Canucks prospects: Abbotsford seals smash-and-grab series win in Colorado

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It could be over before you know it in the AHL playoffs.

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A strong 9-2 end-of-season run by the Abbotsford Canucks — and a gritty 4-2 Game 1 triumph in Colorado on Wednesday — was at risk of being undone by a tough Eagles team, who won Game 2 5-4 in overtime on Friday to even up the best-of-three opening round series.

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But the Canucks responded with a white-knuckle 2-1 OT win in Sunday’s decisive Game 3 to advance to the next round.

Here’s what we learned from the three-game set at Blue Arena this past week:

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Young guns came to play

One of the youngest teams in the AHL, Abbotsford needed it’s most promising prospects to deliver — and deliver they did.

First it was Arshdeep Bains, who scored the series opener two minutes into Game 1 after setting up veteran John Stevens in front then depositing the rebound at the side of the net.

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Veterans Sheldon Dries and Tristen Nielsen scored the next two goals for the Canucks, before prospect Linus Karlsson capped off the win with an empty-netter.

Game 2 looked like it was getting out of hand before the young guns stepped up to get Abbotsford back into the game.

Down 2-0 late in the first period, it was talented two-way forward Aatu Raty tipping in a Nielson shot to give the Canucks a needed shot of life.

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Then down 4-1 in the second period, Bains fed defenceman Christian Wolanin for a goal to inch the Canucks closer, before Karlsson converted on a late second-period power play to make the score 4-3.

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Bains kick-started the offence yet again on Sunday’s decisive Game 3, scoring on a patient move to his forehand after centre Max Sasson created an odd-man advantage with an ankle-breaking dangle at the blue-line.

Bains, the AHL All-Star game MVP this season, almost scored early in the second but was denied on a partial breakaway. Raty, meanwhile, deflected a puck just wide a couple minutes into overtime on a 2-on-1 with Karlsson.

Bains registered the second assist as captain Chase Wouters scored midway through the extra session to send the Canucks to the second round of the playoffs.

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The young top-line trio of Karlsson, Raty and Sasson were good throughout the series, while Bains made his contributions from a third-line role.

Bains’ four points (2G, 2A) is tied for the league playoff lead.

And while Abbotsford doesn’t quite boast a true top-six type forward prospect — that is, until 2022 first-rounder Jonathan Lekkerimaki suits up next season — five of the team’s six top scorers were 24 years of age or younger, boding well for the bunch as they pursue bottom-six roles in Vancouver next season.

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Cascading crease effect

The goaltending squeeze felt in Vancouver after Thatcher Demko’s injury had a cascading effect in Abbotsford.

Demko going down meant Abbotsford had to go without both their first and second options against the Eagles, with Arturs Silovs sprung into action for Vancouver and big Belarusian Nikita Tolopilo backing him up.

That meant that 26-year-old Zach Sawchenko — who only played in six AHL games this season, going 4-1 with some pretty scintillating stats — was handed the crease, and Sawchenko did an admirable job of keeping the Canucks in the series.

Sawchenko, who was signed to a one-year, two-way deal this past off-season, stopped 28 of 30 shots on Wednesday, only getting beat on two high-danger chances in the 4-2 win.

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‘Sawzy’ was given the game puck in the dressing room afterwards.

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Sawchenko could’ve used more help in Friday’s 5-4 overtime loss, with defenders coughing up pucks in prime scoring spots, which the Eagles capitalized on several times.

The overtime winner came from former Vancouver defender Brad Hunt, whose point shot hit a body in front and deflected past Sawchenko.

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Sawchenko was stellar to start Sunday’s Game 3, stopping an early barrage of shots — Colorado was up in shots 7-1 after a few minutes — before the Canucks settled down and earned a couple of power plays. The Alberta native then stood his ground on a high-danger chance early in the second period to keep the Eagles off the scoreboard.

Colorado continued to press early in the third period, with flurries of activity in front of Sawchenko, but it took their 40th shot of the game on a power play with two minutes left in the third period to beat him and tie the game at one apiece.

Sawchenko closed the fort the rest of the way, finishing the game with 47 saves on 48 shots in a rousing third-star performance.

And just like after Game 1, Sawchenko was given the game puck in the dressing room post-game.

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Sawchenko’s stellar play also raises another question: should Casey DeSmith not be able to suit up for Vancouver’s Game 5 against Nashville on Tuesday, would Sawchenko be the better backup option than Tolopilo?

Sawchenko has seen seven games of NHL action with the San Jose Sharks during the 2021-22 season, while Tolopilo is playing his first season in North America.

Team defence

They couldn’t dress their defensive leader, with Jett Woo still out of the lineup with a serious leg injury, but Abbotsford’s blueliners got the job done by committee.

As head coach Jeremy Colliton has often done this season, the Canucks dressed seven D-men and 11 forwards to start the series, with 2022 third-rounder Elias Pettersson suiting up as the seventh defender.

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The team went back to a traditional 12 forward-6 defenceman arrangement in Friday’s overtime loss.

A bright spot on the blue-line, however, was rookie defender Akito Hirose scoring his first AHL goal to tie the game at four midway through the third period.

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Running the same 12-6 alignment for Game 3, the blue-line bore down and limited Colorado’s high-danger chances, despite the high shot count.

But let’s be real — this team doesn’t get by Colorado unless it had complete defensive buy-in from the forward group, who also did everything to help their goaltender out.

Looking forward

At last, a playoff game in Abbotsford.

But it’ll have to wait until next Wednesday.

The Canucks next face the Ontario Reign, who dispatched the Bakersfield Condors in two straight games, for their best-of-five Pacific Division semifinal series this coming Wednesday in California’s San Bernardino valley.

Games 3, 4 and 5 are scheduled to be played in the Fraser Valley at the Abbotsford Centre.

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The Canucks and Reign went 4-4 against each other this season, so neither team has the upper hand head-to-head.

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