Jonathan Lekkerimäki draws back into Abbotsford Canucks lineup for Game 3 of Calder Cup Final

Lekkerimäki was put back into his normal role on the second line right wing, skating with Phil Di Giuseppe and Ty Mueller. Danila Klimovich remains in the lineup, but is now skating in a fourth-line role with Tristen Nielsen and Captain Chase Wouters.

The 20-year-old winger has been out of the Canucks lineup since Game 3 of the Western Conference Finals series against the Texas Stars. The Swedish sniper has struggled during this postseason run.

He appeared in the Canucks’ first two games of the postseason, but was seen sporting a bubble mask as he recovered from oral surgery. Due to soreness, Lekkerimäki would miss three games before returning for Game 3 against the Coachella Valley Firebirds.

The Swede would pick up his first point of the postseason in his return, but sat with the solo point through his first five games. It wasn’t until the next series against the Colorado Eagles that Lekkerimäki showed some offensive life. He picked up a pair of two-point nights in Games 2 and 3.

But after that, the volume shooter stopped producing. After averaging 3.4 shots per game in the regular season, Lekkerimäki would go the following five games with just five shots, while playing in the top-six and on the top power play unit. The youngster would come out of the lineup for the following five games.

In the five games without Lekkerimäki, Abbotsford would win three of those games, with his replacement, Danila Klimovich, scoring the double overtime winners in two of those games.

But after Game 2 of the Finals, where the Canucks struggled to muster up much offence, finishing with just 13 shots through over 64 minutes of game time, Malhotra decided to insert his young sniper back into the lineup.

Don’t go far! We’ll have our postgame show, Rink Wide, moments after the final whistle. As well as our written form, The Farmies, shortly after with all the clips and detailed description of everything that happened in Game 3 of the Calder Cup Finals!