ABBOTSFORD CANUCKS AT CALGARY WRANGLERS SERIES PREVIEW
The Abbotsford Canucks will head over the Rockies this weekend for a weekend series in Calgary against the Calgary Wranglers.
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The two sides will meet on Saturday and Sunday afternoon at 12:00pm from the Scotiabank Saddledome, marking the third and fourth meetings of this 12 game season series.
Calgary and Abbotsford sit atop both the Pacific Division, as well as the Western Conference standings, while sliding in at second and fifth in the AHL. The Wranglers are 12-3-1 through 16 games, with the Canucks posting a 10-4-1 record through 15 games.
Both teams have found the back of the net 55 times this season, tied for the third most in the league, with the Wranglers conceding 38 times, tied for third fewest. Their +17 goal differential is the second highest in the AHL, one behind Hershey with +18.
The Calgary Flames’ affiliate have won six of their last eight games, despite dropping two of their last three. Across that eight game stretch, they outscored their opponents 33-19 and are coming off their second shutout of the season following their 4-0 win over Tucson on Wednesday.
Abbotsford on the other hand, are coming into the weekend on a five game win streak, picking up a home win against Henderson, before sweeping Bakersfield at home and sweeping Henderson down in Nevada. The Canucks registered two shutouts during that stretch, with their last two wins coming by way of Overtime and a Shootout in Henderson, with Jack Studnicka and Tristen Nielsen scoring the respective game winners.
When these two sides met at Abbotsford Centre in October, Calgary narrowly took both games by winning 3-2 and 7-6, with the second game needing Overtime. That game saw a wild comeback from Abbotsford, who trailed by three goals with four minutes remaining. A pair of goals by Nils Åman and a tally from Vasily Podkolzin, all coming in under two and a half minutes of each other, earned Abbotsford a point before Martin Pospisil grabbed the game winner.
Calgary and Abbotsford are no stranger to close contests, with 11 of their previous 18 games being decided by one goal, going back to the start of last season and including their second round playoff series.
Ben Jones leads the Wranglers in assists (9) and points (15), while also ranking 1st on the team in plus/minus (10). Jones scored twice in Calgary’s 4-0 win over Tucson, and has tallied three times in his last four games. However the team leader in goals is Adam Klapka, topping the charts with seven. Klapka scored the other two goals against Tucson, and has put up six points (3G, 3A) in his last seven games.
Arshdeep Bains is the assists and points leader for Abbotsford, registering 14 helpers and 17 total points through 15 games. Nils Åman has scored a team high eight goals, and has four points (2G, 2A) in his last four games. Sheldon Dries and Christian Wolanin are also amongst the team leaders in points with 14 each (Dries 7G, 7A, Wolanin 2G, 12A). The Canucks have seven players who have hit the 10-point mark on the season, which is the second most in the AHL (Texas Stars – 8).
Calgary have had a rather split tandem in net to start the season, with Dustin Wolf playing nine games and Oscar Dansk playing in seven. Wolf, the reigning AHL MVP, has gone 7-2-0 when starting this season. The six goals that Abbotsford scored against him in October tied a career high, as well as set a season high for goals against Wolf.
In the Abbotsford net has been the pairing of Artūrs Šilovs and Nikita Tolopilo, having started 10 and six games respectively. Šilovs played in four consecutive games during this current five game win streak, picking up a pair of shutouts along the way. Jeremy Colliton opted for Tolopilo in the most recent game in Henderson, making 31 saves before stopping all four shootout attempts by the Silver Knights.
After the pair of games in Calgary, Abbotsford will return home for a pair of home games against Laval on December 1st and 2nd, including Teddy Bear Toss on December 2nd. The following week, the Canucks will welcome the Coachella Valley Firebirds to Abbotsford Centre on December 8th and 9th for their second series of the season. The team then flies out for a three game road trip, stopping in Coachella Valley and then Tucson for a pair of games, before their final home games of 2023 against Ontario on December 20th and 21st.
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