Down 2-0 in the third period on Saturday (April 5) to the team with the best record in the American Hockey League proved to be no big deal for the ridiculously scalding hot Abbotsford Canucks.
Danila Klimovich banged away at a loose puck to get the Canucks on the board at 7:18 and then just under four minutes later Sammy Blais tied the game up.
Five minutes of three-on-three overtime solved nothing and neither did four rounds of shooters, as goalies Arturs Silovs and Cayden Primeau were perfect.
Woo scores and Abbotsford wins, 12 in a row 馃く
鈥� Ben Lypka (@BenLypka)
Abbotsford's fifth shooter was defenceman Jett Woo, who went wide left, cut to the middle and then beat Primeau through the five-hole. The crowd roared, Woo cupped his ear and did a double bicep pose as he returned to the bench.
Laval's Florian Xhekaj then missed the net and the streak extended to 12 games.
Woo's offensive heroics seemed to come as a bit of a surprise to his teammates, who didn't miss an opportunity to playfully mock him following the game.
ART弄RS 艩ILOVS SHUT IT DOWN, AND JETT WOO RAISED IT RIGHT BACK UP 馃敟
鈥� X - Abbotsford Canucks (@abbycanucks)
"I was kind of surprised to see number four get called," joked fellow defenceman Akito Hirose about the shootout attempt. "We've seen it in practice and he lets you know about it. So I mean, I wasn't surprised that he scored."
Hirose laughed and declined to comment on Woo's celebration following the winning shootout goal.
Canucks captain Chase Wouters echoed Hirose's comment Woo is known for some his shootout skills on display during practice.
"It was awesome," he said, laughing about the goal. "He always scores in practice and tonight he went five-hole and then that celebration, which we don't have to talk about again."
Making tonight's win and the 12-game win streak even more impressive is the fact that a significant number of Abbotsford players are suiting up down the highway in Vancouver. Forward Max Sasson was recalled and scored for Vancouver in that team's 6-2 win over the Anaheim Ducks on Saturday afternoon. Also in Vancouver is Jonathan Lekkerimaki, Aatu Raty, Nils Aman, Linus Karlsson and Victor Mancini.
SKY'S THE LIMIT, AND WE TOOK A ROCKET TO GET THERE 馃殌
鈥� X - Abbotsford Canucks (@abbycanucks)
Wouters was slotted in as Abbotsford's first line centre and has received a lot more playing time with all the call-ups. He said he feels confident no matter who is in the lineup for his team.
"It's kind of just next man up," he said. "And that's kind of what this league is. Guys get called up, guys get hurt and every team has to deal with it. We're having contributions from all four lines and and everyone's just been amazing."
Silovs continued his excellent season in the AHL and he made 34 saves for his seventh straight win and he's also won 11 of his last 12 starts. He hasn't lost an AHL game since Jan. 31 and is a sparkling 11-2 in the AHL in 2025.
A goal from Jett Woo down one end, and a save by Art奴rs 艩ilovs down the other鉀斤笍馃槷鈥嶐煉� |
鈥� American Hockey League (@TheAHL)
Abbotsford outshot Laval 41-36 in the game, with Wouters and Nate Smith both recording five. Klimovich's goal was his team-leading 23rd on the season. Blais continued his recent production and he now has 14 goals and 36 points to sit in third on the team in scoring.
The Canucks once again set a new franchise record for consecutive wins with their 12th straight. They also have tied a team record with win number 40 on the season. The club's next win will set a new team record for most wins in a season. Abbotsford also jumped into second place in the Pacific Division with the win and they have a record of 40-23-2-1.
Reported attendance on Saturday was 6,022.
The Canucks and Rocket meet again on Sunday (April 6) at 4 p.m.
