Don’t look now, but the Abbotsford Canucks are kind of killing it lately!
On their second four-game win streak of the season, the Farm team heads into enemy territory to take on the Edmonton Oilers affiliate, Bakersfield Condors, for a rare non-double-header!
Currently, the Farm is 7-3-0-0 in their last ten on the backs of several crushing defeats of the Tucson Roadrunners and the Manitoba Meese.
Some fun, positive vibe stats to kickstart this game recap:
- They have outscored opponents thirty to fifteen at 5v5
- Forty-six to thirty-one across all situations
- At an evens/tied game-state, the Canucks are outscoring opponents at 5v5 by a two-to-one margin!
- At 5v5, the Canucks have out-attempted opponents 424 to 380 for a raw CORSI-FOR percentage of 52.74%
- At an even score state (tied at any score 0-0/1-1 etc.), the Canucks have out-attempted opponents eighty to seventy-seven for a CORSI-FOR percentage of 50.95%.
- Points-percentage over their last ten has given them a ten-point gap over the seventh-place San Diego Gulls (last Calder playoff spot).
- They’re currently scoring the fifth-most goals-per-game in the league!
- Powerplay has elevated to sixth-best in the AHL.
- The penalty kill is hurting at 20th-ranked in the AHL
Considering how this team took nearly two months to earn five regulation wins, it’s pretty impressive the strides the team has made since the calendar rolled over to 2022!
- At 5v5 evens, they’ve out-attempted opponents in ten out of sixteen games
- They’ve earned points in ten out of sixteen games for a .594 points-percentage
- They finished 2021 with points in thirteen out of twenty-two games for a .524 points-percentage
Goaltending remains pretty suss, but the forward and defence group has never looked as solid as it has now.
- Michael DiPietro has a .884 save percentage in his last five starts
- .882 if you include his time as a reliever for Arturs Silovs
- Spencer Martin has a .893 save percentage in his last five starts, which includes one shutout
- Arturs Silovs has only started four times in 2022 and carries a .869 save percentage
The Bakersfield Condors are on a similar heater as the Canucks. With a 7-2-1-0 record in their last ten, the Condors sit third in the Pacific Division with an impressive .635 points-percentage.
The Canucks have struggled to pick up points against the Birds; the Canucks have been outscored nineteen to eight, crushed in shot attempts, and have only managed one loser point through four contests.
Note that three of those losses came drop-dead in the middle of Abbotsford’s hellacious COVID/Injury-bug that ravaged the roster. Maybe with the roster playing as good as it has, with a loaded skater group, the return of Noah Juulsen to the lineup, the Abbotsford Canucks can finally start earning some much-needed points against a top division rival?!
SCORING LEADERS
Look at that scoring distribution! With Kannok Leipert’s primary assist picked up on February 9th, Karel Plasek remains the only “active roster” player not to have a point this season.
- Plasek has not played since sustaining a knee injury back on November 6th versus the Stockton Heat. His status remains a mystery.
HARVEST STATS UPDATES:
I was hoping to have the Nucks Harvest stats pages updated for tonight’s game, but life uh uh uh uh uh found a way.
Game recaps will be few and far between over the next couple of weeks as I adjust to my new life as a dog-dad.
Say hello to Murphmallow:
Murphmallow content
😍#puppy pic.twitter.com/PaQGc6vah3— Cody Severtson (@CodySevertson) February 12, 2022
STARTING ROSTER
Looking to keep things 🔥 on the road!
➡️ Martin enters tonight with a three-game winning streak
➡️ Juulsen returns to lineup for first time since being recalled to Vancouver on Feb. 7
➡️ Rathbone enters tonight with a five-game point streak#AbbyCanucks pic.twitter.com/9Gf7YEPjsq— Abbotsford Canucks (@abbycanucks) February 17, 2022
- With Juulsen back in the lineup, Devante Stephens takes a turn in the press box.
- Spencer Martin starts for Abbotsford, his fifth in the Canucks last seven games.
- At some point, someone needs to put their foot down and demand that Silovs and DiPietro play games. Yes, they’ve struggled this year, but what is the organization accomplishing here? They have a ten-point lead on the seventh-place Gulls! Play the kids who didn’t play last season!
Don’t feel like reading? Click here for spoilers!
GAME 39:
1st period:
- Bakersfield ices the puck ten seconds into the period, giving Abbotsford an early offensive zone faceoff
- Spencer Martin blocks a shot from Phil Kemp, and Will Lockwood takes a hooking penalty to give the Condors an early powerplay opportunity.
PK1: Sautner, Juulsen, Wouters, Stevens
- In his return, Noah Juulsen (#47) drills Brad Malone in the back after Bakersfield generates a dangerous scoring chance at the net front.
- Bakersfield fumbles a hold at the blueline, allowing the Canucks to change personnel.
PK2: Di Giuseppe, Dries, Bowey, Brisebois
- Martin gets the body behind Colton Sceviour’s redirect attempt from the slot.
- Lockwood leaves the box to send the game back to 5-on-5.
- 4:45 into the period, and the Canucks finally enter the offensive zone. Unfortunately, the most they can do is tie the puck along the back wall before losing possession.
- Canucks are getting crushed in possession so far. They are struggling to string together a single breakout pass in the d-zone. Bakersfield dominating.
- Phil Di Giuseppe (#34) almost breaks up the sustained domination from Bakersfield but loses the puck. Jack Rathbone (#3) challenges Seth Griffith for possession and does an admirable job stealing the puck and tying it along the back wall.
- Canucks finally break the puck out of the d-zone and register their second shot of the period with a high floater from Nic Petan.
- Guillaume Brisebois (#55) sets up Jarid Lukosevicius (#14) with a pass at the side of Skinner’s net, and Lukosevicius draws a cross-checking penalty in the process of a shot attempt.
PP1: Rathbone, Di Giuseppe, Dries, Rempal, Lukoseivicus
- GOAL – ABBOTSFORD – 1-0 Canucks: Moments after being forced to reset from behind Martin’s net, Sheldon Dries (#15) scores his twenty-third of the year with a heater, low blocker side, on Stuart Skinner. Jack Rathbone (#3) picks up the assist with the quick-up to Dries, who catches Rathbone’s stretch-pass perfectly on the Condor’s blueline for the entry and the goal!
- Canucks are looking infinitely more energetic after the Dries goal, the fourth line causing havoc inside the offensive zone off the ensuing faceoff.
- Rathbone (#3) attempts a d-zone breakout. Unfortunately, Rathbone immediately skates himself into danger. Raphael Lavoie strips Rathbone of the puck outside of Martin’s crease and rifles a dangerous shot attempt wide of the goal.
- Canucks generate some havoc around Skinner’s net and draw another penalty against the Condors.
PP2: Bowey, Petan, Klimovich, Lockwood, Dowling
- PP2 gives up a couple of shorthanded chances; PP1 hops over with one minute left on the man-advantage.
PP1: Dries, Rempal, Di Giuseppe, Rathbone, Lukosevicius
- Rathbone (#3) catches a cross-ice feed from Sheldon Rempal (#56) and snaps a shot on Skinner with less than two seconds left on the powerplay.
- John Stevens (#16) wins an offensive zone faceoff back to Yushiroh Hirano (#71), who wires a snapping shot off the post and into the back of Stuart Skinner.
- Canucks draw another play to give the Canucks their third powerplay of the period.
PP1: Dries, Rempal, Di Giuseppe, Rathbone, Lukosevicius
- Canucks lose the zone, and time winds down on the period. But they will start the middle frame with one minute and change on the man-advantage!
- Canucks overcome a brutal start to finish the period, having outshot the Condors sixteen to ten through twenty minutes.
2nd period:
- GOAL – ABBOTSFORD – 2-0 Canucks: Sixteen seconds after the opening faceoff, Sheldon Rempal (#56) cuts behind the Condors’ defence for a filthy backhander over Skinner to make it two-zip for Abbotsford. Rathbone with his second point of the night.
- Rempal (#56) with a quick wraparound chance, moments after the next faceoff, followed by a secondary shot attempt
- Spencer Martin is facing a ton of volume through the opening five minutes but is doing an excellent job of clamping down on all rebounds for stoppages in play.
- Canucks are spending a concerning amount of time in the d-zone but are getting sticks in shooting lanes to steer shots wide.
- Sheldon Rempal continues his high-event period by taking a holding penalty with 12:32 left in the period.
PK1: Wouters, Stevens, Bowey, Brisebois
- Martin makes an early glove save on Seth Griffiths
PK2: Dowling, Sautner, Juulsen, Lockwood
- GOAL – BAKERSFIELD – 2-1 Canucks: Brad Malone, on the powerplay, scores the easiest tap-in goal of his life as a point shot from Seth Griffiths floats past Dowling, Sautner, and Juulsen to Malone on the doorstep uncontested. EZ.
- Less than two minutes later, Guillaume Brisebois heads to the box for high-sticking to give the Condors their second straight powerplay opportunity.
PK1: Dries, Sautner, Di Giuseppe, Bowey
PK2: Wouters, Petan,
PK3: Murphy, Dowling, Lockwood, Juulsen
- Condors enter the zone on a two-on-one. Fortunately, Brad Malone flubs his shot attempt.
- Brisebois’ penalty expires, and the game returns to 5-on-5 with less than nine minutes remaining in the period.
- Ashton Sautner (#6) loses the puck in his skates, and the stationary Canucks defence gives up a five-alarm scoring chance to Bakersfield’s Raphael Lavoie.
- Bakersfield’s Matteo Gennaro takes a hard shot off the inside of his ankle and struggles to get off the ice. Condors trainer comes out to assist Gennaro off the ice.
- Sheldon Dries takes a penalty for hooking while the Condors generate a 4-on-2 entry into the Canucks zone. Cooper Marody drills a shot off the iron to send the Canucks to their third straight PK.
- Spencer Martin gloves down an early shot from the Condors, then the Canucks chew away 1:20 off the Condors man advantage with an impressive game of rinkwide keep away.
- The buzzer sounds to end a tedious period as the Canucks get outshot fourteen to eight after twenty minutes.
3rd period:
- Snoozer first few minutes
- Carson Focht (#19) reverses to Danila Klimovich (#46) from behind Skinner’s net, but Klimovich can’t muster much on the shot attempt.
- Lukosevicius (#14) denies a weak clearing attempt then rifles a shot off Skinner’s shoulder.
- Klimovich (#46) forces Skinner to make a diving save, then throws a cross-check on Luke Esposito that catches him high.
- Canucks to their fourth straight PK
- Bakersfield is looking a little flat on their powerplay opportunity before a shot from Seth Griffiths sails wide of the net and out of the zone. An easy PK for Abbotsford through the first minute.
- Juulsen clears with twenty-five seconds left, and then the Condors put themselves offside on the re-entry attempt.
- Oh good god, no. Jack Rathbone (#3) chases the puck into the d-zone, and Colton Sceviour hammers him into the boards.
- A stretcher is brought out onto the ice — three minutes pass, and Rathbone is still down on the ice.
- Twelve minutes to get Rathbone on a stretcher and off the ice.
- Entire Abbotsford and Bakersfield benches come onto the ice to give Rathbone taps on his way out.
- Sceviour assessed a five-minute major for boarding and was given a ten-minute game misconduct.
- All players take a few spins around the rink while arena staff clean up the ice surface.
- Somehow we have eleven minutes of hockey to play.
PP1: Petan, Dries, Rempal, Di Giuseppe, Bowey
- GOAL – ABBOTSFORD – 3-1 Canucks: Sheldon Rempal (#56) takes a twirl around the right circle before rifling a shot over Skinner’s right shoulder to regain the two-goal lead. Canucks still with three minutes and change left on the five-minute major.
- Sheldon Dries (#15) throws a pass to Nic Petan (#7) that redirects off a Bakersfield defenceman and through Skinner’s five-hole. Amazingly, the puck somehow does not cross the goal line despite the Canucks pleas.
- 1:08 left on the powerplay, and I’m about 99% sure the Canucks have kept PP1 out for the entire time.
- GOAL – BAKERSFIELD – 3-2 Canucks: An exhausted powerplay unit gives up a shorthanded goal to Devin Brousseau after a pretty brutal lapse in coverage from Madison Bowey (#4). Sheldon Rempal (#56) kicks off the sequence after being stripped of the puck at the Canucks blueline. Bowey plants his feet, and despite Di Giuseppe’s (#34) diving effort, the Condors put themselves back within one.
- LOL, the five-minute major ends, then Seth Griffith takes a hooking penalty with less than six minutes remaining in the third.
- No breaks for PP1; they’re back out again.
- GOAL – ABBOTSFORD – 4-2 Canucks: Eighteen seconds onto the powerplay, Dries (#15) tips a point shot from Sheldon Rempal (#56) to score his second of the night. Bakersfield bench complains about a possible high stick, but the call stands. Canucks regain the two-goal lead.
- Vincent Desharnais and Will Lockwood take offsetting slashing minors; 4-on-4 with four minutes left in the period.
- Canucks are treating the 4-on-4 like a PK; content to skate the puck to the neutral zone and dump the puck.
- While defending a Condor zone entry, Phil Di Giuseppe takes a tripping penalty with less than three minutes remaining in the period.
- Forty-six-second 4-on-3 powerplay for Bakersfield
PK1: Stevens, Sautner, Bowey
- John Stevens (#16) with two clutch clearances for Abbotsford
- Lockwood and Desharnais leave the box for their offsetting minors.
- Bakersfield pulls Skinner for the extra attacker.
- GOAL – ABBOTSFORD – 5-2 Canucks: Phil Di Giuseppe leaves the box, and as he does, the Canucks wrangle control of the puck in the neutral zone and enter for a three-on-two. Chase Wouters dishes to Nic Petan off the entry, and Petan seals it for Abbotsford.
- Bakersfield arena intentionally (maybe unintentionally?) plays Elton John’s “I’m Still Standing” before the final puck drop closes this one out.
RESULT:
Abbotsford Canucks def. Bakersfield Condors 5-2
SCORESHEET:
TAKEAWAYS:
- There are probably some takeaways, but frankly, my thoughts are only with Jack Rathbone at this time. That was a disgusting hit. The arena was dead silent for close to sixteen minutes straight. Thirteen minutes is a long time for a player to be motionless on the ice. Fingers crossed, the long time spent on the ice was out of an abundance of caution, and Rathbone is okay after all is said and done.
- Canucks set a franchise record tonight with their fifth-straight victory!
EDIT:
Quickly throwing this tweet in the takeaways because I’m seeing a lot of vitriol towards the Canucks skaters for their “lack of response.”
Look like as soon as the collision happens, every guy is turned away to face the play.
I think Petan gives a cursory glance and sees Jack on his knees, but otherwise these guys were defending the cycle right as the hit happened. pic.twitter.com/xBOFUA7UPs
— Cody Severtson (@CodySevertson) February 17, 2022
On the play, Rathbone gets crushed along the endboards seconds after playing the puck towards the halfwall. Every single skater is following the puck as the Condors reach it first and cycle low to high. Nic Petan sort of gives a glance in Rathbone’s direction but it’s before he falls facedown to the ice. I understand the frustration with the “lack of response” but I really think the players are owed the benefit of the doubt for simply not having seen the aftermath of the hit.
It sucks, but I don’t think throwing hate towards the four guys on the ice solves anything.
Morning update:
Jack Rathbone hit from behind last night and carried off on a stretcher in California.
Hearing he is ok and was released from hospital this morning.
— Rick Dhaliwal (@DhaliwalSports) February 17, 2022
Cody’s Three Stars
- Jack Rathbone
- Sheldon Rempal
- Nic Petan
HM: Sheldon Dries
Next Up on the Docket
The Farm earns a few nights off, but they return to action for a Saturday Sunday double-header versus the Colorado Eagles.
Plugs
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