<p>The 2024-25 <a href="https://canucksarmy.com/news/top-abbotsford-canucks-scorers-need-find-another-offensive-gear-deadlocked-colorado">Abbotsford Canucks</a> demand your attention. Whether you follow Vancouver&#8217;s AHL team casually or just as diehard as their NHL counterparts, they&#8217;re insisting you look away from the Stanley Cup playoffs and at their Calder Cup run instead.</p>
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<p>&nbsp;</p>
<p>The Canucks&#8217; pair of home playoff games ended with a tied series, and the results were just as close. The Eagles&#8217; stingy defence – tied for the fourth-lowest goals against during the regular season – has only allowed 5v5 goals in the series so far, but Abbotsford matched them pound for pound in <a href="https://canucksarmy.com/news/farmies-abby-canucks-game-1-home-defeating-tucson-4-3">Game 1</a> off the back of an Arturs Silovs shutout.</p>
<p>One win separates the Canucks from its first Conference Final, and first for the organization since 2015, but getting it on the road will be challenging.</p>
<p>So far, the series has been dominated by team defence and physicality. Low shot counts and high hit totals were the game plan both teams embraced, which led the Eagles to attempt a rally in the first game and the Canucks in the second.</p>
<p>Head coach <a href="https://canucksarmy.com/news/jim-rutherford-says-manny-malhotra-on-shortlist-be-vancouver-canucks-next-coach">Manny Malhotra</a> knew what to expect from the Eagles before the series started.</p>
<p>&#8220;You have to play with aggression against these guys. You have to apply pressure,&#8221; Malhotra said. &#8220;If you&#8217;re hoping and waiting for opportunities, they&#8217;re just not going to give them to you. So we have to be the aggressors and try to force the issue and create those turnovers.&#8221;</p>
<p>In Game 3, both teams were forced to open the game up after regulation couldn&#8217;t solve a 2-2 tie. But it was a still a gutty effort to get the winner. A steal by <a href="https://canucksarmy.com/news/hes-leading-by-example-vancouver-canucks-sammy-blais-leading-ahl-playoffs-points">Sammy Blais</a> behind the net that Linus Karlsson put behind a screened Trent Miner in tight to seal the 3-2 victory and a 2-1 series lead.</p>
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="550" data-dnt="true">
<p lang="en" dir="ltr">🚨CANUCKS GOAL🚨</p>
<p>LINUS KARLSSON WINS THE GAME IN OVERTIME FOR ABBOTSFORD! </p>
<p>🎥: FloHockey | <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/AbbyCanucks?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#AbbyCanucks</a> <a href="https://t.co/zpY1lgPxhe">pic.twitter.com/zpY1lgPxhe</a></p>
<p>&mdash; CanucksArmy (@CanucksArmy) <a href="https://twitter.com/CanucksArmy/status/1925409200852934877?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 22, 2025</a></p></blockquote>
<p><script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></p>
<p>Abbotsford&#8217;s ability to play smart defence and make the most of their scoring opportunities has earned them two shots at sealing the series in Colorado&#8217;s barn.</p>
<p>Here are a few notes from the first three games of this series:</p>
<h2>Maximum Lekkerimäki</h2>
<p>In the early parts of the postseason, <a href="https://canucksarmy.com/news/vancouver-canucks-lekkerimakis-low-shot-volume-starting-hinder-playoff-success">Jonathan Lekkerimäki wasn&#8217;t shooting the puck much</a>. Call it a lack of confidence or rust after missing time due to complications from dental surgery, it resulted in one point through his first five playoff games.</p>
<p>In Game 2, Lekkerimäki finally shot the puck, and it relit the flame.</p>
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="550" data-dnt="true">
<p lang="en" dir="ltr">🚨CANUCKS GOAL🚨</p>
<p>Jonathan Lekkerimäki scores his first AHL playoff goal and ties this game up! </p>
<p>🎥: FloHockey | <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/AbbyCanucks?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#AbbyCanucks</a> <a href="https://t.co/u7Re2d6OV7">pic.twitter.com/u7Re2d6OV7</a></p>
<p>&mdash; CanucksArmy (@CanucksArmy) <a href="https://twitter.com/CanucksArmy/status/1924279508645101919?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 19, 2025</a></p></blockquote>
<p><script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></p>
<p>In the past two games, Lekkerimäki has caught fire with four points, including two assists in Game 3. Even with the lone goal to show, he&#8217;s looked more effective and dialled in since.</p>
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="550" data-dnt="true">
<p lang="en" dir="ltr">Jonathan Lekkerimäki scored his first goal of the playoffs in Game 2, and you could almost see the monkey jumping off his back.</p>
<p>Well, he not only has two assists tonight (four points in two games) but has his hands all over this game.</p>
<p>He&#39;s looked dangerous in the third period.</p>
<p>&mdash; Dave Hall (@davehall1289) <a href="https://twitter.com/davehall1289/status/1925394691950092624?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 22, 2025</a></p></blockquote>
<p><script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></p>
<p>His head coach noticed a difference right from Game 2.</p>
<p>&#8220;[Lekkerimäki]&#8217;s finding his game again,&#8221; Malhotra said. &#8220;We saw a lot from him throughout the course of the year, and our expectations are high of what he&#8217;s capable of doing. So it&#8217;s nice to see him kind of returning to that form and having the poise and confidence with the puck again.&#8221;</p>
<p>While Abbotsford was able to weather his cold streak in the early rounds, Lekkerimäki&#8217;s contributions and confidence are only going to be leaned on more the deeper they go. If this version of Lekkerimäki keeps showing up, he has the potential to become the biggest X-factor on a championship team.</p>
<h2>Arty&#8217;s Party</h2>
<p>Arturs Silovs has been more than just a great goalie for this Abbotsford team. He&#8217;s been their backbone.</p>
<p>Silovs&#8217; experience in the Stanley Cup Playoffs last season served him well for this Calder Cup run. In 10 starts, Silovs has pitched a .931 save percentage with three shutouts, including two in his last four games.</p>
<p>This third-round series against the Eagles has given Silovs a different test: low shot totals. Staying locked into games where the opponents are being extra selective about their shots isn&#8217;t easy, but Silovs is taking it in stride.</p>
<p>&#8220;It&#8217;s playoff hockey, no one&#8217;s gonna shoot for no reason,&#8221; Silovs said after his Game 1 shutout. &#8220;Everyone&#8217;s gonna shoot to try to get a rebound, someone&#8217;s gonna drive the net or try to make a screen.</p>
<p>&#8220;You&#8217;re not gonna score without a screen or just with a clean shot from the boards.&#8221;</p>
<p>He made that all the more clear in overtime of Game 3, robbing former Vancouver Canuck Jayson Megna twice late including on a breakaway. The very next shot of the game would be Karlsson&#8217;s game winner.</p>
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="550" data-dnt="true">
<p lang="en" dir="ltr">Šilovs came up huge just a couple of minutes before this goal.</p>
<p>A breakaway save in OT on Jayson Megna was massive. <a href="https://t.co/vUEWMevPtX">https://t.co/vUEWMevPtX</a> <a href="https://t.co/6SSLMzVhG0">pic.twitter.com/6SSLMzVhG0</a></p>
<p>&mdash; 𝗖𝗵𝗿𝗶𝘀 Faber 🔥🎙️ (@ChrisFaber39) <a href="https://twitter.com/ChrisFaber39/status/1925411583607652445?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 22, 2025</a></p></blockquote>
<p><script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></p>
<p>If Abbotsford goes deep, Silovs&#8217; play so far is putting him on the playoff MVP shortlist.</p>
<h2>Fear of missing out</h2>
<p>If these were the last two home games of the Canucks&#8217; season, the fans made them count.</p>
<p>On Friday, a few patches of open chairs were strewn about, but nothing out of the ordinary for a weekday game.</p>
<p>On Sunday, there wasn&#8217;t an empty seat in the whole place as 6,960 packed the Abbotsford Centre and gave the players a lift. Jett Woo has seen it all first-hand since the team arrived in the Fraser Valley four years ago</p>
<p>&#8220;It was amazing,&#8221; Woo said after Game 2. &#8220;It&#8217;s one of those things to give these chills as soon as you step on the ice and makes me want to play that much harder.&#8221;</p>
<p>The crowd was loud and engaged in both weekend tilts, particularly chanting &#8216;Mi-ner&#8217; towards the former Vancouver Giants goalie like they were at a Kendrick Lamar concert. The pop after Victor Mancini stole the puck late with a well-timed pinch and took the victory lap to the empty net in Game 1 was as loud as any Rogers Arena crowd this season.</p>
<p>For anyone who&#8217;s a Highway 1 drive away from the Abbotsford Centre and on the fence about travelling up for a future game, the trip out is well worth it. And if the Canucks get their way, you&#8217;ll have even more chances next week.</p>
<p><strong>Sponsored by bet365</strong></p>
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<p>&nbsp;</p>


The 2024-25 <a href="https://canucksarmy.com/news/top-abbotsford-canucks-scorers-need-find-another-offensive-gear-deadlocked-colorado">Abbotsford Canucks</a> demand your attention. Whether you follow Vancouver's AHL team casually or just as diehard as their NHL counterparts, they're insisting you look away from the Stanley Cup playoffs and at their Calder Cup run instead.
<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 Canucks' pair of home playoff games ended with a tied series, and the results were just as close. The Eagles' stingy defence – tied for the fourth-lowest goals against during the regular season – has only allowed 5v5 goals in the series so far, but Abbotsford matched them pound for pound in <a href="https://canucksarmy.com/news/farmies-abby-canucks-game-1-home-defeating-tucson-4-3">Game 1</a> off the back of an Arturs Silovs shutout.

One win separates the Canucks from its first Conference Final, and first for the organization since 2015, but getting it on the road will be challenging.

So far, the series has been dominated by team defence and physicality. Low shot counts and high hit totals were the game plan both teams embraced, which led the Eagles to attempt a rally in the first game and the Canucks in the second.

Head coach <a href="https://canucksarmy.com/news/jim-rutherford-says-manny-malhotra-on-shortlist-be-vancouver-canucks-next-coach">Manny Malhotra</a> knew what to expect from the Eagles before the series started.

"You have to play with aggression against these guys. You have to apply pressure," Malhotra said. "If you're hoping and waiting for opportunities, they're just not going to give them to you. So we have to be the aggressors and try to force the issue and create those turnovers."

In Game 3, both teams were forced to open the game up after regulation couldn't solve a 2-2 tie. But it was a still a gutty effort to get the winner. A steal by <a href="https://canucksarmy.com/news/hes-leading-by-example-vancouver-canucks-sammy-blais-leading-ahl-playoffs-points">Sammy Blais</a> behind the net that Linus Karlsson put behind a screened Trent Miner in tight to seal the 3-2 victory and a 2-1 series lead.

https://twitter.com/CanucksArmy/status/1925409200852934877

Abbotsford's ability to play smart defence and make the most of their scoring opportunities has earned them two shots at sealing the series in Colorado's barn.

Here are a few notes from the first three games of this series:
<h2>Maximum Lekkerimäki</h2>
In the early parts of the postseason, <a href="https://canucksarmy.com/news/vancouver-canucks-lekkerimakis-low-shot-volume-starting-hinder-playoff-success">Jonathan Lekkerimäki wasn't shooting the puck much</a>. Call it a lack of confidence or rust after missing time due to complications from dental surgery, it resulted in one point through his first five playoff games.

In Game 2, Lekkerimäki finally shot the puck, and it relit the flame.

https://twitter.com/CanucksArmy/status/1924279508645101919

In the past two games, Lekkerimäki has caught fire with four points, including two assists in Game 3. Even with the lone goal to show, he's looked more effective and dialled in since.

https://twitter.com/davehall1289/status/1925394691950092624

His head coach noticed a difference right from Game 2.

"[Lekkerimäki]'s finding his game again," Malhotra said. "We saw a lot from him throughout the course of the year, and our expectations are high of what he's capable of doing. So it's nice to see him kind of returning to that form and having the poise and confidence with the puck again."

While Abbotsford was able to weather his cold streak in the early rounds, Lekkerimäki's contributions and confidence are only going to be leaned on more the deeper they go. If this version of Lekkerimäki keeps showing up, he has the potential to become the biggest X-factor on a championship team.
<h2>Arty's Party</h2>
Arturs Silovs has been more than just a great goalie for this Abbotsford team. He's been their backbone.

Silovs' experience in the Stanley Cup Playoffs last season served him well for this Calder Cup run. In 10 starts, Silovs has pitched a .931 save percentage with three shutouts, including two in his last four games.

This third-round series against the Eagles has given Silovs a different test: low shot totals. Staying locked into games where the opponents are being extra selective about their shots isn't easy, but Silovs is taking it in stride.

"It's playoff hockey, no one's gonna shoot for no reason," Silovs said after his Game 1 shutout. "Everyone's gonna shoot to try to get a rebound, someone's gonna drive the net or try to make a screen.

"You're not gonna score without a screen or just with a clean shot from the boards."

He made that all the more clear in overtime of Game 3, robbing former Vancouver Canuck Jayson Megna twice late including on a breakaway. The very next shot of the game would be Karlsson's game winner.

https://twitter.com/ChrisFaber39/status/1925411583607652445

If Abbotsford goes deep, Silovs' play so far is putting him on the playoff MVP shortlist.
<h2>Fear of missing out</h2>
If these were the last two home games of the Canucks' season, the fans made them count.

On Friday, a few patches of open chairs were strewn about, but nothing out of the ordinary for a weekday game.

On Sunday, there wasn't an empty seat in the whole place as 6,960 packed the Abbotsford Centre and gave the players a lift. Jett Woo has seen it all first-hand since the team arrived in the Fraser Valley four years ago

"It was amazing," Woo said after Game 2. "It's one of those things to give these chills as soon as you step on the ice and makes me want to play that much harder."

The crowd was loud and engaged in both weekend tilts, particularly chanting 'Mi-ner' towards the former Vancouver Giants goalie like they were at a Kendrick Lamar concert. The pop after Victor Mancini stole the puck late with a well-timed pinch and took the victory lap to the empty net in Game 1 was as loud as any Rogers Arena crowd this season.

For anyone who's a Highway 1 drive away from the Abbotsford Centre and on the fence about travelling up for a future game, the trip out is well worth it. And if the Canucks get their way, you'll have even more chances next week.

<strong>Sponsored by bet365</strong>
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