Abbotsford Canucks recap: Abby wins 4-3 in double OT on Klimovich goal

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The Abbotsford Canucks got a good bounce in Game 1 of the Calder Cup AHL championship series after it looked like they had suffered the unluckiest of breaks moments earlier.

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The Vancouver Canucks’ farm team recorded a 4-3 double overtime victory over the Charlotte Checkers at the Bojangles Coliseum in Charlotte, N.C., Friday, with Danila Klimovich pinging one home off the far post from the left face-off circle on a power play at 10:25 of the second extra session.

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“Once again, I just cant’t say enough about our group — how resilient they are in terms off finding a way to get things done,” Abbotsford coach Manny Malhotra told reporters afterwards about the victory.

It appeared for a time that the Checkers had won the opener of the best-of-seven set at 16:22 of that frame after Abbotsford’s Ty Mueller had drawn the puck directly into his own net from a face-off past a startled goaltender Artūrs Šilovs. The Checkers celebrated and the hometown crowd of 8,667 went bonkers, but the officials gathered and waived the goal off.

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A split second before, Šilovs was facing the end boards with his mask off to adjust it and he had only just turned around when the puck was dropped. According to Charlotte coach Geordie Kinnear, the referees told him that “the goalie wasn’t set, wasn’t ready for the face off,” and that’s why they negated the goal. 

Kinnear tagged himself as a “a bit old school,” and said that part of Mueller’s job as the centre is take more sure that everyone’s prepared.

“But is what it is. It’s playoff hockey. There’s gonna be mistakes both ways. So again, you can’t get too high too low. You just move on. And I thought we responded well,” Kinnear said.

Charlotte had two power plays before that in overtime and couldn’t convert. They fired 54 shots at Abbotsford goalie Artūrs Šilovs, including 16 in the first overtime session. They were 0-for-5 on the power play.

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Abbotsford, meanwhile, fired 30 shots at Kaapo Kähkönen in the Charlotte cage. They went 2-for-7 with the man advantage. 

Game 2 goes Sunday in Charlotte, while the series shifts to Abbotsford for Game 3 on Tuesday. Abbotsford (44-24-2-2) finished fifth in the league in the regular season, two points behind the fourth-place Checkers (44-22-3-3), who are the Florida Panthers farm team.

The last Vancouver farm team to get this deep in the AHL playoffs was the 2015 Utica Comets team coached by Travis Green that lost in the championship.

Klimovich’s goal was the third of the post-season for the 22-year-old, and his second double overtime tally. He had the winner in Abbotsford’s 5-4 extra-session triumph over the Texas Stars in Game 4 of the Western Conference finals. Abbotsford won that series in six games.

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Mueller, Max Sasson and Nate Smith also scored Friday for Abbotsford. Former Vancouver Giant Justin Sourdif, Oliver Okuliar and MacKenzie Entwistle replied for the Checkers.

We live blogged the game. Scroll down for updates.

Live updates

8:20 p.m. 

Abbotsford wins 4-3 in double overtime. Klimovich takes the puck along the left wing wall toward the blue line on a power play, cuts back into the circle and pings one in off the far post past Charlotte goalie Kähkönen at 10:25 of the frame.

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8:17 p.m. 

An Abbotsford power play is upcoming. Mikulas Hovorka gets whistled for shooting the puck over the glass.

8:06 p.m.

Charlotte thinks they’ve won it at 16:22 of the second OT when Mueller draws it into his own net with Šilovs just pulling on his face mask and getting ready in the crease. Charlotte celebrates, but the referees turn it over, negating the goal. We play on.

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7:43 p.m.

We’re going to double overtime with the score tied 3-3. Shots were 16-3 in Charlotte’s favour in the first overtime. It’s 47-26 for the Checkers for the game.

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7:34 p.m.

We’ve got a multi-player skirmish in front of the Charlotte net after the whistle. Smith gets the only penalty, with a roughing minor.

7:27 p.m.

This time it’s a short-handed chance for Abbotsford. Mueller tries to go backhand five-hole but is thwarted by Kähkönen. Abbotsford winds up killing off the man advantage. 

7:22 p.m.

Charlotte has a power play as Phil Di Giuseppe is getting a high-sticking minor at 11:39 of OT.

7:13 p.m.

Klimovich pumps one off the goal post.

7:08 p.m.

First shot of overtime by either side comes just shy of six minutes into the frame. Very careful start by both teams.

6:54 p.m.

People in Charlotte are excited about the Checkers facing the Canucks.

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6:50 p.m.

Broadcast tandem of Astle and Ferraro say that the third period was Abbotsford’s best frame of the playoffs.

6:44 p.m.

We’re going to overtime tied at 3-3. Shots are 31-23, with Charlotte leading.

6:41 p.m.

Over 14,000 people watching the Away Team feed of the game on YouTube. It’s free tonight, but you’ll need to subscribe to FloHockey to watch the rest of the series.

6:39 p.m. 

Another short-handed chance for Charlotte. Šilovs kicks out the right pad on John Leonard with 1:50 remaining in regulation.

6:34 p.m.

Linus Karlsson draws a power play for Abbotsford at 16:19, cutting to the middle and getting dragged down by Charlotte’s Dennis Cesana. 

6:20 p.m.

Entwistle has the puck roll off his stick on a short-handed breakaway

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6:16 p.m.

We’re tied 3-3 at 8:14 of the third, as Mueller redirects a Tristen Nielsen pass far side past Kähkönen.

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6:13 p.m.

There’s 12:29 left in the third and Abby trails 3-2. Only two shots apiece in the third. For the game, Charlotte has a 28-17 edge in shots.

5:57 p.m.

Abbotsford fans in the house at Bojangles Coliseum tonight.

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5:54 p.m.

The house band at Bojangles is apparently named Bald & Greasy. I like it. But I do have questions. Among the things I’d love to know: what names were considered but did not make the grade?

5:49 p.m.

Broadcast team of Astle and Ferraro talking about how warm it is in the rink.

“I brought two dress shirts, because there’s two games. I think I’ll need four,” Ferraro said.

5:42 p.m.

We’re through two. Charlotte leads 3-2. Checkers are outshooting the Canucks 26-15. Abbotsford did pick up the pace in the last few minutes of the period.

5:40 p.m.

Šilovs stretches to foil a deke to the backhand by Sourdif on a short-handed breakaway with 23.5 seconds remaining in the second period.

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5:39 p.m.

Canucks defence starting to activate and help create offence. Momentum starting to come their way.

5:35 p.m.

Sammy Blais just made another deft move to get around a defender and get to the net. He’s having himself a night for Abbotsford.

5:23 p.m.

Abbotsford kills off the penalty and then goes to power play on the next shift, as Trevor Carrick gets his stick up on Chase Wouters. It’s a double minor for Carrick. The Smith goal is still Abbotsford’s lone shot of the period, and there’s 9:14 remaining in the second.

5:17 p.m. 

The Canucks are back on the penalty kill. Nielsen gets a high hit on Okuliar, but Kirill Kudryavtsev winds up with interference minor. 

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5:12 p.m.

Abbotsford cuts it to 3-2. Smith scores high glove on the breakaway 22 seconds after the Charlotte goal, at 7:30 of the second period.

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5:11 p.m.

It’s 3-1 for Charlotte with 12:52 to go in the second. Sourdif comes off the bench, corrals the puck along the right wing wall and beats Šilovs high blocker from the top of the right circle.

5:08 p.m.

Abbotsford isn’t generating much early in the second. We’re five minutes into the period and they’re yet to record a shot on goal in this frame. The Canucks defence are having trouble getting the puck up the ice to the forwards, too.

5:02 p.m.

Astle explained on X earlier tonight that Bojangles was giving off Agrodome energy. As someone who was a fan of the boys basketball provincial tournament at the PNE building when it was there, I have much respect for that.

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4:43 p.m.

It’s 2-1 Charlotte through the first. Shots are 14-8 in the Checkers’ favour.

4:42 p.m.

Sloppy change, turnover in neutral ice and Charlotte takes a 2-1 lead with .6 seconds remaining in the first period on a shot by Okuliar.

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4:36 p.m.

Good stat here from Izzy Cheung. For what it’s worth, Charlotte was fifth in the league on the power play during the regular season at 21.2 per cent. They were officially at 6.7 per cent through their first 12 playoff games going into tonight.

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4:33 p.m.

Astle talking about how warm it is in Charlotte and how the ice isn’t very good.

4:31 p.m.

We’re knotted at 1-1, with 5:03 remaining in the first period. Šilovs has been sharp in the Abbotsford net, as the Checkers have had the run of play for the last several minutes. Shots are 12-7 in favour of the home side.

4:27 p.m.

Abbotsford kills off the double minor.

4:22 p.m.

Klimovich gets a double minor for high sticking, putting Abbotsford on the penalty killl.

4:21 p.m. 

It’s 1-1 with 12:01 to go in the first. Entwistle beats Šilovs blocker side on a 2-on-2 rush.

4:19 p.m.

Astle: “How many times am I going to say Bojangles Coliseum? You have to say it when you get the chance.”

Analyst Landon Ferraro: “The over/under is 48 and a half.”

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4:13 p.m.

Abbotsford leads 1-0 at 4:33. Sasson scores on a rebound on the power play as the Canucks’ second-unit power play takes advantage. Nifty move by Blais to get to the middle and create the chance.

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4:10 p.m.

Abbotsford gets first power play via a Carrick cross-checking minor.

4:07 p.m.

Abbotsford and Charlotte trade chances early, with Blais getting a good shot off after causing a ruckus with a big hit. Charlotte came back down the ice and Šilovs turned away Jesse Puljujärvi on a breakaway.

4:05 p.m.

Here’s your Abbotsford lineup.

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3:59 p.m.

Courtesy of our good buddy Ben Lypka, the Abbotsford Canucks team store is opening up this weekend if you are looking for merchandize.

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3:54 p.m.

Here’s your Charlotte lineup. There’s plenty of familiar names, including former Canuck Will Lockwood and Sourdif.

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3:47 p.m.

According to play-by-play man Brandon Astle, Abbotsford is running with the same line-up that clinched the last series against the Texas Stars in Game 6 of that set. That means winger Jonathan Lekkerimäki and centre Aatu Räty are both sitting out again. Räty is in injured. Lekkerimäki is believed to be a healthy scratch, although the Canucks aren’t offering up much about the players out of the lineup. Lekkerimäki played the first three games against Texas but missed the final three.

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