Canucks Fall 4-1 To The Barracuda

The Abbotsford Canucks looked to bounce back and get back in the win column as they took on the San Jose Barracuda in the first game of their back-to-back series.

This marked the first time Jack Thompson faced his former team, while the Canucks also matched up against Jett Woo for the first time. Jiří Patera got the start and had sole possession of the crease, taking on familiar Barracuda netminder Gabriel Carriere. Dino Kambeitz returned to the lineup after missing the previous game, while Joe Arntsen drew in as the seventh defenceman as the Canucks went with an 11-and-7 formation.

The Canucks came out with a strong start, generating plenty of good looks at the Barracuda end. Patera was also sharp early, making a number of key saves to keep the game level. Abbotsford was tested with the game’s first penalty kill and built even more momentum after creating a few shorthanded chances. Around the midway mark of the opening frame, Carriere went behind the net to play the puck, but on his way back tipped the net forward. The puck landed on Chase Stillman’s stick, and his shot from the slot found the back of the net to give the Canucks a 1-0 lead heading into the second period.

The momentum swung heavily in the middle frame. Just over two minutes in, Brendan Hoffman capitalized on a turnover and found himself on a breakaway, where he buried the equalizer for San Jose. Two minutes later, Kasper Halttunen added another, one-timing the puck home off a feed from Oliver Wahlstrom to give the Barracuda the lead. The Canucks then earned their first power play of the game, but Anthony Vincent struck shorthanded to turn the game on its head and make it 3-1 for the home side.

Looking to push back in the third, the Canucks struggled as they continued to be heavily outshot. Their climb got even steeper in the second half of the frame when a penalty to Chase Wouters led to Jimmy Huntington cashing in on the power play to make it 4-1. With tensions rising late, a big scrum broke out in the final three-and-a-half minutes, sending multiple players to the room but leaving the Canucks on the man advantage. It was too little, too late for Abbotsford, as they fell 4-1 to the Barracuda. The two teams will meet again tomorrow afternoon at 2 PM.