The Canucks Fall 3-0 To The San Jose Barracuda On The First Game Of The Homestand
The Abbotsford Canucks finally returned home to kick off their six-game homestand, starting with a matchup against the San Jose Barracuda.
Nikita Tolopilo continued as the starting goaltender, facing off against Gabriel Carriere for the Barracuda.
The Canucks maintained a similar lineup following their dominant performance in Calgary last weekend. Arshdeep Bains rejoined the team, lining up alongside Max Sasson and Linus Karlsson on the top line. Tristen Nielsen, Aatu Räty, and Nate Smith stuck together, as did Sammy Blais, Ty Mueller, and Danila Klimovich. Ty Glover, Chase Wouters, and Cooper Walker remained a trio, rounding out the group of forwards.
On defense, Guillaume Brisebois returned to the lineup, pairing with Cole McWard. Christian Wolanin and Jett Woo remained a duo, while Joe Arntsen and Kirill Kudryavtsev rounded out the defensive pairings.
The first period was relatively slow, with San Jose registering only seven shots on net and Abbotsford managing six. The Canucks had two power-play opportunities but were unable to capitalize before the end of the opening 20 minutes. The Barracuda also had a power-play opportunity, along with a penalty shot, but both goaltenders stood tall, keeping the game scoreless at the first intermission.
The second period was much more eventful. Just over three minutes in, Arshdeep Bains was awarded a penalty shot after a shorthanded breakaway attempt. Unfortunately, Carriere made the save, and the game remained scoreless. A minute later, while the Canucks were still on the penalty kill, Thomas Bordeleau capitalized on the man advantage to give San Jose the first goal of the game. Two minutes later, the Canucks were shorthanded again, and the Barracuda struck once more. This time, Danil Gushchin deflected a shot from Luca Cagnoni, extending San Jose’s lead to two. The scoring didn’t stop there—after picking up a loose puck in their own end, Walker Duehr broke away and scored, putting the Barracuda up 3-0. The Canucks had some close chances, but Carriere stood tall, allowing San Jose to head into the final frame with a three-goal lead.
With 20 minutes left to mount a comeback, the Canucks had to come out strong in the third period. They generated multiple high-quality scoring chances and outshot their opponents, but some passes failed to connect, and unlucky bounces worked against them. Additionally, penalty trouble kept them from playing at even strength, making it difficult to build momentum. Many shots hit the post, but the buzzer sounded marking the end of the game, and the Canucks fell 3-0.
The Abbotsford Canucks will rematch the San Jose Barracuda again tomorrow for their Top Dogs game, before taking on the Bakersfield Condors in a mid week series. Next weekend, they will face Calgary for St. Patricks’ Night and Community Heroes Night.
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