Have to wonder how much last Saturday’s Game 5 thriller may have drained the Coachella Valley Firebirds.
On Wednesday, in Game 1 against the Colorado Eagles, the Firebirds’ momentum from the double overtime win over the Ontario Reign did not carry over. Coachella Valley looked gassed and out of sync in a 3-0 loss to the Eagles inside Acrisure Arena.
The Firebirds will be home again for Game 2 on Friday.
“After an emotional series against Ontario,” Firebirds head coach Derek Laxdal said, “I didn’t think that we were ready to play the game tonight. I think we were hungover from the emotions of that game.”
The game marked the first time the Firebirds were shutout in the playoffs since last season in Abbotsford. It also marked the first time the Firebirds were shutout at home in the playoffs since 2023, when they lost to Calgary in Game 4 of the Pacific Division Finals. They followed it by wining the next game at home and, ultimately, the series.
Remarkably, the shutout also marked the fourth time in seven games this postseason that the Eagles have held an opponent scoreless.
“They’re a good team, a deep team,” Firebirds forward John Hayden said. “So, credit to them. They played well. But we also hurt ourselves a bit. I think we were a little tentative to start and in a five-game series that can’t happen.”
Wednesday evening began with discouraging news for the Firebirds that forward Jacob Melanson was out with an upper-body injury and is day-to-day to return. Star prospect Jake Obrien, an 18-year-old who was drafted eighth overall in last year’s NHL entry draft by the Seattle Kraken, made his pro debut in Melanson’s absence.
But Melanson’s physicality was noticeably absent and the same Firebirds that dictated the tone of the series against Ontario were instead on the receiving end of much of the physical play Wednesday. Coachella Valley struggled to get clean shots on the net and after two periods had just 10 shots on goal.
By then the Firebirds also trailed by two goals, with Ronnie Attard and T.J. Hughes each scoring in the second period. The third goal came on an empty net goal by Tye Felhaber with 9.6 seconds remaining in the game.
Coachella Valley had one power play opportunity in the second period but did not get a single shot on goal during the two minutes. The Firebirds had another power play in the third period and forward Jagger Firkus got off two good shots, including one with a big opening that was blocked at the last moment by Eagles goalie Trent Miner.
Defenseman Charlie Wright left the game in the second period with a lower-body injury and did not return.
In the net, Nikke Kokko saved 31 shots. For the game, the Firebirds were 0-for-2 on the power play and 1-for-1 on the penalty kill. Coachella Valley has not allowed a power play goal in its last six games.
“We’ve been resilient all year,” Hayden said. “This is actually something we’re comfortable with and I know we’ll have a better effort in a couple days. So, we’ll take some positives and correct a few things, but there generally has been a really positive feeling in the locker room through the ups and downs.”
Schedule for Firebirds vs. Colorado Eagles
Andrew John covers the Firebirds for The Desert Sun and the USA TODAY Network. Email him at andrew.john@desertsun.com.
[This story has been updated to add new information.]
This article originally appeared on Palm Springs Desert Sun: Firebirds’ offense out of sync in Game 1 loss to Colorado Eagles
Reporting by Andrew John, Palm Springs Desert Sun / Palm Springs Desert Sun
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
