Lekkerimäki Penalty Shot, Barracuda Erupt for Five Third-Period Goals in 7-3 Win

San Jose pulled away in the third period, scoring five times to turn a tight contest into a 7-3 road victory over Abbotsford on Friday night, extending the Barracuda’s winning streak to five games. The outburst matched a franchise record for goals in a single period and, according to the San Jose release, set a new franchise mark for goals in a period on the road.

The game was scoreless after one. Abbotsford struck first early in the second when Arshdeep Bains opened the scoring for the home side. Jimmy Huntington tied it midway through the frame by tipping a point shot, but Jonathan Lekkerimäki converted a penalty shot roughly half a minute later to restore the Canucks’ lead. Oliver Wahlstrom answered with a top-shelf snipe at 15:29 of the second to knot the game at 2-2 and send the teams into the third with everything to play for.

Victor Mancini gave Abbotsford a 3-2 lead at 5:28 of the third on a seeing-eye shot from the blue line, but San Jose turned the momentum fully in its favor over the final 10 minutes. Egor Afanasyev ignited the rally and finished with two goals, the second coming at 12:51 and credited as the game-winner. Nolan Allan followed with an insurance marker, Braden Hache added an empty-netter after Abbotsford pulled Nikita Tolopilo for an extra attacker, and Anthony Vincent capped the scoring seconds later to make it 7-3. San Jose outscored Abbotsford 5-1 in the third.

Jimmy Huntington finished with a goal and two assists, marking his first three-point effort in a Barracuda sweater. Egor Afanasyev recorded a two-goal night, while goaltender Gabriel Carriere turned aside 20 shots in the victory. Abbotsford goaltender Nikita Tolopilo absorbed the loss and was pulled late as San Jose applied pressure and finished the job.

The win improved San Jose to 26-13-1-2 and pushed Abbotsford to 15-26-3-3 in the standings, with San Jose now 4-0-0-1 against Abbotsford this season. There is a discrepancy across reports in the venue naming, with some material listing Rogers Forum and others listing Rogers Arena; the teams are scheduled to meet again tomorrow night for their final game before the All-Star break, when those details and official box-score numbers should be finalized.

For Barracuda fans, this game reinforced San Jose’s depth scoring and late-game execution heading into the break. For Canucks supporters, Abbotsford’s third-period collapse highlights areas, clearing traffic, tightening defensive zone coverage, and goaltending stability, that must be addressed immediately in the rematch.