ABBOTSFORD, British Columbia -- The Abbotsford Canucks scored five goals in the third period in a 6-1 win against the Charlotte Checkers in Game 3 of the Calder Cup Finals at Abbotsford Centre on Tuesday.
Arshdeep Bains (two goals and two assists) and Linus Karlsson (one goal, three assists) each had four points to help Abbotsford, the American Hockey League affiliate of the Vancouver Canucks, take a 2-1 lead in the best-of-7 series. Arturs Silovs made 28 saves and also had an assist.
Oliver Okuliar scored, and Kaapo Kahkonen allowed five goals on 28 shots for Charlotte, the Florida Panthers’ affiliate. It was Charlotte’s first road loss of the AHL playoffs (7-1).
Game 4 will be in Abbotsford on Thursday (10 p.m. ET).
Bains started the play on Karlsson’s go-ahead goal at 3:58 of the third by making a pass to Max Sasson from his backside along the right boards. Sasson drove the net and made a cross-crease pass to Karlsson, who leads the AHL playoffs with 11 goals.
Bains made it 3-1 on a power play at 11:43 when his cross-ice pass from the right face-off dot, which was intended for Karlsson at the back post, bounced in off a defender.
Phillip Di Giuseppe finished off a 2-on-1 that started with a long Silovs pass by snapping a shot over the blocker of Kahkonen at 13:19 to put Abbotsford ahead 4-1.
Bains added his second goal into an empty net at 17:10 to make it 5-1, and Tristen Nielsen scored on a breakaway at 17:34 for the 6-1 final.
Okuliar gave Charlotte a 1-0 lead with a deflection from the top of the crease at 8:22 of the first period.
Sammy Blais tied it 1-1 on a power play at 6:43 of the second period with a quick deke to the forehand in tight after Bains forced a turnover inside the blue line.
