Chris Wahl – 19.04.24
The Wranglers hit the road for the final time in the regular season, jetting west to Abbotsford for a two-game series beginning tonight in the Fraser Valley.
Calgary dropped both ends of its two-game home set with the Canucks last week by identical 3-1 scores.
Rory Kerins had the lone Wranglers goal Friday, his 16th of the season, while Oscar Dansk turned aside 30 shots in goal.
The Wranglers enter the final weekend of the regular season in the seventh and final playoff position in the Pacific Division but could climb into the sixth seed with a weekend sweep, and some help; they trail the Bakersfield Condors by three points in the standings.
The team will get some reinforcements ahead of the weekend series after the Calgary Flames’ campaign came to an end Thursday night.
Forwards Matt Coronato and Adam Klapka, defenceman Ilya Solovyov and goaltender Dustin Wolf were all re-assigned to the Wranglers ahead of the start of the AHL playoffs next week.
Klapka and Coronato have combined for 87 points at the AHL level this season, while Solovyov has put up five goals and 14 points in his 50 games on the Wranglers blue line this season.Wolf, the reigning AHL MVP, has been the goalie of record in all five Calgary wins against Abbotsford this season.
Puck drop is set for 8:00pm MT.
WRANGLERS UPCOMING SCHEDULE:
| DATE | TIME (MT) | OPPONENT | VENUE |
| Apr. 20, 2024 | 8:00pm | at Abbotsford | Abbotsford Centre |
Head-2-Head:
Tonight’s game marks the 11th of 12 regular season meetings between the Wranglers and Canucks, with each side having won five of the previous 10 encounters.
Calgary has won three of the four prior matchups at the Abbotsford Centre this season, the most recent of which was a 2-1 triumph Feb. 17 — in all, the Wranglers have earned seven of a possible eight points in B.C. in 2023-24.
Coronato leads Calgary with nine points from his six games versus Abbotsford this season, while Klapka is a close second in the season series, totalling five goals and eight points.
And overall, the games have been close: eight of the 10 meetings so far this season have been decided by two goals or fewer.
WRANGLERS PLAYER TO WATCH: Ben Jones
Jones is the lone Wranglers skater to appear in all 70 games so far this season, and he’s been steady, racking up a team-leading 21 goals over the campaign.
His five powerplay markers are one off the team lead, and he’s prone to getting things done early, too: Jones leads the team with five game-opening tallies this season.
He enters tonight’s game having recorded at least two shots on goal in each of his last eight appearances, a run that dates back to Mar. 26.
ONE TIMERS:
- Calgary boasts the fifth-ranked road powerplay in the AHL this season, clicking at a rate of 20.8%.
- Jaden Lipinski made his pro debut for the Wranglers Apr. 12 against Abbotsford.
- Connor Murphy boasts a .935 save percentage in his six appearances since Mar. 27.
Goaltender Matt Radomsky and forward Ilya Nikolaev were both recalled from Rapid C
