Still in search of their first victory of 2025, the Abbotsford Canucks found themselves in a rare East Coast battle for a doubleheader matchup versus the Laval Rocket.
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The good news? The Canucks held a dominant 10-2-0-0 record against Laval. The bad news? They came in sporting a rough 0-4-0-0 record over their last four games.
Even though they probably did not deserve the result, the Canucks conceded their fifth loss in as many games. The visiting team grabbed several high-danger chances but ultimately couldn&#8217;t solve Cayden Primeau or get their special teams in order.
To take the &#8220;glass is half full&#8221; approach, they come away with one point, which is a small baby step.
Let&#8217;s see how it all went down.
<blockquote>Starting lineup</blockquote>
Nielsen – Åman – Karlsson 
Bains – Räty – Lekkerimäki 
Blais – Mueller – Klimovich 
Stevens – Wouters – Smith
Pettersson – Friedman 
Wolanin &#8211; Woo 
Kudryavtsev – McWard
Tolopilo
With Thatcher Demko reportedly experiencing back spasms up with the big club, Arturs Silvos, likely scheduled for a start in Laval, was sent to report for emergency purposes. As a result, Abbotsford called up the kid, Ty Young, to back up Nikita Tolopilo for the weekend slate.
Jonathan Lekkerimäki rejoined the team after missing Wednesday&#8217;s game in Calgary and joined forces with the big boys Arshdeep Bains and Aatu Räty.
Also returning was Tristen Nielsen, who had missed several weeks following an injury on December 14th. He was instantly placed in a position to succeed alongside Nils Åman and Linus Karlsson.
On the backend, Cole McWard was back in the lineup as well and formed a third pairing next to Kirill Kudryavtsev.
As expected, with Silovs off to Vancouver, Nikita Tolopilo got the nod between the pipes.
<blockquote>First period: Scoreless in Laval</blockquote>
The word around the campfire was that General Managers Kyle Dubas (Pittsburgh), Bill Armstrong (Utah), and Don Sweeney (Boston) were all in attendance for this game.
With the rumour mill running rampant in Vancouver, could this game be a showcase for a select few of the team’s more potent prospects? It could be a coincidence, but it’s not every day that several GMs show face at American League games on a Friday evening&#8230;in Laval.
The bigwigs were treated to a relatively fast-paced first period. With a combined shot total of 24, both teams traded solid chances and were high-intensity from the get-go.
Back in the lineup, Tristen Nielsen looked to embed himself back to the team in style, showing off his skills with a slick toe-drag off a two-on-one opportunity with Danila Klimovich. Jett Woo, who had a noticeable period, made a good defensive effort before getting the play going from his own crease.
<img decoding="async" src="https://media.giphy.com/media/tltHkyQvHIgSdrUQIY/giphy.gif" />
That wasn’t all Woo was up to; despite Laval being a seldomly seen East Coast team, Woo was doing his best to stir the pot, clutching onto and dropping Xavier Simoneau to kick off a small brouhaha.
<img decoding="async" src="https://media.giphy.com/media/oJvd7zMxsiykba5rTS/giphy.gif" />
Any team is a rival when Jett Woo is on the ice surface.
It was enough to spark Jonathan Lekkerimäki, who picked up the period&#8217;s best chance just seconds after the ensuing face-off. Jolting up the middle, he received a soft threaded pass from Elias Pettersson, redirected the puck to force Cayden Primeau to squeeze the pads and make his best of 14 saves in the period.
<img decoding="async" src="https://media.giphy.com/media/BkyJRjS3SNHaIANN4W/giphy.gif" />
The Canucks continue to press, this time on the penalty kill. Nils Åman sprung Ty Mueller on the shorthanded break, thanks to a solid double coverage strip.
<img decoding="async" src="https://media.giphy.com/media/m8KfuHAHcWtsGRcCm7/giphy.gif" />
The Laval defender managed to get his stick on the play at the last second, forcing Mueller to the simple five-hole jam shot, but Åman followed that up with a tremendous chance off the rebound. Primeau calmly threw out the blocker to set the puck aside.
The Canucks took a second penalty near the period&#8217;s end, where Tolopilo made several stops under pressure to wrap up the period with 10 saves and a scoreless opening period.
<img decoding="async" src="https://media.giphy.com/media/z7WonbjFyCKTEaGaja/giphy.gif" />
Shots: ABB 14, LAV 10 
Score: ABB 0, LAV 0
<blockquote>Second period: Rebound Räts</blockquote>
The Canucks maintained their shooting ways early in the middle frame, firing three shots before the period had reached the initial minute.
<img decoding="async" src="https://media.giphy.com/media/qW3Wsau3DopKlWVXHH/giphy.gif" />
That led to their first power play of the match, which somehow killed all momentum as the team failed to register a single shot.
In fact, their best chance of the period came minutes later, after Cole McWard took a penalty to send the visiting team on their third penalty kill of the game.
Directly off a face-off, Aatu Räty and Chase Wouters sprung for a two-on-one, where the Finnish forward sent a perfectly intended pass for the tap-in. Still, Primeau stayed true to the puck, getting the pad down to deny the captain of the game’s opening goal.
<img decoding="async" src="https://media.giphy.com/media/oPa7NB6CyWZvH0240X/giphy.gif" />
Going the other way, Tolopilo continued his strong form in the game, kicking out Sean Farell&#8217;s strong chance.
<img decoding="async" src="https://media.giphy.com/media/aAujV6O266dlp8sx82/giphy.gif" />
But he could only stop so many.
Goal – Laval 1-0 – Xavier Simoneau from Sean Farrell and Josh Jacobs
<img decoding="async" src="https://media.giphy.com/media/BW0mPpaskghr1fJ3Bo/giphy.gif" />
The Rocket eventually solved the touring Belorussian. After Farrell drove wide and sent the puck to the middle, where Simoneau redirected the pass past the Canuck netminder, crashing into him in the process.
The play triggered a long-winded stoppage as the referees deliberated about the call. Their verdict? The goal did stand, but Simoneau was credited with the two-minute minor for goaltender interference.
Okay.
The Canucks would respond later in the period, though.
Goal – Abbotsford 1-1 – Aatu Räty from Cole McWard and Arshdeep Bains
Following a Cole McWard shot, Aatu Räty got the inside track on his coverage before banging home his fifth of the season past Primeau to even the score.
<img decoding="async" src="https://media.giphy.com/media/LZgJxuJH1w6aJGOid0/giphy.gif" />
It’s been a relatively quiet return to the American League for Räty, following a long stretch of action at the NHL level since his return, which has been his second goal and third point in six games.
The period ended with some rough stuff. Nils Åman was caught delivering a nasty cross-check to the back of a Laval skater, which resulted in his team being down a man for a full two minutes to start the final frame.
<img decoding="async" src="https://media.giphy.com/media/oGFaYOhv7j5ssxnSLH/giphy.gif" />
Shots: ABB 22, LAV 14 
Score: ABB 1, LAV 1
<blockquote>Third period: Goaltending battle</blockquote>
Shorthanded and all, the Canucks collected the periods’ first grade-A chance.
John Stevens kicked off the rush with three strong. Stevens found himself all alone, but once again, Primeau got the blocker up to make the save look relatively routine.
<img decoding="async" src="https://media.giphy.com/media/lMny0mDTdTh2bsY00L/giphy.gif" />
Later in the period, there was a relatively tense moment on the bench after Jonathan Lekkerimäki took a rather nasty and uncalled-for arm to the face. The play triggered an obvious roughing penalty, but the Swedish forward skated to the bench rather gingerly and in pain.
<img decoding="async" src="https://media.giphy.com/media/pUQ1LkpSZ86BLHiP9O/giphy.gif" />
He did return to the ice for said power play. Although, the man advantage was a sore spot in an otherwise positive game and did not generate much of anything for a third straight opportunity.
Luckily, Tolopilo was locked in. He made several key saves in the middle of the frame, some while tracking significant traffic and pressure in front of him, to keep things in check.
<img decoding="async" src="https://media.giphy.com/media/K6LmpiP2BTzuffa4l6/giphy.gif" />
But even he endured a scary moment: He was taken down by a forechecking Laval skater, sending him to the ice rather awkwardly — as if the organization needed any further complications with the pipes.
<img decoding="async" src="https://media.giphy.com/media/SZOoMsrbOoP0tILg3D/giphy.gif" />
He did remain in the game to continue his strong form. None more noteworthy than this point-blank stop following an egregious giveaway by Mark Friedman.
<img decoding="async" src="https://media.giphy.com/media/UanGoeHMOPO0RBjxpB/giphy.gif" />
In fact, it was a goalie’s dream night, as both netminders put up fantastic showings to send this game to extra time.
Shots: ABB 28, LAV 29 
Score: ABB 1, LAV 2
Overtime: Close, but no cigar
Laval came out strong to grab all three of the extra frame&#8217;s chances. None stronger than this opportunity, which resulted in Nils Åman saving the day with his skate, somehow keeping the puck from crossing the line.
<img decoding="async" src="https://media.giphy.com/media/wbp7oOzstklbBiw1cS/giphy.gif" />
Here&#8217;s the second look.
<img decoding="async" src="https://media.giphy.com/media/DVVKRgtNwB2Mczi6Zu/giphy.gif" />
However, Laval would eventually deliver the final blow.
Goal &#8212; Laval 2-1 &#8212; Laurent Dauphin from Alex Barré-Boulet and Adam Engström
<img decoding="async" src="https://media.giphy.com/media/HhXxDw1EMaPL4FYo79/giphy.gif" />
Laurent Dauphin took the centring feed from Alex Barré-Boulet, who got two cracks at the puck before slamming one past Tolopilo to call the game in extra innings.
Notably, Lekkerimäki did not see any shifts in overtime. While he did see a few shifts following the third-period collision, the string of penalties led to little ice time for him in the final stretch. Let&#8217;s pray that he does not get caught up in this stretch of injuries that has plagued the organization in recent memory.
Considering the Abby Canucks played a respectable game, it&#8217;s quite the unfortunate result.
<blockquote>What&#8217;s next?</blockquote>
The Canucks are back at it in Laval on Saturday as the two combatants square off for game two on Saturday. The puck drops at 4:00 pm PT.
Sponsored by bet365
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Goaltender Nikita Tolopilo in the reverse VH during the Vancouver Canucks' 2-0 victory over the Edmonton Oilers at the 2024 Young Stars Classic from Penticton, BC

Still in search of their first victory of 2025, the Abbotsford Canucks found themselves in a rare East Coast battle for a doubleheader matchup versus the Laval Rocket.
<div class="bam-inline-promotion-block" data-max-length="2" data-placement-id="2111" data-context="web-content-promocard" data-property-id="329"></div>
&nbsp;

The good news? The Canucks held a dominant 10-2-0-0 record against Laval. The bad news? They came in sporting a rough 0-4-0-0 record over their last four games.

Even though they probably did not deserve the result, the Canucks conceded their fifth loss in as many games. The visiting team grabbed several high-danger chances but ultimately couldn't solve Cayden Primeau or get their special teams in order.

To take the "glass is half full" approach, they come away with one point, which is a small baby step.

Let's see how it all went down.
<blockquote>Starting lineup</blockquote>
Nielsen – Åman – Karlsson
Bains – Räty – Lekkerimäki
Blais – Mueller – Klimovich
Stevens – Wouters – Smith

Pettersson – Friedman
Wolanin - Woo
Kudryavtsev – McWard

Tolopilo

With Thatcher Demko reportedly experiencing back spasms up with the big club, Arturs Silvos, likely scheduled for a start in Laval, was sent to report for emergency purposes. As a result, Abbotsford called up the kid, Ty Young, to back up Nikita Tolopilo for the weekend slate.

Jonathan Lekkerimäki rejoined the team after missing Wednesday's game in Calgary and joined forces with the big boys Arshdeep Bains and Aatu Räty.

Also returning was Tristen Nielsen, who had missed several weeks following an injury on December 14th. He was instantly placed in a position to succeed alongside Nils Åman and Linus Karlsson.

On the backend, Cole McWard was back in the lineup as well and formed a third pairing next to Kirill Kudryavtsev.

As expected, with Silovs off to Vancouver, Nikita Tolopilo got the nod between the pipes.
<blockquote>First period: Scoreless in Laval</blockquote>
The word around the campfire was that General Managers Kyle Dubas (Pittsburgh), Bill Armstrong (Utah), and Don Sweeney (Boston) were all in attendance for this game.

With the rumour mill running rampant in Vancouver, could this game be a showcase for a select few of the team’s more potent prospects? It could be a coincidence, but it’s not every day that several GMs show face at American League games on a Friday evening...in Laval.

The bigwigs were treated to a relatively fast-paced first period. With a combined shot total of 24, both teams traded solid chances and were high-intensity from the get-go.

Back in the lineup, Tristen Nielsen looked to embed himself back to the team in style, showing off his skills with a slick toe-drag off a two-on-one opportunity with Danila Klimovich. Jett Woo, who had a noticeable period, made a good defensive effort before getting the play going from his own crease.

<img src="https://media.giphy.com/media/tltHkyQvHIgSdrUQIY/giphy.gif" />

That wasn’t all Woo was up to; despite Laval being a seldomly seen East Coast team, Woo was doing his best to stir the pot, clutching onto and dropping Xavier Simoneau to kick off a small brouhaha.

<img src="https://media.giphy.com/media/oJvd7zMxsiykba5rTS/giphy.gif" />

Any team is a rival when Jett Woo is on the ice surface.

It was enough to spark Jonathan Lekkerimäki, who picked up the period's best chance just seconds after the ensuing face-off. Jolting up the middle, he received a soft threaded pass from Elias Pettersson, redirected the puck to force Cayden Primeau to squeeze the pads and make his best of 14 saves in the period.

<img src="https://media.giphy.com/media/BkyJRjS3SNHaIANN4W/giphy.gif" />

The Canucks continue to press, this time on the penalty kill. Nils Åman sprung Ty Mueller on the shorthanded break, thanks to a solid double coverage strip.

<img src="https://media.giphy.com/media/m8KfuHAHcWtsGRcCm7/giphy.gif" />

The Laval defender managed to get his stick on the play at the last second, forcing Mueller to the simple five-hole jam shot, but Åman followed that up with a tremendous chance off the rebound. Primeau calmly threw out the blocker to set the puck aside.

The Canucks took a second penalty near the period's end, where Tolopilo made several stops under pressure to wrap up the period with 10 saves and a scoreless opening period.

<img src="https://media.giphy.com/media/z7WonbjFyCKTEaGaja/giphy.gif" />

Shots: ABB 14, LAV 10
Score: ABB 0, LAV 0
<blockquote>Second period: Rebound Räts</blockquote>
The Canucks maintained their shooting ways early in the middle frame, firing three shots before the period had reached the initial minute.

<img src="https://media.giphy.com/media/qW3Wsau3DopKlWVXHH/giphy.gif" />

That led to their first power play of the match, which somehow killed all momentum as the team failed to register a single shot.

In fact, their best chance of the period came minutes later, after Cole McWard took a penalty to send the visiting team on their third penalty kill of the game.

Directly off a face-off, Aatu Räty and Chase Wouters sprung for a two-on-one, where the Finnish forward sent a perfectly intended pass for the tap-in. Still, Primeau stayed true to the puck, getting the pad down to deny the captain of the game’s opening goal.

<img src="https://media.giphy.com/media/oPa7NB6CyWZvH0240X/giphy.gif" />

Going the other way, Tolopilo continued his strong form in the game, kicking out Sean Farell's strong chance.

<img src="https://media.giphy.com/media/aAujV6O266dlp8sx82/giphy.gif" />

But he could only stop so many.

Goal – Laval 1-0 – Xavier Simoneau from Sean Farrell and Josh Jacobs

<img src="https://media.giphy.com/media/BW0mPpaskghr1fJ3Bo/giphy.gif" />

The Rocket eventually solved the touring Belorussian. After Farrell drove wide and sent the puck to the middle, where Simoneau redirected the pass past the Canuck netminder, crashing into him in the process.

The play triggered a long-winded stoppage as the referees deliberated about the call. Their verdict? The goal did stand, but Simoneau was credited with the two-minute minor for goaltender interference.

Okay.

The Canucks would respond later in the period, though.

Goal – Abbotsford 1-1 – Aatu Räty from Cole McWard and Arshdeep Bains

Following a Cole McWard shot, Aatu Räty got the inside track on his coverage before banging home his fifth of the season past Primeau to even the score.

<img src="https://media.giphy.com/media/LZgJxuJH1w6aJGOid0/giphy.gif" />

It’s been a relatively quiet return to the American League for Räty, following a long stretch of action at the NHL level since his return, which has been his second goal and third point in six games.

The period ended with some rough stuff. Nils Åman was caught delivering a nasty cross-check to the back of a Laval skater, which resulted in his team being down a man for a full two minutes to start the final frame.

<img src="https://media.giphy.com/media/oGFaYOhv7j5ssxnSLH/giphy.gif" />

Shots: ABB 22, LAV 14
Score: ABB 1, LAV 1
<blockquote>Third period: Goaltending battle</blockquote>
Shorthanded and all, the Canucks collected the periods’ first grade-A chance.

John Stevens kicked off the rush with three strong. Stevens found himself all alone, but once again, Primeau got the blocker up to make the save look relatively routine.

<img src="https://media.giphy.com/media/lMny0mDTdTh2bsY00L/giphy.gif" />

Later in the period, there was a relatively tense moment on the bench after Jonathan Lekkerimäki took a rather nasty and uncalled-for arm to the face. The play triggered an obvious roughing penalty, but the Swedish forward skated to the bench rather gingerly and in pain.

<img src="https://media.giphy.com/media/pUQ1LkpSZ86BLHiP9O/giphy.gif" />

He did return to the ice for said power play. Although, the man advantage was a sore spot in an otherwise positive game and did not generate much of anything for a third straight opportunity.

Luckily, Tolopilo was locked in. He made several key saves in the middle of the frame, some while tracking significant traffic and pressure in front of him, to keep things in check.

<img src="https://media.giphy.com/media/K6LmpiP2BTzuffa4l6/giphy.gif" />

But even he endured a scary moment: He was taken down by a forechecking Laval skater, sending him to the ice rather awkwardly — as if the organization needed any further complications with the pipes.

<img src="https://media.giphy.com/media/SZOoMsrbOoP0tILg3D/giphy.gif" />

He did remain in the game to continue his strong form. None more noteworthy than this point-blank stop following an egregious giveaway by Mark Friedman.

<img src="https://media.giphy.com/media/UanGoeHMOPO0RBjxpB/giphy.gif" />

In fact, it was a goalie’s dream night, as both netminders put up fantastic showings to send this game to extra time.

Shots: ABB 28, LAV 29
Score: ABB 1, LAV 2

Overtime: Close, but no cigar

Laval came out strong to grab all three of the extra frame's chances. None stronger than this opportunity, which resulted in Nils Åman saving the day with his skate, somehow keeping the puck from crossing the line.

<img src="https://media.giphy.com/media/wbp7oOzstklbBiw1cS/giphy.gif" />

Here's the second look.

<img src="https://media.giphy.com/media/DVVKRgtNwB2Mczi6Zu/giphy.gif" />

However, Laval would eventually deliver the final blow.

Goal -- Laval 2-1 -- Laurent Dauphin from Alex Barré-Boulet and Adam Engström

<img src="https://media.giphy.com/media/HhXxDw1EMaPL4FYo79/giphy.gif" />

Laurent Dauphin took the centring feed from Alex Barré-Boulet, who got two cracks at the puck before slamming one past Tolopilo to call the game in extra innings.

Notably, Lekkerimäki did not see any shifts in overtime. While he did see a few shifts following the third-period collision, the string of penalties led to little ice time for him in the final stretch. Let's pray that he does not get caught up in this stretch of injuries that has plagued the organization in recent memory.

Considering the Abby Canucks played a respectable game, it's quite the unfortunate result.
<blockquote>What's next?</blockquote>
The Canucks are back at it in Laval on Saturday as the two combatants square off for game two on Saturday. The puck drops at 4:00 pm PT.

Sponsored by bet365
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The Farmies: Nikita Tolopilo makes 27 saves in Abby Canucks’ 2-1 overtime loss to Rocket

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