It was the Firebirds first-ever first-round road playoff game and it didn’t go well.
Golden scoring opportunities were missed or clanged off the iron. The puck-handling was subpar all night. And goalie Nikke Kokko had one of his worst games in a Firebirds uniform before being pulled early in the third quarter.
It all added up to a sobering 6-1 defeat at the hands of the Bakersfield Condors, a surprising result for a Firebirds team that had finished the regular playing some of its best hockey.
The two teams now drive from Bakersfield to the desert to play Game 2 on Saturday at Acrisure Arena. The puck drops at 6 p.m. and it could be the final game of the season for the Firebirds as the AHL’s first round series in the Calder Cup playoffs are only a best-of-3.
The loss matched the worst playoff setback in Firebirds history. They lost a playoff game 7-2 to Milwaukee in 2024.
On top of not playing their sharpest, the Firebirds also had a few bad breaks. An early short-handed goal attempt by Oscar Fisker Molgaard clanged off the left goalpost, and sure enough Bakersfield scored seconds later as the teams returned down the ice.
Bakersfield opened a 2-0 lead before Ty Nelson scored a crucial goal with 18 seconds left in the first period to cut the Firebirds deficit in half, and give Coachella Valley some momentum which they carried over into the second period.
The Firebirds dominated the first half of the second period, but a misplay by Kokko who lost the handle of the puck while trying to control it with his stick led to a deflating goal by Bakersfield that made it 3-1. Less than a minute later it was 4-1 and the rout was on.
When Bakersfield scored two quick ones early in the third, Firebirds coach Derek Laxdal pulled Kokko and put in Victor Ostman who did not allow a goal the rest of the game. It will be interesting to see who will start Saturday’s must-win game in net for the Firebirds. Kokko has the postseason experience having started all six of last year’s playoff games, Ostman has been better statistically this year.
Surprisingly, based on the score, the Firebirds outshot the Condors 39-27, which shows the game maybe wasn’t as big a mismatch as it seemed. The Firebirds just did not have the finishing touch when opportunities arose, while the Condors did. And their year-long bugaboo, the power play, did them in again Thursday as they were 0-for-6 in the game.
The Firebirds are now in danger of not advancing past the first round for the first time in the franchise’s four-year history. To avoid that ignominy, they will need to win Saturday’s game 2 (6 p.m.) and Sunday’s Game 3 (5 p.m.) with both games played at Acrisure Arena.
When do the Firebirds play again?
This article originally appeared on Palm Springs Desert Sun: Firebirds hammered, humbled in ugly loss at Bakersfield to open playoffs
Reporting by Shad Powers, Palm Springs Desert Sun / Palm Springs Desert Sun
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
