Three games into their American Hockey League Western Conference Final against Texas, the <a href="https://canucksarmy.com/news/abbotsford-canucks-defence-embracing-full-group-effort-playoff-run">Abbotsford Canucks</a> have just two goals from forwards. Remarkably, the Canucks also have a two games to one lead in the best of seven matchup. But it will be hard to maintain that edge – and ultimately advance – without contributions from a few more of the team’s offensively-inclined skaters.
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Linus Karlsson has been in on five of the six goals the Canucks have scored in the series so far and Arshdeep Bains has figured in four of the scoring plays. Karlsson and rookie <a href="https://canucksarmy.com/news/cas-top-20-vancouver-canucks-prospect-rankings-17-ty-mueller">Ty Mueller</a> are the only forwards to find the back of the net. The team’s four other goals against Texas have all come from defencemen.
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&mdash; X &#8211; Abbotsford Canucks (@abbycanucks) <a href="https://twitter.com/abbycanucks/status/1929690769624907928?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">June 3, 2025</a></blockquote>
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As constructed, the second and third lines for the <a href="https://canucksarmy.com/news/farmies-abby-canucks-drop-game-3-first-loss-western-conference-final">Canucks were silent in Monday’s 5-2 loss</a>. That has been the case for the series, too. But a much larger concern is that the scoring struggles of the team’s middle six date back considerably further than just this series.
Max Sasson has just a single point – a goal in Game 3 in the previous round against Colorado – to show for his last eight outings. Phil Di Giuseppe scored a big goal in the fifth and deciding game against Colorado and then added an empty-netter later in that game. Those, however, are the veteran’s only points in the last eight outings. And rookie <a href="https://canucksarmy.com/news/vancouver-canucks-lekkerimakis-low-shot-volume-starting-hinder-playoff-success">Jonathan Lekkerimäki</a> – he had 19 goals in 36 regular season AHL games – has gone five games now without a point and six games since his lone goal in the 12 postseason contests he’s appeared in.
If it was just one line that was struggling, that would be one thing and far less of a concern. But the third line of Sammy Blais, Chase Wouters and Tristen Nielsen has gone silent, too. Blais, who got off to a red-hot start to the playoffs, has gone five games without a point and 12 games without a goal. He scored twice in the Canucks playoff opener but has just one goal in 14 games since. Wouters has three playoff points, and two came in the same first-round game against Tucson, while three of Nielsen’s four postseason points came in the opening round, as well.
Add it all up, and that’s two goals (one into an empty net) and one assist from the middle six over the past five games. Five of those six players were double-digit goal scorers for this team during the regular season, so they know how – and should be counted on – to produce.
Sasson has been skating miles in the playoffs, and his speed is a separating factor on almost every shift. He leads the AHL with 45 playoff shots on goal but has managed to score on just three of them. On Monday, he drew a penalty early in the third period that looked like it might give Abbotsford life. Unfortunately, the Canucks surrendered their second shorthanded goal of the game and instead of pulling within one with plenty of time left, they fell behind 5-2 and that was essentially the hockey game.
Lekkerimäki is a volume shooter who has just five shots on goal over his last five games. He needs the puck on his stick in shooting positions and can’t be afraid to pull the trigger. Di Giuseppe had a whopping 10 shots on goal in the opening game of this series, but couldn’t buy a goal.
Blais’ fall off is hard to figure out. He’s a wrecking ball who causes chaos on the forecheck, but it hasn’t led to a bottom line of any kind since the opening round. He had six points through five playoff games, but has managed just five points in the 10 games since. Wouters and Nielsen are complementary pieces in this line-up, but they’re getting regular shifts and need to find a way to generate more than they have of late.
At its best, Abbotsford is a score-by-committee team that defends well and gets strong goaltending. But averaging just two goals per game through the first three games of this series places far too much pressure on Arturs Silovs. The Latvian puckstopper was brilliant in the first two games against the Stars, but on Monday was hung out to dry by far too many special teams miscues as Texas scored twice on the power play and twice more with a man of its own in the penalty box.
The Canucks have been a resilient group all season and have certainly earned the benefit of the doubt when it comes to responding to a subpar Game 3 performance. But the Stars&#8217; best players announced their arrival in the series in Monday’s victory. Now it’s well past time for some of Abbotsford’s suddenly silent offensive contributors to make some noise.
Texas has momentum, but the Canucks still have the lead. In order to keep it, however, it’s going to take much more than just one or two players doing the heavy lifting. Simply put, this team needs more from its middle six.
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Three games into their American Hockey League Western Conference Final against Texas, the <a href="https://canucksarmy.com/news/abbotsford-canucks-defence-embracing-full-group-effort-playoff-run">Abbotsford Canucks</a> have just two goals from forwards. Remarkably, the Canucks also have a two games to one lead in the best of seven matchup. But it will be hard to maintain that edge – and ultimately advance – without contributions from a few more of the team’s offensively-inclined skaters.
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Linus Karlsson has been in on five of the six goals the Canucks have scored in the series so far and Arshdeep Bains has figured in four of the scoring plays. Karlsson and rookie <a href="https://canucksarmy.com/news/cas-top-20-vancouver-canucks-prospect-rankings-17-ty-mueller">Ty Mueller</a> are the only forwards to find the back of the net. The team’s four other goals against Texas have all come from defencemen.

https://twitter.com/abbycanucks/status/1929690769624907928

As constructed, the second and third lines for the <a href="https://canucksarmy.com/news/farmies-abby-canucks-drop-game-3-first-loss-western-conference-final">Canucks were silent in Monday’s 5-2 loss</a>. That has been the case for the series, too. But a much larger concern is that the scoring struggles of the team’s middle six date back considerably further than just this series.

Max Sasson has just a single point – a goal in Game 3 in the previous round against Colorado – to show for his last eight outings. Phil Di Giuseppe scored a big goal in the fifth and deciding game against Colorado and then added an empty-netter later in that game. Those, however, are the veteran’s only points in the last eight outings. And rookie <a href="https://canucksarmy.com/news/vancouver-canucks-lekkerimakis-low-shot-volume-starting-hinder-playoff-success">Jonathan Lekkerimäki</a> – he had 19 goals in 36 regular season AHL games – has gone five games now without a point and six games since his lone goal in the 12 postseason contests he’s appeared in.

If it was just one line that was struggling, that would be one thing and far less of a concern. But the third line of Sammy Blais, Chase Wouters and Tristen Nielsen has gone silent, too. Blais, who got off to a red-hot start to the playoffs, has gone five games without a point and 12 games without a goal. He scored twice in the Canucks playoff opener but has just one goal in 14 games since. Wouters has three playoff points, and two came in the same first-round game against Tucson, while three of Nielsen’s four postseason points came in the opening round, as well.

Add it all up, and that’s two goals (one into an empty net) and one assist from the middle six over the past five games. Five of those six players were double-digit goal scorers for this team during the regular season, so they know how – and should be counted on – to produce.

Sasson has been skating miles in the playoffs, and his speed is a separating factor on almost every shift. He leads the AHL with 45 playoff shots on goal but has managed to score on just three of them. On Monday, he drew a penalty early in the third period that looked like it might give Abbotsford life. Unfortunately, the Canucks surrendered their second shorthanded goal of the game and instead of pulling within one with plenty of time left, they fell behind 5-2 and that was essentially the hockey game.

Lekkerimäki is a volume shooter who has just five shots on goal over his last five games. He needs the puck on his stick in shooting positions and can’t be afraid to pull the trigger. Di Giuseppe had a whopping 10 shots on goal in the opening game of this series, but couldn’t buy a goal.

Blais’ fall off is hard to figure out. He’s a wrecking ball who causes chaos on the forecheck, but it hasn’t led to a bottom line of any kind since the opening round. He had six points through five playoff games, but has managed just five points in the 10 games since. Wouters and Nielsen are complementary pieces in this line-up, but they’re getting regular shifts and need to find a way to generate more than they have of late.

At its best, Abbotsford is a score-by-committee team that defends well and gets strong goaltending. But averaging just two goals per game through the first three games of this series places far too much pressure on Arturs Silovs. The Latvian puckstopper was brilliant in the first two games against the Stars, but on Monday was hung out to dry by far too many special teams miscues as Texas scored twice on the power play and twice more with a man of its own in the penalty box.

The Canucks have been a resilient group all season and have certainly earned the benefit of the doubt when it comes to responding to a subpar Game 3 performance. But the Stars' best players announced their arrival in the series in Monday’s victory. Now it’s well past time for some of Abbotsford’s suddenly silent offensive contributors to make some noise.

Texas has momentum, but the Canucks still have the lead. In order to keep it, however, it’s going to take much more than just one or two players doing the heavy lifting. Simply put, this team needs more from its middle six.

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