Tuesday night saw the beginning of arguably the most demanding stretch of the 2023-24 AHL season for the Condors. The game in Abbotsford versus the Canucks represented the first of eight out of 10 fixtures on the road to conclude March.
In addition, facing the Canucks on the road had been a tough proposition in recent times for the Condors, having lost seven straight in Abbotsford, including two playoff games. So of course Colin Chaulk's team came out and delivered one of their most impressive performances of the campaign, resulting in an important 4-1 win.
Jack Campbell starred between the pipes for the Condors, as he stopped all but one of 32 shots he faced on the night. As a result, he took home the game's First Star.
Campbell is well and truly over the horrendous form which plagued him earlier in the season, first with the Oilers and then in Bakersfield. He has now won five of his last six starts and leads the Condors with 15 victories, albeit having played more games and recorded more losses than Olivier Rodrigue.
Regardless, the 2010 11th overall draft pick has been more than earning his money with the Condors of late. On Tuesday night in particular, he stood tall when called upon and helped deliver the victory.
A bright start in the first
The Condors had the better of the early going, as they outshot their hosts 9-6 during the opening 20 minutes. The visitors took the lead at the 14:45 mark as the Canucks were made to pay for an unnecessary turnover, with Cameron Wright firing home the one-timer for his 10th goal of the season.
Noel Hoefenmayer doubled the advantage just before the midway point of the second period. He initiated the buildup by winning a faceoff, before being set up by Lane Pederson to shoot home from long range and make it 2-0 to the Condors.
It was the middle period where Campbell really stood out under pressure, as the Condors were outshot 17-8. However he did allow the Canucks to get back into the game through Matt Irwin at the 13:41 mark, although in fairness he appeared to be screened by a couple of his own players.
Out of sight in the third
Regardless, the 2022 NHL All-Star wouldn't be beaten again on the night. The Condors essentially put the game to bed just over two minutes into the final period, via Sam Gagner of all people.
Gagner was unfortunate to be assigned to Bakersfield recently after clearing waivers, albeit it was not a move the Oilers wanted to make; it was more a necessity to help prepare to make some moves prior to the Mar. 8 trade deadline. Regardless, Greg McKegg and Matvey Petrov combined to dissect the Canucks defence, to set up the veteran to score and make it 3-1 to the visitors.
The game was finished off just under five minutes later, through Philip Borberg's second AHL goal of the season. He fired home from range through traffic, to make it 4-1 to the Condors and complete the scoring on the night.
The Broberg goal was also notable for a secondary assist attributed to Seth Griffith. He now has a team-leading 48 points on the season, and as of Wednesday morning he is tied-12th in the AHL in scoring.
The Condors have actually been more impressive on their travels this season compared to at home, and the 4-1 victory versus the Canucks improved their away record to 17-10-0. They are also now 27-4-1 on the season, in games where they score at least three goals.
With the win the Condors improve to 31-20-4 on the season and are in fifth place in the Pacific Division, but just three points behind second place and with a game in hand. They remain in Abbotsford for another game versus the Canucks on Wednesday night, with Rodrigue expected to get the start in net.