ABBOTSFORD CANUCKS VS TUCSON ROADRUNNERS SERIES PREVIEW
The Abbotsford Canucks will wrap up their three game road trip this weekend with a pair of games against the Tucson Roadrunners at Tucson Convention Centre Arena.
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Friday and Saturday’s games will be the first games between Abbotsford and Tucson this season, opening up a four-game season series that will conclude on January 12th and 13th for the Canucks’ first home games of 2024.
Tucson and Abbotsford have had very similar starts to the season, currently residing in 3rd and 4th place respectively in the Pacific Division. The Roadrunners have gone 13-7-1-1 through 22 games, while Abbotsford has started the year 13-7-2-0, with both teams being tied at 28 points. Both sides have also gone 6-3-1-0 in their past ten games.
The all time series between the Roadrunners and Canucks have been evenly split 4-4, with the home side winning every game so far over the past two years.
Dylan Guenther is the Roadrunners’ leader in assists (13) and points (19), and picked up a pair of assists in Tucson’s last series against the Colorado Eagles. Rookie Josh Doan, son of former Arizona Coyotes’ captain Shane Doan, leads the team in goals with 10, four more than any other member of the team. The Roadrunners are one of seven AHL teams where none of their top four point scorers currently have a positive +/- (Chicago, Grand Rapids, Henderson, Laval, San Jose, Tucson, Wikes-Barre/Scranton).
Arshdeep Bains remains on top of the Canucks’ scoring chart, putting up a team high 19 assists and 22 points. Sheldon Dries leads the team in goals with 11, and sits second in points with 19. Abbotsford are one of four teams to have ten or more players reach double digits this season (Abbotsford, Calgary, Hershey, Texas), with Bains, Dries, Karlsson, Räty, Wolanin, Åman, Podkolzin, Sasson, Stevens and Woo all hitting the ten point mark.
In the Roadrunner’s goal this season has been a heavy sample of Matthew Villalta. Featuring in 18 of the team’s 22 games, Villalta has gone 11-6-1 with a .921 save percentage. Villatla leads the league in minutes played, saves, and is seventh in save percentage by goalies with 10 or more games played. Anson Thornton has started three times this year for Tucson, with the rookie going 2-1-0, including a 23 save performance in Tucson’s last game, a 7-5 victory against San Jose.
Artūrs Šilovs and Nikita Tolopilo have been the only two netminders to feature for Abbotsford this season, playing in 14 and 9 games respectively.
Abbotsford will return home for their final home games of 2023 against the Ontario Reign on December 20th and 21st. The Canucks will wrap up the calendar year on the road in Calgary on December 28th and 29th, and start 2024 with stops in Bakersfield and Coachella Valley.
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