ABBOTSFORD CANUCKS VS CALGARY WRANGLERS GAME 2 PREVIEW
Following their 3-2 overtime defeat in Game 1, the Abbotsford Canucks are back in action on Friday night in Game 2 of the second round of the Calder Cup Playoffs against the Calgary Wranglers. The puck drops at 6:00pm PST from the Scotiabank Saddledome, with the broadcast available on AHLTV and the radio feed on Sportsnet 650.
Game 1 saw the Wranglers hold a 1-0 score line for most of the game, before goals from Marc Gatcomb and Aatu Räty helped force overtime following a second Calgary goal from Adam Klapka. More than halfway through the overtime period, Jakob Pelletier scored the game winner, giving Calgary the 1-0 series lead.
Game 2 will be the second and final game of the series in Calgary, with the series shifting to Abbotsford for Game 3, as well as Games 4 and 5 if necessary.
Spencer Martin and Dustin Wolf started in goal in Game 1 for Abbotsford and Calgary respectively, and each made 37 saves on the night. Wolf, the newly named AHL MVP, denied Abbotsford of some highly dangerous scoring opportunities, while Spencer Martin made a diving save late in the third to keep the Canucks’ deficit at just one.
Jack Rathbone is tied for the lead league in shots on goal this post season with 12, while Linus Karlsson also cracks the top 10 with 10 shots of his own. Nils Höglander leads Abbotsford in points in the post season (2G, 2A), while Martin is tied for 4th in the league for save percentage (.951%).
Calgary, who received the first round bye for finishing first in the Pacific Division, have played just one game in the last 11 days, which was Wednesday’s Game 1. The two teams faced off 12 times during the regular season, and is the only possible all-Canadian match up of the entire AHL post season.
Jakob Pelletier hadn’t played in an AHL game for Calgary since February 2nd before featuring in the Wranglers final two games of the regular season in Abbotsford on April 14th and 15th. In between that span, he put up seven points (3G, 4A) with the Calgary Flames.
Regular Season Special Teams:
Power Play %
ABB: 18.1%, CGY: 21%
Power Play Goals For
ABB: 52, CGY: 69
Penalty Kill %
ABB: 79.9%, CGY: 85.1%
Post Season Special Teams:
Power Play %
ABB: 14.3%, CGY: 0.0%
Power Play Goals For
ABB: 2, CGY: 0
Penalty Kill %
ABB: 85.7%, CGY: 100.0%
Fast Facts:
The Pacific Division’s best of five is a 2-3 format, with the higher seeded team getting their choice of playing the first two games or the final three games at home.
Alex Kannok Leipert made his AHL post-season debut on Wednesday night in Game 1, picking up an assist on Marc Gatcomb’s goal in the third period.
Abbotsford and Calgary faced each other 12 times during the regular season with Calgary leading the series 8-4.
By the end of the second round, the Calgary Wranglers will have faced Abbotsford at least six times in row, rounding off their regular season with a three-game series at the Abbotsford Centre.
Leading Calgary scorer Matthew Phillips had a career high in scoring this season, recording 76 total points (36-40-76), eight points up from his previous career high last season (31-37-68).
Abbotsford veteran Justin Dowling is making his seventh post-season appearance and second with Abbotsford. Dowling made it to the playoffs with the Texas Stars five times, including a Calder Cup win in 2014.
Abbotsford signed OHL goaltender Marco Costantini to an Amateur Tryout Agreement on Tuesday.
Games 3, 4 (if required), and 5 (if required) will be hosted at the Abbotsford Centre on May 3rd, May 5th, and May 7th, with all games starting at 7PM.