Abbotsford Canucks Prepare for Third Round of AHL Playoffs

With a jampacked Abbotsford Centre spinning towels and supporting their local team, the Abbotsford Canucks punched their ticket into the third round of the AHL playoffs with a commanding 2-0 win last Friday night.

The Canucks now look ahead to their third-round matchup against the Colorado Eagles, the best regular-season team in the Pacific Division.

Arty Party

Friday’s victory over the Coachella Valley FireBirds was a tough hurdle for the Canucks as the FireBirds were coming off back-to-back years of making it to the Calder Cup finals. Artūrs Šilovs was the star once again in the series-clinching game.

The 24-year-old netminder picked up his second consecutive shutout in a series-clinching game. He stopped all 29 of the shots he faced against the FireBirds. In the opening round of the AHL playoffs, he shutout the Tucson Roadrunners with 21 saves in the deciding game.

Šilovs has a .935% save percentage in the playoffs and a 1.74 goals-against average, along with two shutouts. The Latvian is known for his elevated play in big games, and he has been continuing to add to his resume with his play through these playoffs.

“It’s like just being high on an emotional level. It’s so much fun to play at this time of the year. You know how important everything is, and they’re just a different style of games. You want to put everything on the line,” said Šilovs.

“You work through your whole summer and whole season for these moments. It’s fun. You know how crucial it is, how important it is, to battle for every single teammate. And you know they do the same thing for you. It’s just a full team performance.”

Head coach Manny Malhotra knows the importance of good goaltending and sees the confidence that Šilovs has in big games. He sees confidence spread throughout the group and has been pleased with how his team has been limiting quality chances against and having lots of bodies in the shooting lanes.

“There’s a lot to be happy with, just the overall competitive nature of our group. We’re blocking shots and being physical when it is called upon. And I think our structure; there were a lot of instances where our structure got us out of certain situations. With our overall game, we’re dialed in and feeling good about it,” said Malhotra.

Leading by Example

Offensively, the Canucks are being led by their veteran players in the lineup. The trio of Sammy Blais, Jujhar Khaira, and Nate Smith have been providing offence while being trusted defensively by their head coach.

“They are doing a great job carrying play for us,” said Malhotra of the veteran trio. “Their heaviness and ability to control pucks in the offensive zone have swayed momentum for us in these last few games. So that’s going to continue to be their trademark; just to be direct, physical, and heavy down low.”

Blais leads the AHL playoffs with eight points (3g-5a) and has been a leader to the group throughout the opening two rounds. Blais won a Stanley Cup with the St. Louis Blues in 2019 and knows how to lead by example.

“He’s leading by example. He knows what it takes this time of year to be successful and to be a contributor in a game, and he’s been doing it,” said Malhotra on Blais. “He’s been physical every night. He’s on the forecheck hunting pucks. If you look at all of his points, they are a result of doing the right things. Our guys see that, they see what’s required to be effective at this time of year.”

Home Cooking

The Abbotsford Centre has been good to the Canucks all season long and they have cranked it up even more in the playoffs.

After going 24-11-1 in the regular season, Abbotsford has gone 4-1 through their first five home playoff games and have outscored the opposition by a 15-8 count.

“This is what it’s all about,” said Surrey-born forward Jujhar Khaira. “Coming in and seeing the crowds, the towels going, it’s whatever every kid dreams of at any level. When you get to play in front of a crowd like this, it’s amazing, it’s fun. You hear the chants, and it’s easy to get up for these ones.”

Max Sasson has two goals and five points and leads the AHL with 26 shots on net in the playoffs. The 24-year-old loves the support from the fanbase and wants them to keep it going as long as the Canucks are in the playoffs.

“Keep bringing that energy. We feed off it. We’re going to need it next round,” said Sasson. “It’s so special and fun to play in front of you guys, and we’ll keep giving our all for you.”

The Youth Movement

With a good mix of veterans and young talent, the AHL team is in good shape for their playoff run and what is to come to Vancouver in the future.

Kirill Kudryavtsev is a 21-year-old defenceman who continues to improve his game in the AHL. He has scored a goal and two assists in six playoff games.

Former NCAA teammates and fellow 22-year-olds Ty Mueller and Victor Mancini each have two assists through seven games. They have been solid at both ends of the ice and contribute to the penalty kill.

At just 20 years old, Jonathan Lekkerimaki is the youngest player to play for the Abbotsford Canucks this season. The Swedish winger had to miss three playoff games due to lingering effects from oral surgery. Though he has not gotten his offence rolling in these playoffs, he scored 19 goals in 36 AHL games and has the potential to score goals at will with his potent wrist shot.

Looking Ahead with Captain Chase

We caught up with Abbotsford Canucks’ captain Chase Wouters after practice as his team prepares for the Colorado Eagles.

We began by asking him about the eight games that the Canucks played against the Eagles during the season.

“They’re a great team. They’re fast. They play well in transition. They’ve got a lot of great players over there. And it’s going to be a fun series. It’s going to be competitive. And that’s what this time of the year is about. We are all here doing it for each other. The regular season doesn’t matter anymore now; our focus is fully on game one.”

Wouters spoke about what the fans at the Abby Centre have meant to the team on the ice.

“I don’t know if it can get much better than it was there that last game,” said Wouters. “It’s going to be an absolute blast. We can’t wait to put our skates on and get out there in front of the Abby crowd. You know we’re fired up for those two home games.”

Tale of the Tape

The third round of the AHL playoffs is another five-game series. The Eagles are the higher-seeded team, as they won the Pacific Division with a 43-21-8 record. Abbotsford finished second in the division with a 44-24-4 record.

In head-to-head matchups, the Canucks went 6-2-0 in the eight meetings between the two teams this season, including going 4-0-0 on home ice.