The Canucks closed out their Southern California road trip with a matchup against the Coachella Valley Firebirds. Aku Koskenvuo was back between the pipes following his recall from the Kalamazoo Wings, taking on Kevin LaFontaine at the other end. Christian Felton also made his Canucks debut, skating in his first game with the club this season after recently signing.
It wasn’t the start the Canucks were hoping for, as penalties proved costly early. Just over four minutes into the game, a high-sticking call to Jonathan Lekkerimäki gave the Firebirds their first power play, and they capitalized when John Hayden crashed the net and poked the puck past Koskenvuo. Coachella Valley carried the momentum for much of the opening frame and struck again late in the period. Making quick work of another power play, Logan Morrison snapped a shot from the slot to give the Firebirds a 2–0 lead heading into the second.
The middle frame was quieter, with no scoring at either end. There was some physical play, a power-play opportunity for the Canucks, and chances traded both ways, but strong goaltending from Koskenvuo and LaFontaine kept the score unchanged at 2–0 entering the third.
Coachella Valley extended their lead early in the final frame when Logan Morrison scored his second of the night, jamming a loose puck into the back of the net. The Canucks pushed to get back into the game but couldn’t find a way past LaFontaine before time ran out.
The Canucks fell 3–0 to the Firebirds and will now head home to host the Laval Rocket on Tuesday and Wednesday night.
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