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Abbotsford Canucks lost Game 5 on a ridiculously unlucky OT goal

Preston Hodgkinson
Preston Hodgkinson
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Jun 22 2025, 4:19 pm
Abbotsford Canucks lost Game 5 on a ridiculously unlucky OT goal
Abbotsford Canucks

The Abbotsford Canucks are headed back to North Carolina with a chance to become AHL champions.

Abbotsford leads their best-of-seven series with the Charlotte Checkers 3-2 and had a chance to win the Calder Cup on home ice this weekend. Game 5 was played in Abbotsford on Saturday night, and it was as close a battle as you could hope.

Both teams held leads at some point in the game, and they ultimately needed overtime to decide the outcome. This put the Canucks just a single shot away from capturing the Calder Cup, but fate had different plans.

Just over 15 minutes into OT, former Edmonton Oilers top pick Jesse Puljujarvi scored a bizarre, and frankly unlucky, goal from behind the Canucks net to win 4-3. The puck bounced off two Abbotsford defencemen past Arturs Silovs.

“It was a hard-fought game,” said Abbotsford head coach Manny Malhotra. “An unfortunate bounce to end the game.

“We’re disappointed with the outcome tonight, come tomorrow it’s a brand new day, we’re looking forward to the next one.”

The Checkers are looking to follow in the footsteps of their NHL affiliate, the Florida Panthers, who defeated the Oilers to capture the Stanley Cup last week. They are still trailing the Canucks in the series, but both Game 6 and Game 7 will be played in North Carolina.

Abbotsford captain Chase Wouters echoed Malhotra’s disappointment in the unlucky goal against, but remained confident that this Canucks team can get it done on the road.

“We left it all out there, and it’s unfortunate,” Wouters said. “We’ll look at some film, regroup, and head down to Charlotte.

“Even after wins, it’s the next day, it’s like nothing happened. It’s a new day tomorrow, the sun’s gonna come up, and we’re gonna look at some things, reset, and get ready to go.”

The Canucks have not lost back-to-back games in the playoffs so far this season, and they will now have two chances to close things out against the Checkers.

Game 6 is set for Monday night.

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