of the most dominant AHL teams of the 2024-25 Calder Cup Playoffs.
There was legitimate reason to be concerned heading into Abbotsford’s first of a three-game home set against the Charlotte Checkers.
Yes, the Abbotsford Canucks’ road trip may have ended with a split, but those first two games couldn’t have gone worse for Abbotsford under the hood. The Charlotte Checkers thoroughly dominated.
At 5-on-5, the Canucks had been outshot by a two-to-one margin, scraping by thanks to a 10% shooting clip which helped narrow the goalscoring gap to a 4-3 margin. At face value, those numbers were like 3.4 roentgen per hour: not bad, not terrible.
Then you get into the ‘5v5 stats when the game was tied,’ where the picture looked significantly worse for Abbotsford. At the most critical juncture of play, the Canucks had been outshot 51 to 20 and outscored 2-zip. To say they struggled to generate at the game’s crucial moments would be an understatement.
The power play numbers were even wonkier in Charlotte’s favour—likely why Head Coach Manny Malhotra drew Jonathan Lekkerimaki back into the lineup for Game Three in Abbotsford.
While the rookie Swede has failed to manufacture shots on goal at the same rate as he did during the regular season, the team’s desperate need for even a potential volume shooter for the man advantage was essential. Which makes it all the more ironic that the Canucks’ speedy power play efficiency negated the need for Lekkerimaki’s penchant for shot volume at all.
Heading into game three, our two finalists were spotted 10 power play opportunities apiece during the series’ first two games. The Canucks scored three times against eight total shots on goal; a hair under a shot per power play opportunity. The Charlotte Checkers registered 29 shots over 10 opportunities, converting twice; a hair under three shots per power play opportunity.
Though it wasn’t ideal, the Canucks’ went 3/3 on the PK, conceding three shots on each of Charlotte’s opportunities.
Circling back to the first two games: the Checkers recorded six shots on Arty Silovs while shorthanded. Effectively, the Canucks barely outshot the shorthanded Checkers while on the man advantage.
Though game three was more of the same, with Abbotsford taking a long time to manufacture credible offence while getting hammered by shot volume on the PK, they kept as even as they could in all situations shot volume, and earned one of their most impressive victories of this Calder Playoff run thanks to their ability to manufacture offence when it mattered most, both at 5-on-5 and on the man advantage.
Let’s see how it all shook out.
Starting Lineup
1st period
Inside the opening minute, Lekkerimaki drove through the neutral zone, drawing the Checker’s Justin Sourdif off the blue line, springing Jett Woo down the left wing for a backhander off the crossbar.
Malhotra seemed to have taken a page or two out of the Checkers’ method of attack, as the Canucks’ blueliners were activating early and often with the puck from out of the back end and through the neutral zone.
After Woo’s rush chance, Victor Mancini followed suit with a crisp drive through neutral territory, picking up a rebound in the slot for a quick shot attempt.
Off a faceoff win, Christian Wolanin registered a handful of shot attempts that Kahkonen steered aside.
On his second shift of the Calder Finals, Lekkerimaki kept an offensive zone cycle alive for Abbotsford, tying up and outmuscling (not a typo) the much larger veteran Trevor Carrick alongside the half-wall. Lekkerimaki’s quality physical effort led to a shot attempt for Kirill Kudryavtsev.
Five minutes into a fast-paced period, Sammy Blais wound up on the wrong end of a neutral zone hit attempt on ex-Canuck Will Lockwood. Blais had missed a period of action in game two following a hit from behind, and the reverse hit from Lockwood sent him down the tunnel for the second time in as many games.
The Farm’s cleanest shot of the period came off a one-timer from Linus Karlsson, set up by a drop pass from Max Sasson.
The Canucks’ tenuous grasp on momentum was seemingly lost midway through the period when the Checkers put on a puck-possession and work-rate clinic against a Canucks veteran group featuring Jujhar Khaira, Arshdeep Bains, Nate Smith, Guillaume Brisebois, and Mancini.
Every 50/50 puck battle was won by a Checkers skater, and every rebound saw a Checkers skater on it first.
The second that the Canucks settled the puck, Mancini failed a simple d-to-d pass behind the goal line, then Brisebois threw a return pass from Bains up the guts of the ice. Unsurprisingly, the Farm’s baffling puck management and lack of energy gave way to the opening goal for Charlotte.
1-0 Checkers: Oliver Okuliar from Matt Kiersted and Mikulas Hovorka 
Lekkerimaki’s solid Finals debut included this slick end-to-end weave through the middle of the ice for a wrist shot wide of Kahkonen’s net.
With four minutes left in the opening frame, Akito Hirose took a high-sticking penalty, giving the lethal Checkers the evening’s first power play opportunity. They maintained their shooting average, recording three shots on Silovs, including this howitzer from Jesse Puljujärvi.
Fortunately, the Canucks’ PK stood tall, sending the game back to 5-on-5.
A handful of shots from Abbotsford over the final two minutes saw the home team finish the period down 9-8 in shots and 1-zip on the scoreboard. The real positive momentum came from Blais, who returned to the bench midway through the period and finished the game with several crushing hits on the forecheck.
Not bad, not terrible; could’ve been worse, could be a lot better.
2nd period
Both teams came out with considerable jumps for the second period: lots of hitting, lots of end-to-end skates, and extremely tight backchecking, leading to very few shots on the net.
A string of backhand passes through the neutral zone from Kudryavtsev and Karlsson sent Sasson and Bains into the offensive zone for a wicked rush chance for Abbotsford’s first shot of the period.
Five minutes into the period, Nate Smith drew a hooking penalty against fellow veteran Rasmus Asplund, giving Abbotsford a small window to build off their momentum with a critical power play opportunity.
During a reset from the d-zone, Bains blew a tire chasing down an errant pass from Linus Karlsson, gifting the speedy Will Lockwood a glorious shorthanded scoring chance from point-blank range.
Fortunately, the Canucks responded quickly with a fantastic equalizer from Sammy Blais off a brilliant no-look backhand pass from Linus Karlsson.
1-1 Tie: Sammy Blais from Linus Karlsson and Arshdeep Bains
Blais’ equalizer was noticeable as it was the first time all game that any Canuck had found empty space outside of Kahkonen’s crease. Like their parent club, the Checkers rarely give an inch. That Karlsson had the wherewithal to capitalize on this rare opportunity with a cross-ice backhander while under pressure was nothing short of spectacular. Blais’ finish was something else, but that pass was crucial.
Midway through the frame, every skater began throwing checks with reckless abandon, and the roughing minors began piling up. Justin Sourdif took a penalty for dropping a knee onto Arshdeep Bains’ chest, Max Sasson took a penalty for removing Sourdif’s helmet, Sammy Blais took a double-minor for roughing, Souridf took a second roughing penalty, Oliver Okuliar threw a shoulder into Silovs during a stoppage in play, and Jett Woo kicked a puck toward Kahkonen during a stoppage in play.
Don’t get me wrong, it was relentlessly entertaining. However, it was barely hockey. I’m all for post-whistle shenanigans, but two minutes to settle things after every single whistle got tiresome, real quick.
Tristen Nielsen threw a Raffi Torres-esque hit on the giant Mikulas Hovorka, which got the crowd roaring with applause.
During Blais’ double-minor, the Checkers recorded another three shots on Silovs, including a shot off the crossbar, while Max Sasson drove end-to-end for a slick shorthanded chance for Abbotsford.
The Farm team finished the period tied on the scoreboard, but down in shots 18-15.
The mid-period shenanigans seemed to stifle both team’s ability to generate any considerable momentum.
3rd period
The third period returned to looking like a hockey game.
An early cycle for Charlotte saw John Leonard rifle a shot off Silovs’ stick from point-blank range.
Not long after, Abbotsford broke the stalemate with an incredible passing sequence that began with the previously mentioned dangerous check from behind against Arshdeep Bains.
Undeterred by the collision, Bains backhanded a pass from his rear-end out to Sasson, who curled toward the net, drawing in three of Charlotte’s skaters. Despite considerable traffic, Sasson dished a picture-perfect saucer pass to Linus Karlsson for the tap-in goal past Kahkonen’s outstretched right pad.
2-1 Canucks: Linus Karlsson from Max Sasson and Arshdeep Bains
For the second time in the game, the Canucks won a key puck battle while under pressure, manufactured space, and threaded a crucial goal sequence off of it.
Bains has been an underrated key figure in Abbotsford’s playoff run, and he was clearly feeling it in the third period. Receiving an entry pass from Kudryavtsev, Bains fought the mammoth Hovorka tooth-and-nail for a twisting backhander into Kahkonen’s pads.
Six minutes into the frame, Christian Wolanin sparked a near-brawl, horse-collaring Wilmer Skoog to prevent Jett Woo from facing a two-on-one post-whistle scrum against John Leonard and the aforementioned Skoog.
Midway through the period, the ‘whistles for legitimate infractions’ seemingly disappeared. Sasson had his stick slashed out of his hands on a neutral zone rush: nothing. Ty Mueller hooked after winning a board battle in the d-zone: nothing.
With 8:33 left in the game, the whistles were brought out of storage when Linus Karlsson drew a clear high-sticking infraction against Oliver Okuliar.
For the second straight time in the period, the Canucks looked for the goal-line cross-ice tap-in play. However, after a successful cycle around the perimeter, Karlsson’s one-timer wasn’t necessary, as Bains’ cross-ice feed deflected off the stick of Trevor Carrick and into the empty net.
3-1 Canucks: Arshdeep Bains from Christian Wolanin and Linus Karlsson
Looking to improve their team’s already absurd plus-12 third-period goal differential, Arty Silovs joined the party by stretching a pass to Phil Di Giuseppe for the team’s third straight of the period.
4-1 Canucks: Phil Di Giuseppe from Arturs Silovs
Di Giuseppe’s rush goal was the fourth instance of Abbotsford scoring on Kahkonen’s blocker side.
A penalty to Akito Hirose in the final six minutes gave Charlotte a late 6-on-4, with Kahkonen pulled for the extra attacker. The Canucks’ penalty kill was sharp, clearing the zone numerous times, and requiring another three saves from Silovs.
With Hirose’s infraction in the books, Checkers’ head coach, Geordie Kinnear, kept Kahkonen on the bench for an extended 6-on-5 opportunity.
After a successful d-zone faceoff win by Max Sasson, Linus Karlsson made a fantastic diving effort at the blue line to force the puck out to Bains for the empty netter.
5-1 Canucks: Arshdeep Bains from Linus Karlsson
Since he hadn’t played much of the third period, Tristen Nielsen made his one shift of the third period count in a major way on the ensuing post-empty-netter faceoff.
After picking off the textbook definition off an errant pass from Charlotte’s Jesse Puljujärvi, Nielsen drove up the guts of the ice and drew Kahkonen onto his belly before slipping the puck through the open five-hole.
6-1 Canucks: Tristen Nielsen from Jesse Puljujarvi (jk)
Incredibly, the final two minutes played without too much roughhousing or drama from the visiting squad.
CanucksArmy’s Three Stars
  1. Arshdeep Bains
  2. Arturs Silovs
  3. Linus Karlsson
What are next?
The Canucks and Checkers run it back Thursday night at 7 PM PST, where Abbotsford will have a shot at extending their series lead.
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