The Abbotsford Canucks really missed Christian Wolanin.
Sidelined with a wrist injury since Jan. 17, the reigning AHL defenceman of the year finally returned to the Canucks lineup on Sunday (March 24) and helped spark a three-goal second period that led to a 5-2 Canucks win over the Manitoba Moose.
It was another spectacular Sunday for Canucks forward Aatu R盲ty, who opened the scoring at 2:19 of the first period. The Finnish product recorded four points for the second Sunday in a row and now has 46 on the season.
Raty makes it 1-0 early
鈥� Ben Lypka (@BenLypka)
R盲ty鈥檚 early goal did not last long, as Nikita Chibrikov tied the game up less than nine minutes later. Arshdeep Bains put the Canucks back on top at 13:09 after a dish by Wolanin, but then 20 seconds later Manitoba tied the game at two.
Bains picks up his own rebound and it's 2-1 Abbotsford
鈥� Ben Lypka (@BenLypka)
Former Canucks goalie Collin Delia was yanked by Manitoba after that second goal and he allowed two goals on seven shots. In the crease for Abbotsford for his first-ever start was Zach Sawchenko. He was excellent in the first period, making several big saves early and kept the game tied at two despite the Canucks being outshot 15-8.
The second period was all Abbotsford and Wolanin scored the eventual game winner at 2:33 of the second. Tristen Nielsen added a power play goal less than five minutes later and Marc Gatcomb scored his ninth at 10:13 for a little more insurance.
Wolanin puts the Canucks up 3-2
鈥� Ben Lypka (@BenLypka)
Nielsen makes it 4-2 Abbotsford with a power play goal
鈥� Ben Lypka (@BenLypka)
Turrrible giveaway by Manitoba leads to a Gatcomb goal
鈥� Ben Lypka (@BenLypka)
Abbotsford played a smart road period in the final frame and held the lead perfectly.
Sawchenko鈥檚 first win as an Abbotsford Canucks saw him make 34 saves. It鈥檚 his first AHL win since April 15 when he was a member of the Chicago Wolves.
R盲ty (four), Gatcomb (two) and Wolanin (two) all had multi-point games and Bains led all Canucks with five shots on goal.
The win comes off a 3-2 loss to Manitoba on Saturday (March 23) in which the Canucks were outshot 45-12. Nikita Tolopilo kept Abbotsford in that game, but the Canucks failed to generate much offensive zone time.
Max Sasson and Linus Karlsson scored for the Canucks in the loss.
Final.
鈥� Abbotsford Canucks (@abbycanucks)
Abbotsford remains in the seventh and final playoff spot in the Pacific Division after the pair of games against Manitoba. The club鈥檚 record sits at 32-24-4-2, but they are only three points out of fourth place 鈥� which would equal home ice in round one.
The Canucks remain on the road for important games against the Colorado Eagles on Friday (March 29) and Saturday (March 30). Colorado is one of the teams Abbotsford is chasing in the Pacific Division and those games will have big implications on the standings.
The next home game for the Canucks occurs on April 2 when Manitoba comes to Abbotsford.
