Abbotsford Canucks fall 6-2 in a battle against the Laval Rocket
The Abbotsford Canucks looked to bounce back and secure a win against the Laval Rocket to close out their road series.
Nikita Tolopilo got the nod in back-to-back games, after an incredible performance last night, falling just short of the win. He will face a new netminder, Connor Hughes for Laval.
Tonight’s offence saw a bunch of line changes and new pairings. Starting things off, Ty Mueller centered Sammy Blais and Linus Karlsson, and Jonathan Lekkerimäki joined forces with Tristen Nielsen and Nils Åman. Arshdeep Bains and Aatu Räty stuck together, lining up with Danila Klimovich, and Carsen Twarynski drew back into the lineup alongside John Stevens and Chase Wouters.
Elias Pettersson and Mark Friedman continued to hold strong, leading the defensive team. A swap to the other four meant Christian Wolanin would pair up with Cole McWard, and Jett Woo became a duo with Kirill Kudryavtsev to round out the lines tonight.
The first period didn’t go quite as Abbotsford had hoped. They were granted the first two powerplays early on, but couldn’t get anything on the board as the Rocket put their penalty kill to work. Unfortunately, the roles were reversed when the next two penalties were dealt to the Canucks, but they weren't as successful at killing it. Sean Farrell cashed in on the man advantage, with a strong shot past Tolopilo to secure the first goal of the game, just 7 minutes in. The Canucks continued to play defense and were unable to generate much. Nearing the end of the period, the Rocket had brought the play down to the Canucks zone, and a pass back from Laurent Dauphin went right to the stick of Filip Mešár where he was able to net their second of the game. The Rocket held the Canucks to just 5 shots this period and headed to the second period up by 2.
Understanding there was some work to do, the Canucks got to it in an attempt to get the game back into their hands. It didn’t take long before Jonathan Lekkerimäki would set up Tristen Nielsen perfectly, and Nielsen would take the one-timer straight to the back of the net. This goal cut the Rocket's lead in half less than 2 minutes into the period. The rest of the time was played at even strength, with both teams securing some chances. It wasn’t until just under 18 minutes in, that Laval was able to restore their two-goal lead thanks to Rafaël Harvey-Pinard who deflected a shot from Trudeau into the Canucks net. The Canucks were down 3-1 with twenty minutes to play.
Time was now of the essence, and the Rocket were able to capitalize once again. Former Abbotsford Canuck Vincent Arseneau intercepted a turnover before scoring his 4th of the season, and Laval’s 4th goal of the game. At the halfway point, Joshua Roy extended their lead, when he took a shot from the left circle that lit the lamp, the Rocket were up 5-1 halfway through the third. Nearing the end, Elias Pettersson took a shot from the blue line that was deflected in from Ty Mueller, for their second goal of the game to give the Canucks a little momentum. With the goalie pulled as a last-ditch effort, Laval was able to secure the empty net and walk away with the series.
The Abbotsford Canucks fell 6-2 to the Laval Rocket tonight but will look to turn the page as they return home and begin their 6-game stint on home ice.
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