AHL Morning Skate: June 6, 2025

N1-Laval Rocket vs. A2-Charlotte Checkers
(Charlotte wins series, 4-0)

Game 1 – Wed., May 28 – Charlotte 5, LAVAL 1 | Recap/Highlights
Game 2 – Thu., May 29 – Charlotte 5, LAVAL 2 | Recap/Highlights
Game 3 – Sun., June 1 – CHARLOTTE 5, Laval 1 | Recap/Highlights
Game 4 – Tue., June 3 – CHARLOTTE 3, Laval 2 | Recap/Highlights

GAME NOTES
The Canucks are one win away from capturing the Robert W. Clarke Trophy and earning a berth in the Calder Cup Finals as they visit the Stars in Game 5 this evening... Abbotsford took a 3-1 series lead with a 5-4 double-overtime victory on Wednesday... Danila Klimovich (2-0-2), in the Canucks lineup for the first time in the series, scored a highlight-reel goal 3:21 into the second OT to end Game 4... Tristen Nielsen (4-2-6) scored two tie-breaking goals in regulation for Abbotsford, and Linus Karlsson (9-8-17) and Victor Mancini (3-4-7) recorded a goal and an assist each... Karlsson has 4-5-9 in his last five games... Artūrs Šilovs (11-4, 1.93, .930) made 27 saves for the Canucks... Šilovs has not allowed a goal in more than 65 minutes of play during sudden-death overtime periods in 2024-25 (25 saves)... Matěj Blümel (6-8-14) and Cameron Hughes (4-15-19) each registered a goal and an assist for Texas in Game 4, and Justin Hryckowian (8-9-17) forced overtime by scoring the tying goal – his first goal of the series – with 18.7 seconds left in regulation... Blümel has notched three goals in his last two games after scoring four goals in his previous 19 contests... Kole Lind (8-7-15) recorded two assists on Wednesday; teammates in Coachella Valley in 2023 and 20024, Lind (22-35-57) and Hughes (8-50-58) have combined for 115 points in 56 games over the last three postseasons... Magnus Hellberg (2-2, 2.57, .905) came on in relief of Remi Poirier (5-3, 2.19, .919) at the start of the third period and stopped 22 of 23 shots in Game 4... The Stars have scored nine goals on 67 shots in the two games since the series shifted to H-E-B Center at Cedar Park; they were held to two goals on 64 shots in two games in Abbotsford... Texas is 3-for-12 on the power play in the series, while Abbotsford is 2-for-9... The Stars are 7-9 all-time (2-1 at home) when facing playoff elimination... The Canucks are 5-3 all-time (3-2 this year) with a chance to close out a series.

Erasing two deficits in a road playoff game is a sure way to earn praise from the head coach.

Down 1-0 and 3-2 on Wednesday night, the Canucks scratched out a 5-4 double-overtime win to take a 3-1 series lead over the Stars. Abbotsford also survived a Texas tying goal with 18.7 seconds to go in regulation. Outshooting the Stars 17-5 in overtime play and unleashing multiple grade A chances, the Canucks finally put away the win on Danila Klimovich’s goal 3:21 into the fifth period.

“The word we continue to use with our group is ‘resilient,’” head coach Manny Malhotra said. “Our overall game was much sharper. There was much more tenacity to our game. We were much harder on pucks. Much more physical. Our intensity was elevated.”

Stars head coach Neil Graham made a goaltending change in the second intermission of Game 4 after starter Remi Poirier had allowed four goals on 11 shots.

Graham turned to Magnus Hellberg with his team trailing 4-3. Hellberg, who had not played since May 18 when he allowed six goals to Milwaukee in Game 2 of the Central Division Finals, came on and stopped the first 22 shots he faced before Abbotsford finally beat him early in the second OT period.

“I thought it was a good time for a little spark,” Graham explained. “We were trailing at the end of the period, and I thought, ‘Hey, at this point we have fresh legs, we love both our goalies, we trust both of them.’

“It was more of a moment of, ‘Let’s see if we can get a little spark and get back on our toes.’”

― with files from Patrick Williams

Leon Draisaitl scored twice, including the game-winning goal at 19:29 of overtime, to lift Edmonton to a 4-3 win over Florida in Game 1 of the Stanley Cup Final on Wednesday night...  Draisaitl began the 2015-16 season with the AHL’s Bakersfield Condors... Milwaukee Admirals alumni Viktor Arvidsson and Mattias Ekholm also scored for the Oilers in Game 1... Brad Marchand scored and Carter Verhaeghe and Nate Schmidt had two assists each for the Panthers.

Two AHL head coaches earned promotions on Thursday... Ontario’s Marco Sturm was named head coach of the Boston Bruins, and Iowa’s Brett McLean was hired as an assistant with the Vancouver Canucks.