Hurtig scores twice as Wranglers beat Canucks 4-2 in rematch

CALGARY — Axel Hurtig scored twice from the point, including the third-period game-winner, and Kirill Zarubin made 31 saves as the Calgary Wranglers beat the Abbotsford Canucks 4-2 on Saturday night at the Scotiabank Saddledome.

It was Calgary's second straight 4-2 win over Abbotsford in as many nights, completing a sweep of the opening two-game set. The Wranglers are 2-0-0. It was also the second straight night a Wranglers rookie scored twice, with Hurtig following Jonathan Castagna's two-goal game in Friday's opener.

Two games in, Calgary's young talent is shining. The pipeline is already paying dividends — and there's more coming.

Luke Philp scored the go-ahead goal early in the third and Hunter Brzustewicz sealed it into the empty net. Rory Kerins, beaten on the defensive-zone draw that led to Abbotsford's opener, answered with the primary assist on Philp's winner in a strong two-way night.

Abbotsford struck first at 10:44 of the opening period. Kerins lined up on his weak side against Ty Mueller and lost the draw cleanly. Head coach Brett Sutter pointed to a missed assignment after the lost draw as the breakdown: the puck worked back to Kirill Kudryavtsev at the left point, and the Canucks defenceman walked to the middle of the ice unpressured before snapping a shot through traffic. Zarubin, appearing screened and looking to his left, never picked it up as it went by him to the far side.

Mueller's second goal of the season, assisted by Kudryavtsev, stood as the period's only scoring. Abbotsford carried play to a 12-8 shots edge, but Zarubin kept it 1-0, at one point squeezing his arm tight to his body to keep an in-close chance from sneaking through. Calgary's best looks came late — Hunt denied by Young going high blocker, and a Hunt feed for a wide-open Benning sailing over his stick.

Calgary shuffled its combinations in the second and found its legs. About six minutes in, sustained pressure from Kerins, Alex Nylander, Hurtig, Kent Andersson and William Strömgren tilted the ice and produced the equalizer. At 6:09, Hurtig wired a low shot from the middle of the point through traffic past Young for his first of the season. Nylander and Strömgren drew the assists.

The period turned chippy. Kole Lind and Strömgren took matching roughing minors at 9:05, and a scrum with 7:14 left sent Abbotsford's Vilmer Alriksson and Hurtig off for the same. With 1:05 left, Abram Wiebe took a delay-of-game minor for sending the puck over the glass; the penalty killers got through it to keep the game tied.

Through it all, Zarubin was Calgary's best player. He gloved an in-close chance after Benning was muscled off the puck, then turned away Mueller walking out front unchecked during another Abbotsford push. The Canucks outshot Calgary 14-7 in the period for a 26-15 edge through 40 minutes, but Zarubin was the biggest reason the game stayed 1-1. Suniev had Calgary's best late chance, jamming a puck in tight into Young's pads from too close to elevate it.

Calgary owned the third. Just 1:06 in, Philp finished a two-on-one — Kerins' cross-ice pass right on the tape, a shot across his body, upstairs on Young — for his first of the season. Hunt got the second assist.

Just over 11 minutes into the third, Livingstone and Brzustewicz both let go from the point; Brzustewicz's attempt appeared to catch Young's stick and might have beaten him otherwise.

With 7:20 left, Nylander carried down the left side and stopped up; Jimmy Schuldt came across looking for contact with his leg appearing to extend. Nylander took exception and a skirmish followed. Schuldt drew the lone minor for kneeing. Calgary couldn't convert the power play despite two quick Benning point shots.

Hurtig then struck again. At 14:43, with Jonathan Castagna screening in front, Hurtig wired a wrist shot from the point through traffic for his second of the night and a 3-1 lead. Suniev and Benning assisted on the eventual game-winner.

Abbotsford answered at 16:16. Braeden Cootes fired a wrist shot from near the half wall through traffic, with Brzustewicz and Ilya Safonov screening Zarubin, to pull the Canucks within one. Bennett Schimek and Safonov drew the assists.

Young went to the bench for the extra attacker with 1:42 left. Calgary survived the six-on-five push — Hunt, Castagna and Philp among those on the ice — before Brzustewicz hit the empty net at 19:37 to seal it.

Calgary outshot Abbotsford 17-7 in the third, erasing an 11-shot deficit to finish down just 33-32. Zarubin stopped 31 of 33 shots in his first AHL start to earn his first win; Young made 28 saves on 31 before departing for the extra skater. Both teams went 0-for-1 on the power play.

Hurtig (two goals), Philp (one goal) and Zarubin were named the game's three stars, all Wranglers. The announced attendance was 2,504.

The Wranglers host the Bakersfield Condors on Friday at the Scotiabank Saddledome. Puck drop is 7:00 p.m.

This recap is brought to you in part by Animas Painting — interior and exterior painting in Calgary. Reach Rafael at 403-604-5529.