When it comes to elimination games, Abbotsford Canucks captain Chase Wouters has regularly elevated his game and Saturday's (April 26) critical game three against the Tucson Roadrunners continued that trend.
Wouters found himself wide open in the slot shorthanded just 46 seconds into the second period of a 1-0 game and he beat Tucson goalie Jaxson Stauber to bust the game wide and give the Canucks some breathing room.
Terrific board battle from Ty Mueller, who digs the puck out and centres it for Chase Wouters.
鈥� Dave Hall (@davehall1289)
He makes no mistake, doubling the ' lead shorthanded!
Chase Wouters shorthanded goal sets on fire. 2-0 early
鈥� Ben Lypka (@BenLypka)
Just over five minutes later on the power play, Wouters found Max Sasson in the bumper and it gave the Canucks a 3-0 stranglehold. Abbotsord added two more in the third, Arturs Silovs stopped all 21 shots he faced and the Canucks won the game 5-0 and series 2-1.
I mentioned to on after game two that the Canucks had to start utilizing the bumper play. They were 0/5 in that game and were trying other plays.
鈥� Dave Hall (@davehall1289)
Perhaps they listened? Max Sasson finishes off the bumper play to triple their lead!
Canucks fans will recall that Wouters scored the series winner in overtime for Abbotsford in game three of last year's 2024 first round series against the Colorado Eagles on April 28, 2024. He said the win was a total team effort,
"It's not me, it's everyone else in the room," he said after asked about how he stepped up. "And that's what's really special about our group 鈥� you have guys stepping up every night. And we keep building."
Wouters said a big difference tonight was a sustained start. The Canucks out shot the Roadrunners 20-5 in the first period and especially controlled the final 10 minutes of the first. He also praised the play of Silovs, but admitted the team was chuckling a bit about game one after the official said he dislodged the net and he had to stop a penalty shot to save the game
"He played really well for us, but we gave him a hard time about that penalty shot," he said, laughing. "But he made a big save there to win game one and he was amazing tonight."
MAX SASSON, BABY!
鈥� Dave Hall (@davehall1289)
Mad Max shows why he's a one-man breakout machine. He links with Arshdeep Bains to set up Tristen Nielsen to open the scoring.
What a goal.
Abbotsford's Tristen Nielsen opened the scoring at 16:14 of the first period after a perfect set-up from Arshdeep Bains. Nielsen also scored the opening goal in Wednesday's (April 23) 4-3 win. He said he was proud of how the team dealt with Tucson's physicality.
"I think we did awesome, I don't think anyone backed down," he said. "Guys have their job to try and draw you in and draw penalties but I think every single guy really handled it well."
Nielsen said the depth on the Canucks team this season has been a difference maker and should help them moving forward.
"We have an amazing amount of depth, even the guys that weren't playing tonight," he said. "When they step into the lineup, they step in and make a difference. No matter who is on the ice, everyone wants to play for each other and that's a big difference. But I think our depth comes into play when we can get four lines going.
Speaking of those lines, Canucks head coach Manny Malhotra shuffled the deck for Saturday and came out with a winning hand. He inserted forward Nate Smith in place of Jonathan Lekkerimaki and paired Smith with veterans Phi Di Giuseppe and Jujhar Khaira. Malhotra liked how that threesome worked together.
THEY CAN RUN, BUT THEY CAN'T HIDE! 馃弮
鈥� X - Abbotsford Canucks (@abbycanucks)
ABBOTSFORD ADVANCES! 馃煝馃煝
"He did a great job stepping in," he said of Smith. "That line drove the bus for us in terms of driving play and spending time in the offensive zone."
He also liked the newly-formed line of Wouters, Danila Klimovich and Ty Mueller. It was slotted as a fourth line, but made a significant impact and had a lot of playing time.
"Wouters' ability to drag the best out of guys is always a calming effect," he said. "But knowing that all three of those guys can contribute at any moment offensively is a threat. So you look at them written down as a fourth line, but I didn't see them as that play them like that."
Malhotra said the Canucks reponded well from a disappointing 4-1 game two loss on Thursday (April 24).
"I was really happy with the response we had," he said. "Starting in net, Arty [Silovs] came to play. He didn't get a whole lot of work early on, but the chances they did have were pretty quality looks. He stood tall all night. I liked just the overall competitive nature of our group, the guys were committed to number one."
He commended the play of Wouters and also liked the way his team played physically.
"It got to the level it needed to be," he said of the team's physical play. "We weren't just going to be pushed around. We knew they were going to be a physical team, but I'm glad with the response we had 鈥� not just the taking and playing through it but more the initiating part of it."
The Canucks out shot the Roadrunners 39-21 in the win and also went 2/5 on the power play. Nielsen, Sasson, Wouters and Bains all had two-point nights, while Sammy Blais' third period goal was his third of the series. Blais finished the series with four points and was arguably the best player on the ice.
Blais makes it 4-0 on the power play, my series MVP
鈥� Ben Lypka (@BenLypka)
Saturday also saw defenceman Jett Woo finish at a team-best +3. The shutout by Silovs was his first-ever in the Calder Cup playoffs. Tucson's Andrew Agozzino, Ben McCartney, Kailer Yamamoto, Max Szuber and Sammy Walker all finished at -2. Roadrunners forward Drew Hunter was the lone Tucson player to finish with more than two shots on goal.
Reported attendance on Saturday was 5,638.
Abbotsford wins 5-0, wins the series 2-1. Shots were 39-21, dominant win
鈥� Ben Lypka (@BenLypka)
Abbotsford advances to the Pacific Division semifinal with the win and now square off against the Coachella Valley Firebirds in a best-of-five series. The Canucks chose to allow the Firebirds to host games one and two, while games three four and five occur in Abbotsford. Game one is set for Thursday, May 1 and game two goes Satuday, May 3. The series shifts to Abbotsford for game three on Wednesday, May 7. Games four and five, if necessary, are on Friday, May 9 and Sunday, May 11.
MORE HOCKEY IN ABBOTSFORD 鈥硷笍
鈥� X - Abbotsford Canucks (@abbycanucks)
The Canucks will host the Coachella Valley Firebirds on May 7th, and May 9th and 11th if necessary, to close out the Pacific Division Semi-Finals!
ROUND 2 TICKETS |
The Firebirds eliminated the Calgary Wranglers 2-0 in round one.
Abbotsford last played the Firebirds on April 18 and earned a 4-1 win. The Canucks went two of the eight meetings between the clubs this season. Coachella Valley finished fourth in the Pacific Division in the regular season 鈥� two spots behind Abbotsford.
"Throughout the year they've played outstanding hockey and they've been to finals a couple of years in a row," Malhotra said of the Firebirds. "So they know how to play this time of year. Anyone that we're facing in the next round is there for a reason."
Wouters agreed with his coach on the challenge.
"They're a really good team 鈥� they're fast, they're big and they've been there before," he said. "They have that experience from the last two years. We're going to enjoy this tonight and then reset."
Continue visiting for ongoing coverage of Abbotsford's journey in the Calder Cup playoffs.
