Abbotsford Canucks Live: A win tonight would send Abbotsford to AHL finals
Article content
Charlotte has already advanced to the AHL Calder Cup championship series, as the Florida Panthers' farm team swept the Laval Rocket in the best-of-seven Eastern Conference finals. That set ended Tuesday.
Article content
The Checkers are waiting on the West winner and will be glad to see Abbotsford and Texas tire themselves out coming to that outcome. The Canucks carry a 3-1 lead on the Stars into Game 5 tonight (5 p.m.) in Cedar Park, Texas. Game 6, if necessary, would be Sunday (6 p.m.) at the Abbotsford Centre and the Game 7 would also be there on Monday (7 p.m.) if it's required.
Article content
Abbotsford is coming off a 5-4 overtime victory in Texas on Wednesday. Texas is the farm team of the Dallas Stars.
Article content
The Calder Cup gets going June 13 in Charlotte, North Carolina. Game 2 is there June 15, before the series shifts to either Abbotsford or Texas with Game 3 on June 17.
Article content
"There was much more tenacity to our game."
Olivia McDonald chatted with Head Coach, Manny Malhotra, following last night's game, and ahead of tomorrow's potential series clinching game. pic.twitter.com/MjRmxmIK0q
— X - Abbotsford Canucks (@abbycanucks) June 5, 2025
Article content
This is the fourth season that the Vancouver Canucks have had their AHL team in Abbotsford, and this is easily the deepest they've gotten into the playoffs in that tenure. A win tonight would mark a fourth series win of these playoffs; they had two series wins in the first three years combined.
Article content
This is the best a Canuck farm team has done in the AHL post-season since the Utica Comets made it to the Calder Cup finals in 2015, where they lost in five games to the Manchester Monarchs.
Article content
This season, Abbotsford (44-24-2-2) finished second in the Pacific Division in the regular season and fifth overall in the league. Texas (43-26-3-0) was second in Central and 10th overall, while Charlotte (44-22-3-3) was second in the Atlantic and fourth overall, two points ahead of Abbotsford. The Canucks and Checkers did not play this season.
Article content
Winger Linus Karlsson leads Abbotsford in scoring through the playoffs, with nine goals and 17 points going into tonight. Wingers Sammy Blais (3-8-11) and Arshdeep Bains (0-11-11) are next best.
Article content
Blais and fellow winger Jonathan Lekkerimäki both came out of Abbotsford's lineup for Wednesday's game. There was no word from the team whether it was injury related or a healthy scratch. Lekkerimäki has one goal and five points in 12 playoff games. He had 19 goals in 36 regular season games with Abbotsford.
Article content
Article content
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Winnipeg Free Press
14 hours ago
- Winnipeg Free Press
The Royals' Bobby Witt Jr. hits 100th homer, joining some select company in MLB history
KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — Bobby Witt Jr. knew the ball was gone the moment it left his bat. Only later did the young Kansas City Royals star realize what kind of company it allowed him to join. The two-run shot in the eighth inning against Texas on Tuesday night merely padded the lead for Kansas City, which went on to a 5-2 victory. It was the fifth straight win for the Royals, who closed to within 2 1/2 games of an AL wild-card berth. But it also was the 100th career homer for Witt, making him the youngest in franchise history to reach that mark. He made it at the age of 26 years, 66 days, or more than a year earlier than Carlos Beltran when he accomplished it during the 2003 season. 'I want him up there every inning,' Royals manager Matt Quatraro said. 'I mean, you look at the lineup and you're trying to figure out, 'How many times can we get to the plate? How many guys can we keep on base for him when he does come to the plate?' 'I mean, that's an immense amount of pressure on a younger player to understand that's how everybody feels about him,' Quatraro said. 'But he has the physical ability, the makeup and the mental capacity to handle it.' The latest no-doubt shot, which came off Texas reliever Cole Winn and landed an estimated 449 feet to dead center field, made Witt only the fourth player with at least 100 homers and 100 stolen bases through his first four big league seasons. The others are Julio Rodríguez, Darryl Strawberry and Bobby Bonds — some pretty select company. Witt also become one of six shortstops in the last 95 years to hit at least 100 homers through his age-25 seasons. That list of luminaries includes Alex Rodriguez, Cal Ripken Jr., Francisco Lindor, Carlos Correa and Hanley Ramirez; of those players, only Rodriguez and Ramirez also had 100 steals by the time they were 25 years old. 'It was special,' Witt admitted, 'just seeing the kind of names on the list or whatever they showed. But now, it's just kind of on to the next. It was special. We enjoy it. And now it's just onto the next game.' They keep getting more important for the Royals, who have won five straight and seven of their last eight. They head into the third-game of their four-game set against the Rangers on Wednesday night with a chance to inch closer to a wild-card spot, and they proved last year that they could do some postseason damage if they can only get in. Witt continues to be the catalyst of their second-half surge, too. He's hitting .291 with 18 homers and 69 RBIs. 'It's special when he goes out there,' said the Royals' Seth Lugo, who allowed just two runs on three hits while pitching into the seventh inning Tuesday night. 'I've been saying it for two years: He goes about his business the same way. He doesn't get up or down on himself. He's a master of consistency. That's what he does.' Witt also happens to be a slick fielder with a Gold Glove in his trophy case. Thursdays Keep up to date on sports with Mike McIntyre's weekly newsletter. But at the plate is where Witt has become a bona fide star. He led the majors with a .332 average last year, when he hit 32 home runs, stole 31 bases and finished with 109 RBIs. And while he may not quite replicate the average, homer total or RBI numbers in this campaign, he already has 32 stolen bases while getting caught just seven times. 'There's not too many guys that get to 100 (homers),' said Vinnie Pasquantino, who also homered Tuesday night. 'And the fourth player in MLB history with 100 stolen bases? It's not a list I'll ever be on. I mean, it's kind of unbelievable. 'He's one of the best players in the league for a reason,' Pasquantino said. 'A superstar.' ___ AP MLB:
Globe and Mail
2 days ago
- Globe and Mail
Browns sign rookie wide receiver Isaiah Bond after sexual assault case dropped
Undrafted rookie wide receiver Isaiah Bond signed with the Cleveland Browns on Monday, less than a week after a sexual assault case against him was dropped. Bond ran a 4.39 in the 40-yard dash at the NFL scouting combine — the ninth-fastest time among wide receivers — and was projected to be drafted in the middle rounds before he was accused of sexual assault and surrendered on April 10 in Frisco, Tex. A Collins County, Tex., grand jury determined Thursday that there was not enough evidence to indict Bond and dismissed the case. The Browns hosted Bond as one of their 30 predraft visits. Cleveland offensive coordinator Tommy Rees coached at Alabama the two seasons Bond was there, which also weighed into the decision. Cleveland general manager Andrew Berry said in a statement that the organization spent the past four months doing 'extensive research that includes but is not limited to hearing from both sides of the case and receiving the results of an independently administered polygraph test. 'Before the allegations, we also spent a great deal of time with Isaiah during the draft process on campus, at the Combine and at our facilities. His time at Alabama with Tommy Rees also weighed heavily on our assessment of his ability to operate successfully in a professional environment if brought into our organization. It is these touchpoints and more that gave us the necessary insights to make this decision.' Bond spent last season at Texas. He appeared in 41 games in college and had 99 receptions for 1,428 yards and 10 touchdowns. To make room for Bond, Cleveland waived long snapper Brent Matiscik. Unsigned second-round pick Quinshon Judkins also had a domestic violence case against him dropped Thursday in Florida, but there was no word on when the running back might possibly be signed. The Browns conclude the preseason on Saturday against the Los Angeles Rams. Even though there are only a couple of weeks until the Sept. 7 opener against Cincinnati, coach Kevin Stefanski said Sunday he thinks both Bond and Judkins — or any player added to the roster this week — can make up for lost time. 'That happens during the season, can happen in training camp where you got, you have to get players up to speed quickly,' Stefanski said. 'That happens sometimes you get a guy on a Wednesday and they have to play on a Sunday. So that's part of our job as coaches, is to get them ready to roll.'
National Post
2 days ago
- National Post
Canucks: Hockey world mourns death of Mark Kirton after long battle with ALS
Darcy Rota's scouting report on his former Vancouver Canucks teammate Mark Kirton includes 'very special person,' along with 'very special team guy.' Article content Kirton played six seasons in the NHL, including parts of three seasons with the Canucks. He had 17 goals for Vancouver in 1984-85. He was diagnosed with ALS (amyotrophic lateral sclerosis) — otherwise known as Lou Gehrig's disease — in 2018, and became a champion to raise money for research to help find a cure. He was a board member of ALS Action Canada. Article content Article content Article content 'He was really solid defensively. He could chip in offensively. More than anything, he was a great teammate,' said Rota, 72, whose five-year run with the Canucks ended with the 1983-84 season. 'He was very much one-for-all, all-for one. Article content 'I've got a chance to do a few things for ALS out here and I'm especially happy for that because of the connection with him. Great personality, great teammate. He was always fun to be around. Such a dry sense of humour.' Article content Postmedia's Ben Kuzma did a feature piece on Kirton in June 2022 where Kirton talked about his trip to Vancouver the preceding April to see a pair of games. He had strong ties to the organization. President Jim Rutherford and Kirton were traded for one another in a Dec. 4, 1980 swap between the Detroit Red Wings and Toronto Maple Leafs, and were teammates for a time when Rutherford found his way back to Detroit in 1982-83. Article content Article content Bruce Boudreau was Vancouver's coach at the time, and he and Kirton had been teammates in the Toronto organization. Article content Article content Boudreau told Kuzma then: 'He's still the strongest and bravest man I've ever met. He'll phone me when I'm down. And I'll just sit there and go: 'Kirts, you've got this problem and you're phoning me to lift me up?' He wanted to come here and support us, and even though he has ALS and has lost a lot of his movements, he's so upbeat and positive. You can't help but get excited when you see him. He was the hardest-working guy on the ice and hardest working doing this (ALS advocacy).' Article content Article content Kirton came to the Canucks as they were looking to rebuild the team after its 1982 Stanley Cup Finals run. He was acquired from the Red Wings on Jan. 17, 1983, in exchange for centre Ivan Boldirev.
