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Abbotsford Canucks advance further than they’ve ever been before in AHL playoffs

Colton Pankiw
Colton Pankiw
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May 10 2025, 3:38 pm
Abbotsford Canucks advance further than they’ve ever been before in AHL playoffs
Abbotsford Canucks / Facebook

Vancouver Canucks fans that are missing watching their team in the playoffs may want to start tuning into AHL hockey.

While the 2024-25 season was an extremely frustrating season for the Canucks, it was anything but for their AHL affiliate in Abbotsford.

The AHL squad finished second in the Pacific Division this season with a 44-24-2-2 record. They’ve followed up an excellent regular season with what has been an even better showing in the playoffs.

The Canucks kicked off their playoffs with a best-of-three series versus the Tuscon Roadrunners, who they were able to eliminate in Game 3. That put them in line to take on the Coachella Valley Firebirds, who have been one of the AHL’s best in recent years.

They looked anything but in this series, however, as the Canucks were able to make rather easy work of them, defeating them by a 2-0 final Friday night to advance with a 3-1 series victory.

Max Sasson scored the game-winner, while Linus Karlsson buried one on the empty net with just over a minute remaining. The real story of the game, however, was Arturs Silovs, who kicked aside all 29 shots he faced. Through seven playoff games, he owns a sparking 1.74 GAA along with a .935 SV%.

With the victory, the Canucks have punched their ticket to the Pacific Division Finals for the first time in franchise history. They’ll take on the Colorado Eagles in a best-of-five series beginning at the Abbotsford Centre with two games, on Friday, May 16 and Sunday, May 18. Game 3, Game 4, and Game 5 are all scheduled to be played in Colorado.

The Eagles are undoubtedly the Canucks’ toughest matchup yet in the playoffs, as they finished first in the Pacific Division with a 43-21-5-3 record. Should the Canucks be able to pull out their third series victory, however, they would then advance to a best-of-seven Conference Final.

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