ABBOTSFORD CANUCKS VS CALGARY WRANGLERS GAME 4 PREVIEW
The Abbotsford Canucks are preparing for a pivotal game four as they continue their Pacific Division Semi-Final series against the Calgary Wranglers on Friday night from Abbotsford Centre.
Currently trailing 2-1 in the best-of-five series, game four will get underway at 7:00pm PST on Friday night, with fans able to follow along on AHLTV, as well as on the radio with Sportsnet 650.
Games one and two ended in sudden death heartbreak for the Canucks as they fell 3-2 and 4-3 in overtime with the deciding goals coming from Jakob Pelletier and Matthew Phillips respectively. As the series shifted back to Abbotsford, the Canucks needed three consecutive wins to keep their season alive.
Game three got the Canucks back on track, as they handed the Wranglers their first loss of the post season in a 3-2 regulation victory. Goals from Linus Karlsson, Christian Wolanin and eventually the game winner from Kyle Rau, set up Friday’s Game 4 on home ice.
Christian Wolanin, the winner of the AHL’s Most Outstanding Defenceman Award, is tied for 10th in the league for playoff scoring by a defenceman with 4 (1G, 3A). Wolanin picked up a pair of points in Game 3, as did Arshdeep Bains in Game 2 (2G).
Bains’ two goal performance in Calgary has him tied for the most goals scored by a rookie in the playoffs, with four other Abbotsford rookies also having notched a goal in the 2023 post season (Karlsson, Räty, Sasson, Gatcomb). Five rookies grabbing a goal is the most by a single team in the playoffs to date, with Linus Karlsson leading all AHL rookies in shots with 17 through five games.
Spencer Martin, who made 25 saves in Game 3, leads the AHL in save percentage with .943%. Martin, who is 2-1 in the playoffs this year, is also second in Goals Against Average with 1.57, and is one of seven goaltenders to have recorded a shutout in the 2023 playoffs.
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: 12.0 %, CGY: 15.4%
Power Play Goals For
ABB: 3, CGY: 2
Penalty Kill %
ABB: 83.3%, CGY: 92.9%
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.
The winner of the Abbotsford/Calgary series will face the winner of the Colorado Eagles and Coachella Valley Firebirds series in the Pacific Division Finals
Abbotsford has had 18 different players record a point in the playoffs, which is tied for the third most by one team (Hartford / Utica: 19).
Game 4 will be the 16th time that Abbotsford and Calgary have met this season (12 times in Regular Season, 4 times in Round 2).
Canucks defenceman Filip Johansson made his AHL debut in Game 2 in Calgary, and made his home debut in Game 3 at Abbotsford Centre.
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