Well, it took just 12 seconds for Karlsson to announce his return. Following an offensive zone face-off, he went straight for the Eagles’ doorstep, capitalized on a loose puck, and buried it for his second of the season.

Over a three-year career, he’s produced at nearly a point-per-game (0.82) pace with the Abbotsford Canucks, so his presence in the lineup is a welcomed one…and that’s exactly why.

It didn’t take them long to double their lead.

Goal – Abbotsford 2-0 – Jonathan Lekkerimäki from Ty Mueller and Arshdeep Bains

Just under two minutes later, Lekkerimäki ended a three-game scoring drought with an absolutely gorgeous breakaway tally. Breaking in alone after receiving an Arshdeep Bains feed, the Swedish rookie pulled off a confident juke to undress Trent Miner and cash in on the empty cage for his eighth of the season.

Readers can get used to seeing his name, as that would mark the first point of many throughout the weekend.

Goal – Abbotsford 3-0 – Arshdeep Bains from Jonathan Lekkerimäki

The dynamic duo struck again midway through the period. After a dreadful giveaway by Miner, Lekkerimäki pounced and set up Bains, who made no mistake in cashing in the gift-wrapped opportunity.

The goal snapped an eight-game pointless skid – spread throughout both the AHL and NHL levels – for Arshdeep Bains. And just like that, what took them six periods to hit in their last season series, took the Abbotsford Canucks just nine minutes to find the same number of goals (3).

The Colorado Eagles finally got theirs, though.

Goal – Colorado 3-1 – Tye Felhaber from Maros Jedlicka and Calle Rosen

During a defensive retrieval, an errant pass from Jett Woo landed directly on the stick of Maros Jedlicka, who quickly set up Felhaber. The Eagles’ forward showed patience, cutting toward the crease and outwaiting Ty Young for his seventh of the year.

Despite the goal conceded, it was all Abbotsford as they took a strong 3-1 lead into the middle frame.

Shots: ABB 10, COL 6
Score: ABB 3, COL 1

Second Period: Kambeitz channels his inner Bertuzzi

While the Canucks spent much of the second frame shorthanded (four penalties), Kambeitz provided the highlight of the period – and possibly the game.

Goal – Abbotsford 4-1 – Dino Kambeitz from Christian Wolanin and Nate Smith

Picking up the puck in the neutral zone, he drove wide, dropped his shoulder, and cut to the slot before sliding the puck past Miner. It was a vintage Bertuzzi-esque effort from a player who’s been red-hot of late, with three goals over his last three games.

Despite being outshot 9-2 in the frame, Abbotsford extended their lead heading into the third.

Shots: ABB 12, COL 15
Score: ABB 4, COL 1

Third Period: Closing in Style

The Canucks closed the game out with a plethora of shots, firing 17 shots on net while scoring on two of them.

Goal – Abbotsford 5-1 – Linus Karlsson Christian Wolanin and Arshdeep Bains

Karlsson doubled up with a fortunate bounce while standing in front of the net on the man-advantage. A Christian Wolanin point shot ricocheted off his skate, deflected off an Eagles defender, and trickled across the line.

Hey, they don’t ask how; they ask how many. In Karlsson’s case, he’s not taking anything for granted as he shakes off the three months of rust.

Goal – Abbotsford 6-1 – Jonathan Lekkerimäki from Cole McWard and Ty Mueller

The Canucks capped things off with a gritty Lekkerimäki goal, as he battled in front and out-muscled his defender to knock the puck home for his second of the night (eighth of the season).

For the young Swede, it was a solid statement performance. After scoring just one goal since his return from a five-game stint in Vancouver, he picked up three points – his first three-point game – and fired five shots and was a plus-3 in the match.

He and his linemates (Mueller and Bains) were major catalysts in the win. They combined for eight points in the match en route to a dominant performance on a Saturday night.

In addition to the high-octane offence, Ty Young made 24 saves for his third victory of his young career. Finally, their penalty kill had come up huge in the match, having killed all eight penalties called taken.

Abbotsford’s penalty kill was stellar throughout, going a perfect 8-for-8, and Ty Young turned aside 24 shots for the third win in his young AHL career.

Final Shots: ABB 29, COL 25
Final Score: ABB 6, COL 1

Game Two: More of the Same

Starting Lineup

Nielsen – Åman – Karlsson
Bains – Mueller – Lekkerimäki
Stevens – Wouters – Twarynski
Glover – Smith – Kambeitz

Pettersson – Woo
Brisebois – Kudryavtsev
Wolanin – McWard

Arturs Silovs

The only notable change was Arturs Silovs’s return to the crease after missing nearly a month of AHL action. Danila Klimovich was absent as a surprise, though the team has not provided an update on his status. However, as one of the team’s top producers on the season, we will assume that it was due to an injury of some sort.

First Period: Offence Strikes Again

It may not have been 12 seconds, but the Canucks burst out the gate for a consecutive game, opening the scoring early on the powerplay.

Goal – Abbotsford 1-0 – Christian Wolanin from Ty Mueller and Jonathan Lekkerimäki

Taking the Ty Mueller pass, Christian Wolanin held and snapped his first goal of the season from the point. Wolanin struggled to stay in the lineup early in the year, so taking back his typical spot on PP1 and securing a few points should greatly boost his confidence levels.

With assists on the play, Ty Mueller and Lekkerimäki continue to put their hands all over their team’s weekend dismantling.

Goal – Abbotsford 2-0 – Nils Åman from Linus Karlsson and Elias Pettersson

Just over a minute later, Åman was on the receiving end of a beautiful Karlsson setup. After a failed Elias Pettersson shot, Åman and Karlsson played give-and-go before the Swede buried his second of the season to double Abbotsford’s lead.

Goal – Colorado 2-1 – Mark Senden from Maros Jedlicka and Devante Stephens

The Eagles answered late in the period, with Mark Senden finishing off a rebound, but the Canucks controlled much of the play.

The Canucks dominated the shot totals and went down the tunnel with a 2-1 lead.

Shots: ABB 14, COL 7
Score: ABB 2, COL 1

Second Period: Here’s Johnny!

The second frame only saw one goal and came courtesy of the man of the weekend.

Goal – Abbotsford 3-1 – Jonathan Lekkerimäki from Ty Mueller and Elias Pettersson

The Canucks extended their lead when Lekkerimäki cashed in on a two-on-one rush. Pouncing on the Ty Mueller rebound, the sniper made no mistake, potting his ninth goal of the season and third of the weekend (so far).

Providing the initial stretch pass was Elias Petersson, who collected the first multipoint effort of his young AHL career.

Shots: ABB 24, COL 15
Score: ABB 3, COL 1

Third Period: Sweeping the weekend

Goal – Abbotsford 4-1 – Nate Smith from Nils Åman and Kirill Kudryavtsev

Working their fourth advantage of the contest, Nils Åman sent the puck toward the crowded crease. With the puck popped out, Nate Smith jumped on the opportunity and slid the backhand to triple their lead with just over 10 minutes remaining.

Goal – Abbotsford 5-1 – Jonathan Lekkerimäki from Ty Mueller and Elias Pettersson

The duo of Lekkerimäki and Mueller would cap off an extraordinary weekend, connecting for yet another goal to extend their lead to 5-1. However, this time, it wasn’t all that pretty.

Off an Elias Pettersson point shot, the puck banked off Mueller’s shin directly to the stick of the young sharpshooter for his second goal in the contest.

Heading into the weekend, Lekkerimäki had yet to provide a three-point game in his AHL career. Suddenly, he had two in less than 24 hours.

As for Pettersson, he picked up his third assist of the match, putting him up to 10 points on the year.

Goal – Colorado 5-2 – Maros Jedlicka

The game wrapped up with an Eagle scoring his first career AHL goal in the most unconventional way possible. Arshdeep Bains took the puck from behind his own net on a delayed penalty call, and as he curled out to move the puck up the ice, he fired the puck directly off of his own player’s (Elias Pettersson) chest.

They don’t come much wackier than that, folks.

The final buzzer would sound as the Canucks steamrolled the Eagles for a clean weekend series sweep, outsourcing them by an 11-3 margin.

Final Shots: ABB 36, COL 18
Final Score: ABB 5, COL 2

Final Thoughts

For a team that struggled to find consistency early in the season, the Abbotsford Canucks appear to be turning a corner. The weekend sweep showcased their offensive depth, strong special teams, and solid goaltending.

Representing the team’s second line, the trio of Jonathan Lekkerimäki (four goals, two assists), Ty Mueller (four assists), and Arshdeep Bains (one goal, three assists) combine for 14 points in two games.

Lekkerimäki’s ten goals now rank second among AHL rookies, while his 62 shots lead the field. With 12 and 10 points, Kirill Kudryavtsev and Elias Pettersson now rank fourth and sixth among all U21 AHL defenders in points, respectively.

Meanwhile, the Swedish connections continue to impress. With Linus Karlsson back in the fold, Nils Åman, Elias Pettersson, and Lekkerimäki combined for nine on Sunday and 12 points over the weekend.

Neither Ty Young nor Arturs Silovs was tested with any relatively high-angered chances, but both played solid, earning 24 and 16 saves, respectively.

CanucksArmy Three Stars of the Series

Third star

Elias Pettersson – With a three-assist night on Sunday, Elias Pettersson picked up the first multipoint game of his young AHL career. In addition to the offensive numbers, he was a plus-3 for the weekend and played a major part in their perfect 12/12 penalty kill. He continues to impress as a 20-year-old defender, and the offensive numbers are simply the icing on the cake.

Second star

Ty Mueller – With four assists over two games, Ty Mueller continues to fly under the radar as a promising young prospect within the system. On top of his assists, he fired three shots and was a plus-5 on the weekend, putting him second among Abbotsford forwards as a plus-4 on the year.

First star

Jonathan Lekkerimäki – What more can be said? Four goals, two assists, and back-to-back three-point games. He picked up another nine shots and was a plus-5 on the weekend. He continues to lead this team’s offensive charge and simply gives the team’s offence an unmatched boost when embedded into the lineup.

What’s Next?

The Canucks continue their current home stand as they host the Manitoba Moose for a weekend doubleheader. Game one is set for Saturday, December 14th, at 7:00 PM PT.