The Swedish House Mafia line made some beautiful music for the Abbotsford Canucks on Saturday (Jan. 7) night, as the combo of Linus Karlsson, Nils Höglander and Nils Åman scored twice in a 2-1 win over the Henderson Silver Knights.
After falling behind 1-0 in the first, Höglander tied the game up with a power play goal at 9:57 and Karlsson then recorded his 10th on the season at 17:22 to clinch the win.
Puck has been dropped for the @abbycanucks vs. @HSKnights, second home game of 2023 pic.twitter.com/Iz9BGELsMF
— Ben Lypka (@BenLypka) January 8, 2023
Karlsson’s goal saw the rookie stickhandle the puck through his legs in front of the net and shelf it past Henderson goalie Laurent Brossoit. The line had a number of chances the entire game, as both Karlsson and Höglander had four shots on goal, and the rookie stated it was a relief to give his team the win.
Höglander picks up his first on home ice ✅ pic.twitter.com/YYnFQQFN59
— Abbotsford Canucks (@abbycanucks) January 8, 2023
“I missed a lot of chances this game and it was just nice to see that puck go in,” the humble forward said. “It was an important goal too.”
Karlsson's goal from 𝙖𝙡𝙡 the angles 🤩🤩🤩
— Abbotsford Canucks (@abbycanucks) January 8, 2023
Who's going to be watching this all night long? pic.twitter.com/7g9fAxDrxX
Karlsson now leads the American Hockey League in rookie scoring and has 27 points in 33 games. He said he’s back on track after a down patch of games and that he believes his line mates are a big part of his strong recent stretch.
“I think like the last 10 games that I’ve really found something,” he said. “My start was ok and then I had a really bad period but I’ve tried to build my confidence. It’s tough when you’re working hard but you’re off your way – but you just find a way through it and I think I’ve learned a lot.”
"I got a nice pass from Nils (Åman), and I had already decided that if I get the puck then I'll do this move."
— Abbotsford Canucks (@abbycanucks) January 8, 2023
Linus Karlsson addressed the media following Abbotsford's 2-1 victory over Henderson pic.twitter.com/4raaUFL9Da
Canucks head coach Jeremy Colliton agreed and said he’s been impressed with the play of Karlsson all season.
“He got off to a good start and then there was a bit of a dip,” he said. “But over the last 10 games he’s played really well. Being strong on the puck, advancing and protecting it. Making good decisions through the neutral zone and he’s creating chances for himself and his line mates.”
"We got better as the first period went on... I thought we really took over momentum and had a lot of chances in the second."
— Abbotsford Canucks (@abbycanucks) January 8, 2023
Jeremy Colliton addressed the media following Abbotsford's 2-1 victory over Henderson pic.twitter.com/SccNQjSsLP
Karlsson said the communication with Åman and Höglander has helped the line excel. It doesn’t help that both of his line mates have NHL experience.
“I feel like we have found some chemistry,” he said. “It’s really nice to have them here and it’s great to play with two guys who have played in the NHL. We can try to use our strengths – Åman’s speed and Hogs’ strong on the puck and they can do whatever out there.”
Åman has five points in six games with Abbotsford, while Höglander has five points in eight games.
"Their goalie made some good saves, we had some pretty good looks too. We can learn from this game."
— Abbotsford Canucks (@abbycanucks) January 8, 2023
Nils Höglander addressed the media following Abbotsford's 2-1 victory over Henderson. pic.twitter.com/huUcocJgDy
Aside from the SHM line, Abbotsford got another strong effort from goalie Arturs Silovs. The Latvian made 26 saves for his 14th win on the season. His numbers continue to improve, as his goals against average now moves to 2.63 and his save percentage has increased to .900.
Colliton said Silovs has stepped up to the challenge and has taken advantage of his opportunities so far this season. With Vancouver goalie Thatcher Demko hurt, it has moved Abbotsford’s Collin Delia to Vancouver. As a result, Silovs has become the definitive number one in Abbotsford.
“It’s been a great development opportunity for him and he’s done a lot with it,” Colliton said. “Going into this year we knew we wanted him to play some games but it’s probably more than even we expected. Tonight he was really solid and made a couple of difficult saves look simple and that’s what the best goalies do.”
Back-to-back home wins are our favourite kind of wins 🥳 pic.twitter.com/ywOpIPuFFa
— Abbotsford Canucks (@abbycanucks) January 8, 2023
Forward Phil Di Giuseppe led all players with five shots on goal and the Canucks had the 30-27 shots edge. Abbotsford’s record now sits at 21-10-1-1 and they rank third in the AHL’s Pacific Division. The Canucks are 8-2 in the last 10 games and have a sparkling record of 12-3-0-1 on home ice.
A large crowd of 6,023 took in tonight’s game at the Abbotsford Centre.
The club is now off for the next week and hit the road for games against the San Jose Barracuda on Saturday (Jan. 14) and Sunday (Jan. 15). The next home game occurs on Jan. 18 when the Calgary Wranglers come to the AC.
RELATED: Di Giuseppe’s heroics lead Abbotsford Canucks to 4-3 win over Henderson Silver Knights