The Abbotsford Canucks picked up a valuable two points in the race to secure home ice in round one of the AHL playoffs on Thursday (March 30), edging the Manitoba Moose 4-2 in Winnipeg.
Abbotsford captain Chase Wouters got the Canucks on the board at 8:15 of the first period after efficient forechecking from himself and line mate John Stevens. They pressured the Moose defence and Stevens set up Wouters in the slot.
Good forechecking by Stevens leads to a Wouters goal, 1-0 Abbotsford in the first pic.twitter.com/jDhRN2HviE
— Ben Lypka (@BenLypka) March 31, 2023
Defenceman Jett Woo then put Abbotsford up 2-0 at 11:05 of the first with a shot from the point. Woo has been playing some of the best hockey of his professional career on both sides of the ice in the past few months and now has seven points in his last nine games.
Woo off the face-off makes it 2-0, he has looked good in the second half of this AHL season. (also fans) pic.twitter.com/2eCvh8BnHx
— Ben Lypka (@BenLypka) March 31, 2023
Manitoba’s Leon Gawanke made it 2-1 just 19 seconds later and period ended with Abbotsford up 2-1. The Canucks also had the 6-5 shots advantage.
The second period saw Manitoba apply pressure and tie the game up at 10:33 when Jeff Malott beat Canucks goalie Arturs Silovs. But just 71 seconds later Danila Klimovich scored what would be the eventual game winning goal. Klimovich jumped on a rebound and blasted it past Moose goalie Arvid Holm. The Vancouver second round draft pick now has 13 goals.
Klimovich jumps on a rebound and puts the Canucks up 3-2, he now has 13 on the season pic.twitter.com/pRp55Ac3i0
— Ben Lypka (@BenLypka) March 31, 2023
The third period saw Manitoba have an early goal called off due to goaltender interference, but Silovs stood on his head for the final frame and made some big saves. Linus Karlsson added an empty net goal, his 21st, to seal the deal.
Silovs SOMEHOW kept this puck out 🤩 pic.twitter.com/insaKMb5Bd
— X – Abbotsford Canucks (@abbycanucks) March 31, 2023
Manitoba outshot Abbotsford 27-26 in the game and Silovs made 25 saves for the win. Stevens added three assists and both Woo and Wouters had two point nights. Justin Dowling led all Canucks with five shots on goal.
The win is an important one, as Abbotsford puts more distance between themselves and the fifth place Ontario Reign. The Canucks actually leapfrogged the Colorado Eagles back into third place in the Pacific Division, but Colorado has one game in hand. The top four teams will get home ice in round one. Abbotsford’s record now sits at 36-23-3-4 and they have six games remaining in the regular season.
The Canucks and Moose meet again in Winnipeg on Saturday (April 1) at 2 p.m.
That's more like it 😁 pic.twitter.com/4iu8RGQtBt
— X – Abbotsford Canucks (@abbycanucks) March 31, 2023
