Although they suffered a 5-4 overtime loss aginst the Coachella Valley Firebirds Saturday, the Abbotsford Canucks are looking like they could be for real in the 2025 Calder Cup playoffs.
Jett Woo, Danila Klimovich, and Guillaume Brisebois scored three unanswered goals for the Canucks to go up 3-1 and ultimately win Game 1 on Thursday, with goalie Arturs Silovs making 29 saves on 30 shots (.970).
Abbotsford is getting contributions from long-shot veterans like Woo and Brisebois, and promising youngsters like Klimovich, Silovs, Aatu Raty, Linus Karlsson, and others are playing their part, too.
In Saturday's Game 2, the Canucks again had to come from behind, though it was a much greater test for rookie head coach Manny Malhotra and Co.
Silovs was pulled after allowing three goals on eight shots in the first period, comfortably his worst outing in the Calder Cup playoffs thus far.
Fellow goalie prospect Nikita Tolopilo stepped in and stopped 21 of 23, though the Canucks were ultimately sunk by Jacob Melanson's game-winner 4:45 into overtime.
To get there, though, Malhotra had to make some changes to get some wind in the Canucks' sails.
A forward trio of veterans Jujhar Khaira, Nate Smith, and Sammy Blais combined for three goals and eight points to put the Canucks up 4-3, following up on Phil Di Giuseppe's early second-period goal to get Abbotsford on the board.
Firebirds forward Ben Meyers, who finished the game with a goal and two assists, tied the game wit just over four minutes left, then assisted Melanson's overtime-winner.
A disappointing result for the Canucks indeed, but Malhotra, in just his first year of head coaching at any level, is showing some serious coaching chops and adaptability behind the bench. With this kind of leadership and resolve, the Canucks have a chance to beat anyone.
It's also worth noting that the Canucks, who stole some momentum despite the loss, are still without Jonathan Lekkerimäki (dental), and Silovs has proven capable of playing at a much higher level than what handicapped the Canucks three goals.
If these Abbotsford Canucks can re-establish some footing in Game 3, they are right back in pole position to make some noise the rest of the way.