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Abbotsford Canucks drop two games in the desert

Tucson Roadrunners defeat Canucks on Saturday and Sunday
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Vasily Podkolzin and the Abbotsford Canucks were win less in two games against the Tucson Roadrunners over the weekend. (Abbotsford Canucks photo)

The Abbotsford Canucks late-January struggles continued with a pair of losses in the desert to the Tucson Roadrunners on Saturday (Jan. 28) and Sunday (Jan. 29).

Saturday saw the Roadrunners open up a 3-0 lead in the first, but the Canucks got late goals from Linus Karlsson and Tristen Nielsen to make it a one-goal game after 20 minutes.

After a scoreless second period, the Roadrunners exploded for three more goals in the third. Vasily Podkolzin added a goal at 17:58 to make it a 6-3 final. Tucson’s Jean-Sebastien Dea recorded a hat trick in the win.

Both teams recorded 33 shots, with Podkolzin leading all Canucks with six shots on goal. Defenceman Wyatt Kalynuk had a challenging night on the plus/minus charts and was a -3 on Saturday. Nils https://twitter.com/jenhassum/status/1620119648359583744?s=20&t=gCF9XwreP5SlUsQ_Ty6txwhttps://twitter.com/jenhassum/status/1620119648359583744?s=20&t=gCF9XwreP5SlUsQ_Ty6txwHöglander had a two-point night and goalie Arturs Silovs made 27 saves in the loss.

In other news from Saturday, the Vancouver Canucks attempted to return forward Lane Pederson to Abbotsford but he was claimed on waivers by the Columbus Blue Jackets. Pederson had 17 goals and 24 points in 18 games with Abbotsford before being called up to Vancouver. He recorded three points in 11 games with Vancouver.

The Canucks again fell behind early on Sunday, trailing 2-0 in the first before Phil Di Giuseppe made it 2-1 at 14:18. The teams traded goals in the second with Di Giuseppe adding his second on the night. The third period saw the Roadrunners score a pair of empty net goals to record the 5-2 win.

Abbotsford out shot Tucson 40-26 on Sunday and Höglander led all players with six shots on goal. Jake Kupsky made his first start in goal for the Canucks since Jan. 15 and he stopped 21 shots.

Forwards Kyle Rau and Tristen Nielsen both had two assists, while Podkolzin was a -3.

The loss is the third straight for Abbotsford, and they are 3-5-1-1 in the team’s last 10 games. The Canucks record moves to 23-15-2-2 and they remain in fourth place in the Pacific Division.

The Canucks remain on the road and take on the San Diego Gulls on Wednesday (Feb. 1). The club then travels to San Jose to battle the Barracuda on Friday (Feb. 3) and Saturday (Feb. 4).

The next home game for the Canucks is on Feb. 10 when the Roadrunners come to the Abbotsford Centre. That game is being promoted as “Celebrating the Sedins”, with Vancouver Canucks greats Daniel and Henrik Sedin scheduled to be in the building for a special ceremony.

RELATED: Abbotsford Canucks honouring the Sedins in February https:. //twitter.comhttps://twitter.com/jenhassum/status/1620119648359583744?s=20&t=gCF9XwreP5SlUsQ_Ty6txw/jenhassum/stat



Ben Lypka

About the Author: Ben Lypka

I joined the Abbotsford News in 2015.
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