GAMEDAY HARVEST: Wou(ters), Barracuda! The Rematch!

PRE-GAME HYPE

The astounding, the unbelievable!

Abbotsford Canucks!

Twenty-one skaters, and two goalies, of run-and-gun, fire-breathing, goal-scoring insanity!

One night only!

One night only!

One night only!

The Abbotsford Centre, this Sunday, if you miss this, you better be dead! Or in jail!

And if you’re in jail? Break out!

Be there!

Be there!

Be there!

PRE-GAME HYPE IN NON-SIMPSONS REFERENCE TERMS

The Abbotsford Canucks ended their four-game losing skid when they crushed the San Jose Barracuda 7-1 on Friday night.

The Canucks special teams were firing on all cylinders, and impressive performances from their forward groups led to a decisive and encouraging victory.

• The Jr. Nucks PK went from twenty-first in the league to twelfth after stopping eight of the Barracuda’s nine powerplay opportunities (fourteen minutes total shorthanded)

If I were a betting man (I am, and I have paid dearly for it), I would bet on the Junior Canucks winning 7-4, continuing their trend of being the inverse-Canucks.

At the very least, Friday’s performance was a glimpse at the potential of this AHL club when their forward lines are firing on all cylinders!

THE OPPOSITION

Puck drops at 4. 🔥 pic.twitter.com/yQQW9Vf3Eb

— San Jose Barracuda (@sjbarracuda) November 14, 2021

Bless the Western Conference teams for actually posting their lineup cards pre-game!

The Barracuda’s point-leader, Noah Gregor, returns to the starting lineup after missing Friday’s action.

Melnichuk appears to be the Barracuda’s starter, Sunday, after an early hook Friday after allowing three goals on five shots.

TRANSACTIONS

Jack Rathbone was papered down to Abbotsford after the Canucks activated Tyler Motte. Barring the return of the Concorde Jet, Rathbone will not dress for today’s action.

STARTING ROSTER

Looking for back 2⃣ back!

➡️ DiPietro becomes first Abby Canucks goaltender to start in consecutive games#AbbyCanucks pic.twitter.com/sYvZKC6M1R

— Abbotsford Canucks (@abbycanucks) November 15, 2021

A last-minute lineup change sees Abbotsford without Nic Petan and their leading scorer, Sheldon Dries.

No Travis Hamonic for Abbotsford warmups, either.

Michael Di Pietro makes his second consecutive start with Artūrs Šilovs on the bench playing backup!

Don’t feel like reading? Click here for spoilers!!

GAME 11:

1st period:

• Early wrist-shot on Mikey DiPietro by San Jose’s Noah Gregor
• Tentative early goings through the first two minutes
• The Canucks fourth-line, with a hardworking shift inside the offensive zone, sees shots on goal from Tristen Neilsen (#84) and Adam Brubacher (#2).
• Jett Woo (#22) forces the Barracuda offside with a poke check at the d-zone blue line. Woo shoves his check after the whistle, causing a scrum outside the Canucks bench.
• Off a neutral zone faceoff, Noah Gregor wheels around Phil Di Giuseppe (#34) for a shot that deflects into the netting.
• Will Lockwood (#10) quickly enters the offensive zone and hits the brakes to evade his check before setting up Jarid Lukosevicius (#14) for a tap-in on the doorstep.
• Canucks draw a minor penalty against Ryan Merkley for slashing to earn the first powerplay of the game.

PP1: Lockwood, Rempal, Stevens, Di Giuseppe, Schilling

• Abbotsford with an early shot on goal that San Jose picks up and clears down the ice
• A one-timer by Cameron Schilling is blocked and cleared by San Jose

PP2: Focht, Lukosevicius, Klimovich, Woo, Arseneau

• Noah Gregor and Joel Kellman race down the ice for a shorthanded two-on-one opportunity. DiPietro makes the initial save that deflects high into the air, Kellman wraps around the net for a rebound attempt when Vincent Arseneau (#18) lays a crushing hit to the head of Kellman with his shoulder.
  • Arseneau is ejected for the check to the head
  • Kellman is taken out on a stretcher
• Sixteen seconds of 4-on-4 before the Canucks head to a five-minute penalty kill
• After a d-zone faceoff, Noah Juulsen (#47) rifles a shot off the goalpost that nearly rebounds off the back of Melnichuk and into the net.

PK1: Juulsen, Sautner, Stevens, Di Giuseppe

PK2: Wouters,  Schilling, Woo, Lockwood

• Wouters leads a shorthanded drive down the left wing that draws some cheers from the Abbotsford crowd.
• Chase Wouters attempts to clear the zone for Abbotsford but accidentally flips the puck over the glass.
  • Canucks facing a two-minute 5-on-3

PK1: Di Giuseppe, Sautner, Juulsen

• Noah Juulsen (#47) with a great effort to clear the zone for the Canucks
• Chaotic moments in the crease after Juulsen (#46) deflects a shot from San Jose’s Sasha Chmelevski. The puck flips over the net to Noah Gregor on the doorstep, and Di Giuseppe (#34) lays his stick just in time to prevent Gregor’s scoring chance. DiPietro then makes an incredible save while lying down on Scott Reedy to prevent the rebound chance!
• Noah Gregor rocks a shot off the bar for San Jose!

PK2: Schilling, Woo, Stevens

• Gregor rifles a shot into Cameron Schilling’s (#5) midsection; John Stevens (#16) grabs the loose rebound and clears for Abbotsford to complete the 5-on-3 PK.

PK3: Lockwood, Wouters, Sautner, Juulsen

• Another clear for Abbotsford with less than one minute remaining in the 5-on-4 PK
• John Stevens chips the puck out of the zone to kill off the final twenty seconds of the PK.
• Danila Klimovich (#46) confidently driving through traffic into the offensive zone.
• Tristen Neilsen draws a cross-checking penalty against Zach Gallantto give the Canucks their second powerplay of the game.

PP1: Lockwood, Stevens, Di Giuseppe, Rempal, Schilling

• PP1 loses the zone early and are forced to reset from behind DiPietro’s net
• Will Lockwood (#10) takes a crushing hit from San Jose’s Mark Alt behind Melnichuk’s net.

PP2: Keppen, Focht, Lukosevicius, Woo, Klimovich

• Nothing to the Canucks powerplay. Zero shots on goal.
• Noah Juulsen (#47) draws an audible gasp from the Abbotsford Centre after he narrowly avoids an own-goal situation with a misplayed breakout pass. 
• A bizarre double-fight erupts after Will Lockwood (#10) drills Jayden Halbgewachs with a hard hit near the stanchion. Di Giuseppe (#34) scraps with Nick Cicek after the latter’s cross-check of Lockwood from behind.
  • Lockwood and Gregor land two solid right hands on each other’s chins, then fall to the ice a la Sherlock/Moriarty at Reichenbach Falls.
    • Nick Cicek and Phil Di Giuseppe take four-minute double-minor for roughing.
    • Noah Gregor and Will Lockwood take five-minute majors for fighting
• An irate Trent Cull chews out the referees after they hand San Jose an offensive zone faceoff.
• DiPietro makes a tremendous save on a point-blank chance from San Jose’s Kyle Topping.
• San Jose’s Nicholas Meloche takes a minor penalty for interference with less than two minutes remaining in the opening frame.

PP1: Lukosevicius, Stevens, Klimovich, Schilling, Rempal

• Sheldon Rempal (#56) sets up Klimovich (#46) with a no-look cross-ice feed, but it’s just off-target. Klimovich recovers the puck along the wall, evades his check, and rifles a shot that deflects into the netting.
• Klimovich walks through the slot for a shot and draws a slashing penalty against San Jose’s Zach Gallant.
• Canucks close the period with a forty-second 5-on-3 powerplay.
• Rempal (#56) sets up John Stevens (#16) with a backhander through traffic, but Steven’s one-timer sails wide.
• Genuinely, a very awkward and tedious period of hockey.

2nd period:

• Nothing to the Canucks 5-on-3 or 5-on-4 powerplay to start the second period.
• Ethan Keppen (#92) with a solid effort to disrupt a surefire scoring chance for San Jose’s John Leonard
• DiPietro stops Sasha Chmelevski after a bizarre read from John Stevens (#16) in the neutral zone leads to a breakaway scoring chance.
• GOAL – ABBOTSFORD – 1-0 Canucks: Will Lockwood (#10) with an impressive solo effort to earn Chase Wouters (#21) his first goal in the AHL! A forechecking Lockwood easily bumps Artemi Kniazev off the puck at the Barracuda goal line and sets up Wouters for the tap-in past Melnichuk. A fantastic quick heads-up play from Lockwood to find Wouters for the goal.

• GOAL – SAN JOSE – 1-1 Tie: It do be like that sometimes. A weak point-shot from Zach Gallant squeaks its way through DiPietro’s five-hole. Evan Weinger outmuscles Ashton Sautner (#6) to get a stick on the loose puck for a tap-in goal to tie the game at one apiece.
• Chmelevski fights through the check of Cameron Schilling (#5) to hook a pass to Joachim Blichfeld on the doorstep. Fortunately, Blichfeld’s backhander attempt goes wide.
• Chase Wouters (#21) attempts to chip and chase into the offensive zone and draws a blatant interference minor penalty against San Jose’s Ryan Merkley.

PP1: Rempal, Schilling, Stevens, Di Giuseppe, Lockwood

• Good volume from the Canucks first powerplay group

PP2: Focht, Klimovich, Lukosevicius, Keppen, Woo

• PP2 with a few early shot attempts, but again the Canucks powerplay comes up short
• Jarid Lukosevicius (#14) with a solid chip and chase effort around Ryan Merkley to set up Will Lockwood (#10) with a pass to the net-front
• Alex Kannok Leipert (#41) trips up Zach Gallant with a knee-to-knee hit at the redline, prompting a scrap between the two.
• Jett Woo (#22) drops his stick, disrupting a deke-attempt by Noah Gregor. Woo picks up his stick and follows Gregor to the boards, where he muscles him to the ice, allowing Klimovich (#46) to steal the puck for a breakout pass.
• GOAL – ABBOTSFORD – 2-1 Canucks: The second line of Wouters, Lockwood, and Lukosevicius comes up huge for the Canucks as Jarid Lukosevicius (#14) bats an uncontrolled mid-air rebound past Melnichuk. Chase Wouters (#21) picks up his second point of the evening with the simple short pass to Cameron Schilling (#5) on the blue line.

• DiPietro makes a diving glove save on Noah Gregor.
• Di Giuseppe (#34), with a lightning-fast one-timer from the ‘Horvat spot,’
• Jett Woo (#22) activates inside the offensive zone for a shot into Melnichuk’s pads.
• Keppen (#92) cruises down the left wing before dishing cross-ice to Will Lockwood (#10) for a shot attempt. Lockwood sends his attempt just narrowly wide of the left goalpost.
• Lockwood (#10) blocks a hard shot with the palm of his hand.
• Di Giuseppe (#34) patiently waits for Noah Juulsen (#47) to set up on the Barracuda blueline for a blistering one-timer.
• Lockwood (#10) with a ridiculous end-to-end rush in the dying seconds of the period
• Canucks finish forty minutes of play up by one on the scoreboard but down in shots twenty-six to eighteen.

3rd period:

• Canucks first line controlling in the offensive zone through the opening minute
• San Jose counters with dangerous attempts from John Leonard and Blichfeld
• Danila Klimovich takes a fairly obvious minor penalty for tripping San Jose’s Artemi Kniazev inside the neutral zone.

PK1: Stevens, Di Giuseppe, Juulsen, Sautner

• Two early clears by Juulsen and Di Giuseppe
• San Jose suddenly unloads on their powerplay opportunity. Sautner, Juulsen, Lockwood, and Wouters face down a barrage of shot attempts as San Jose dominates with control in the final minute and thirty-five seconds of their 5-on-4.
• Scary moments as John Stevens (#16) catches a rut on the ice and collides headfirst with the endboards.
  • Stevens skates off the ice with assistance and heads immediately down the tunnel.
  • Canucks play the remaining fourteen minutes down two forwards
• GOAL – SAN JOSE – 2-2 Tie: Noah Gregor ties the game at two with an innocuous wrister from the high slot that beats DiPietro’s glove side. DiPietro inspects his gloves for holes, but he was, in fact, beat clean on this one.
• Will Lockwood (#10) evades several Barracuda checks and floats a pass to Wouters (#21) behind San Jose’s defence for a scoring chance!
• Canucks are trying for the cross-ice tap-in play, but the passers are struggling to hit the tape.
• While pressuring inside the offensive zone, Devante Stephens takes a two-minute minor penalty for cross-checking.

PK1: Wouters, Lockwood, Sautner, Juulsen

• Wouters with two clearing attempts for Abbotsford

PK2: Rempal, Di Giuseppe, Schilling, Woo

• Rempal (#56) and Di Giuseppe (#34) combine for a gorgeous give-and-go scoring chance for Abbotsford while shorthanded!
• Canucks kill the Stephens penalty, and the Canucks return to 5-on-5 with less than six minutes remaining.
• Tristen Neilsen takes a twirl as the center between Di Giuseppe and Rempal
• Jarid Lukosevicius (#14) draws a cross-checking penalty against Noah Gregor to give the Canucks a late powerplay.

PP1: Di Giuseppe, Rempal, Lukosevicius, Lockwood, Schilling

• Early clear for San Jose has the Canucks setting up behind DiPietro’s net
  • PP1 takes until 1:20 to enter the offensive zone
• Schilling rockets a shot from the blueline that rebounds off a helmet and out of the zone

PP2: Woo, Focht, Klimovich, Keppen, Sautner

• PP2 offside on their zone entry with less than thirty seconds left in the period
• Focht fails on a rim around the boards that kills the remainder of the Canucks powerplay opportunity.
• Jett Woo (#22) rubs out Noah Gregor as he leaves the penalty box for a rush down the right-wing.
• Time expires with the Canucks outshot thirty-eight to nineteen after 60 minutes.

OVERTIME

• Lockwood, Wouters, Sautner start OT for Abbotsford
• Canucks controlling possession through the opening two minutes of overtime
• Jett Woo (#22) puts the moves on Ryan Merkley for a dangerous shot on Melnichuk!
• A poorly timed line change leads to a ridiculous two-on-none opportunity for San Jose. DiPietro makes a massive save to keep the Canucks alive.
• Melnichuk sparks a scrum after taking exception to a late poke from Ashton Sautner (#6).
• With an offensive zone faceoff looming, Trent Cull calls a timeout with less than two minutes remaining.
• San Jose’s John Leonard rocks a shot off the crossbar
• San Jose pressing late, but time expires, and the Canucks head to their second shootout of the season

SHOOTOUT

• SAN JOSE – Blichfeld – SAVE
• ABBOTSFORD – Juulsen – SAVE
• SAN JOSE – Leonard – SAVE
• ABBOTSFORD – Di Giuseppe – SAVE
• SAN JOSE – Reedy – MISS
• ABBOTSFORD – Rempal – MISS
• SAN JOSE – Gregor – SAVE
• ABBOTSFORD – Klimovich tries through the legs! – SAVE
• SAN JOSE – Chmelevski – GOAL!
• ABBOTSFORD – Nielsen – SAVE

RESULT:

San Jose Barracuda def. Abbotsford Canucks 3-2 via the Shootout

SCORESHEET:

TAKEAWAYS:

• DiPietro was both very good and very frustrating. Those two goals against were incredibly soft on a night when he was lights out while stopping 37 of 39 and four in the shootout. His rebound control was a lot better tonight, but oof, those goals-against were tough.
• Considering the team was without Sheldon Dries and Nic Petan, I thought the Canucks played quite admirably. On top of those absences, losing their de facto #1 center, John Stevens, five minutes into the third period was not easy. Stevens is a major player for the club at evens, shorthanded, and on the man advantage. The Canucks appeared to lose a step in the third, making up for his absence.
• I thought that Lockwood, Lukosevicius, and Wouters played incredibly well tonight. In particular, I liked the chemistry between Wouters and Lockwood. I’ll be interested in tracking this game to see what kind of CORSI differential they ran up with their minutes. Lockwood and Wouters were constantly creating dangerous scoring chances for each other while Lukosevicius put in a considerable amount of work along the wall to free up space.
• Chase Wouters benefited the most out of any skater tonight. With Stevens out, Wouters saw his ice-time bumped up considerably. Wouters looked sharp at evens and on the PK.
• Jett Woo had a great game, playing a tonne of minutes at evens and on special teams. Additionally, Woo led the team in shots on goal with four total. I liked seeing him out in overtime as his skating really gets to stand out with the open space.
• Arseneau will likely miss the Canucks upcoming two-game homestand for his check to the head of Joel Kellman. The AHL’s version of the Department of Player Safety is a joke, so I’d be surprised if it were anything over two games. It should be higher, but the AHL DoPS has a history of underwhelming suspensions.
• Oh yeah, Noah Gregor is v good
• Alex Kannok Leipert was like an uncaged animal in his scrap with Zach Gallant; I genuinely did not expect such ferocity from him, haha.

Cody’s Three Stars

1. Will Lockwood
2. Chase Wouters
3. Michael DiPietro

Next Up on the Docket

The Junior Canucks return this Friday and Sunday for a two-game homestand versus the Edmonton Oilers AHL affiliate, Bakersfield Condors.

Plugs

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