What a difference a day makes.

Rather, what a difference a legit top-line makes.

Less than 24 hours after a tough 3-1 loss to the Bakersfield Condors, the Abbotsford Canucks came roaring back to deliver a complete game in front of their Sunday afternoon crowd.

Thanks to some added firepower, the Canucks managed to control play and keep consistent pressure in the offensive zone. This team had yet to blow both games in a doubleheader series this season, and that did not change on Sunday as they sealed a 4-2 victory over their Pacific Division rivals.

Let’s dive into the action.

Suddenly, a wild first line appeared.

With call-ups shuffled back down, Abbotsford got a boost as Arshdeep Bains and Nils Åman returned to round out the top line alongside Tristen Nielsen. Of course, Jonathan Lekkerimäki, who missed Saturday’s game with a minor injury, was absent due to his promotion to Vancouver. It’s bittersweet, as the troops down in Abbotsford sure could use his offensive firepower.

Rookie Kirill Kudryavtsev took a night off as a healthy scratch, while the defensive corps looked largely the same as Saturday.

And in net, Arturs Silovs made his AHL season debut. Recently reassigned from Vancouver, Silovs sought to find his groove after a challenging NHL stint. And he did.

Abbotsford wasted no time going to the attack in this one, as Bakersfield handed them a powerplay just one minute into the game.

PP1 – Max Sasson, Nils Åman, Arshdeep Bains, Danila Klimovich, Cole McWard
PP2 – John Stevens, Tristen Nielsen, Ty Mueller, Chase Wouters, Akito Hirose

The top unit buzzed with Klimovich setting up several shots from his spot on the half-wall, including one that nearly caught former Canucks’ goalie Collin Delia off guard.

On the second unit, Tristen Nielsen nearly got the crowd to their feet by ringing a backhand off the post following a strong rush entry and give-and-go.

It was a high-energy start, but Delia held firm, and the Condors killed off the penalty.

With special teams out of the way, the Canucks continued to press. Cooper Walker made a smart defensive poke check to set up Ty Glover, who broke out on the rush.

Realizing he had little to work with, he cut back to allow his linemates to join the rush, where he found Nate Smith. Delia was dialled in, though, swallowing any shots that came his way and giving up a few rebounds.

That trend continued for most of the night, as he went on to play a strong game while giving up little-to-no rebounds.

The Canucks soon found themselves on the penalty kill, but with Bakersfield’s league-worst powerplay (a salty two goals on the season), the Canucks were up to the task.

Nielsen and Sasson teamed up as the kill ended for another promising chance. Nielsen’s toe-drag set up Sasson, but again, Delia held his ground and gave up nothing further.

With the first 20 winding down, Abbotsford almost broke through. Sasson raced down the ice on a 2-on-1 and sent a perfect saucer pass to defenceman Christian Felton, who nearly scored his first pro goal before redirecting it wide.

With time winding down, Nils Åman took a high hit at the opposing blue line. He remained on the ice briefly before heading down the tunnel for further evaluation. Fortunately, he returned for the second period.

Shots after the first? 11-4 in Abbotsford’s favor. Score? Still 0-0.

With nearly two minutes of powerplay time to start the period, Abbotsford came out determined. Although they didn’t score, they fed off the momentum, and it wasn’t long before they opened the scoring.

Jett Woo fired a shot that deflected off a skate and squirted back to the blue line. Hirose stepped into the puck and blasted a shot to the top shelf for his first career (regular season) AHL goal. It was a well-earned lead, and Abbotsford had finally solved Delia.

There was a milestone on the tally, too. With the secondary assist, Jett Woo collected his 50th career assist.

Bakersfield responded with offensive pressure, testing Silovs with a tricky deflection. While it wasn’t much, Silovs had to track the puck well as it made its way awkwardly toward him, pricing to drop.

The Latvian netminder stayed sharp despite limited action, giving his team a much-needed foundation at the back.

Abbotsford kept pushing, looking for insurance. Hirose was a force, nearly adding a second goal off a slick feed from Bains.

Later, Sasson set up Klimovich from the high slot, but Delia turned aside his clever redirection attempt.

But a penalty against Guillaume Brisebois gave the Condors a second opportunity on the powerplay. Despite Abbotsford’s control, Bakersfield had evened the score.

Savoie — one of the main players you don’t want to give this type of look to — made no mistake on a cross-ice pass from Griffith, snapping a well-placed one-timer past Silovs to knot things up.

The Canucks continued to play a solid period, with Christian Felton looking particularly steady in his second pro game.

He’s shown impressive poise at both ends of the ice and seems to be carving out a role on this team.

The Condors came out flying in the third, clearly hunting for the go-ahead goal. First, Matthew Savoie cut into the middle to force Silovs into a stretch.

The puck dribbled out off the save to Drake Caggiula, who rang the puck off the crossbar on the rebound. It may or may not have hit Brisebois on the way toward the net.

On the powerplay, Klimovich unleashed a rocket to the short-side top corner, reclaiming the lead with his fourth season goal. The Canucks’ offence had been craving a reliable shooter, and Klimovich has been providing sharpshooting chances all season long.

Unfortunately, the FloHockey stream decided to act out, and our viewpoint was not great. In fact, we didn’t just miss Klimovich’s goal.

Just a minute later, however, Bakersfield tied things up again.

Just a minute later, Caggiula even the score yet again. Again, we never saw a thing…

Luckily, the Abbotsford Canucks were able to fill in the gap and provide us with a look at Klimovich’s goal. And boy, was it a snipe.

With the game tied, Bakersfield put Abbotsford on the penalty kill with a double minor, but the Canucks’ kill units were rock solid. Just as the penalty expired, they drew a powerplay of their own.

Good things happen when you go to the net, and Ty Mueller found himself in the right place at the right time, deflecting a shot from Sasson with his skate to give Abbotsford the lead once again. When in doubt, go to the net.

Sasson wasn’t done yet. Moments later, he stripped the puck and raced off on a breakaway, but Delia stymied his solo attempt.

With Bakersfield pressing hard in the final minutes, the Canucks locked things down while putting their bodies in front of everything.

First, it was Cooper Walker.

Then, Nils Åman.

After several blocked shots, Woo launched a long-range shot that sailed into the empty net, sealing the win. The goal was not only the first of the year for Woo but capped off a three-point weekend.

Silovs made 23 saves in his AHL debut for the season, backstopping the team to a well-earned bounce-back victory and a split in the weekend series.

The Canucks may have split their weekend series, but Sunday’s game showcased a much more complete effort than what we have seen this season. The addition of Bains and Åman clearly boosted the offence, and the team’s defensive play was much improved in front of Silovs, who looked relatively calm and confident.

Abbotsford now sits with a 6-6-0-1 record, showing promising resilience but still searching for that elusive consistency.

Third Star – Akito Hirose: The second-year pro likely had his best AHL game on Sunday, scoring his first regular-season goal and notching four shots on net.

Second Star – Max Sasson: Although he only tallied one assist, Sasson was a threat throughout the weekend, generating multiple scoring chances and controlling the puck with poise.

First Star – Elias Pettersson: Quietly consistent, Pettersson played shutdown hockey all weekend, making smart plays and effectively limiting offensive threats.

The Canucks will stay home for a five-day break before hosting the Coachella Valley Firebirds for a Friday-Saturday doubleheader. The puck drops for game one on Friday at 7:00 pm PT at the Abbotsford Centre.