Following a first-round bye, the Coachella Valley Firebirds will head to Calgary to face the Wranglers. The seventh-seeded Wranglers moved on to the second round of the Calder Cup playoffs after their win against the Tucson Roadrunners.
Inside the Coachella Valley Firebirds
With 103 points in the regular season, the Firebirds secured second place in the league and the top spot in the AHL’s Pacific Division. This season, they won 46 games and only lost 15 in regulation. As a result, the Firebirds pushed 12 games out of regulation, allowing them to gain extra points and hold onto the top of their division.
Although the Firebirds looked very similar on paper this season to last, a second year under their belt has allowed them to become a more well-rounded team. Head coach Dan Bylsma and his staff returned to the table this season and created a team that could make plays on either side of the ice. Furthermore, the Firebirds lead their division with 12 short-handed goals.
Coachella’s NHL affiliate Seattle Kraken failed to make the Stanley Cup Playoffs this season. This allowed the Firebirds to add key players from their parent club: Shane Wright, Ryan Winterton, and Logan Morrison, along with defenseman Ryker Evans. Coachella hopes these players can take their recent experience in Seattle and translate it into their playoff performance.
According to Firebirds Director of Hockey and Business Operations, Troy Bodie, the team hopes that the slower nature of the AHL will allow these players to bring some of the speed of the NHL to the Firebirds playoffs. To clarify, speed is not the only thing that players need to adjust to between the two leagues. The speed of discussions made during a play is also a difference.
Inside the Calgary Wranglers
The Calgary Wranglers look to continue their postseason success back home after eliminating the Tucson Roadrunners in the 2024 Calder Cup Playoffs opening round. The Wranglers will once again look to goaltender Dustin Wolf to silence the best road team in the AHL.
The Firebirds have been a thorn in the Wranglers’ side for two seasons now. They eliminated the Wranglers from the 2023 Calder Cup Playoffs and did not let up this past regular season. The Firebirds are the Wranglers’ kryptonite after falling 2-5-0-1 in their season series.
Players like Jakob Pelletier, Matt Coronato, and Adam Klapka are names you expect to find on the scoresheet. Pelletier played in the series last year and knows just how tough they are to beat. Sam Morton came in on an Amateur Try-Out contract and has carried his momentum from the regular season into the playoffs.
This match-up will be the biggest hurdle for the Wranglers this postseason. There is no easy way to tackle the beast. This Wranglers team has proven that being the underdog gives them a bit of an edge. After all, they eliminated the second-seeded Roadrunners as a seventh seed. It’s just a matter of staying disciplined and finding new ways to score.
Season Series: How Do These Teams Match Up?
Following last season, the Coachella Valley Firebirds gained control of the Pacific Division, and the Wranglers fell to seventh place in the division. This season, the two teams faced off eight times. Coachella won the regular season series 6-2.
Despite the Firebirds’ regular season match-up success, the two teams have only met twice since February. Their final regular-season meetings were in late March with both teams taking one in the back-to-back mini series.
On March 26, the Firebirds came out flying with three goals in the first period. Following an early second-period goal by the Firebirds, the Wranglers answered twice late in the period. Despite the comeback; the Firebirds stood their ground in the third period. Three separate Firebirds scored in the first half of the third period of play. The Wranglers’ Jordan Oesterle scored within the last minute of play. This was the last regular season win against the Firebirds for the Wranglers.
The next day, March 27, the Wranglers came in with a chip on their shoulder from the blowout win. Within the first period of play the Wranglers scored once with a power play goal by Sam Morton. The Firebirds failed to stay out of the box, taking five penalties. Both teams played clean during the second period, yet neither team scored. The Wranglers secured the lead 2-0 in the third period.
Series Schedule
The series kicks off in Calgary at the Scotiabank Saddledome. Game one will be Friday, May 3, at 6:00 PM PST, with game two starting at 3:00 PM PST on Sunday, May 5.
The series will move to Palm Desert for game three at 7:00 PM PST. If necessary, game four will be at the same time on Friday, May 10, and a possible game five will be at 3:00 PM PST. Games four and five will also be held at Acrisure Arena.
Coachella Players to Watch
This season, Coachella transformed into a very diverse team, with multiple players playing a critical role in their success. Our Coachella Valley regular season recap analyzed the importance of four key players: Max McCormick, Logan Morrison, John Hayden, and Chris Driedger.
While they are some of the most important regular-season contributors, Coachella has a diverse offensive group. Let’s take a look at the group that has the most promise to lift the Firebirds over the Wranglers.
Shane Wright
The 2022 NHL Draft fourth-overall pick of the Seattle Kraken played eight games with the NHL club this season, scoring four goals and providing an assist. Three of these goals were game-winning. If the Firebirds want to improve their playoff play this postseason, Shane Wright can help them achieve this.
In 59 AHL games played this season, Wright has become a leading rookie for the Firebirds. This season alone, Wright totaled 47 points (22 goals and 25 assists).
Wright has played a big part in Coachella’s success against the Wranglers. During two regular-season matchups, Wright earned the title of the number one and number two stars of the game.
Ryker Evans
Evans split time between the NHL and AHL this season but has not played in the AHL since February. Despite Coachella’s physicality struggles this season, Evans’s heavy-hitting play could be a big boost for the Firebirds as they head into the Pacific Division semifinals.
During his 36 games with the Kraken, Evans totaled 62 hits. Evans’ return to the Firebirds is what they need for a more vigorous defense.
Calgary Players to Watch
Dustin Wolf
All eyes are on Dustin Wolf ahead of this matchup. Wolf was able to fend off the Tucson Roadrunners as a definitive underdog and left the series with a .966 save percentage.
He struggled in his two appearances against the Firebirds in the 2023-24 regular season. Wolf split the losses in regulation and overtime. The former AHL Goaltender of the Year allowed an average of 3.95 goals-against in the season series.
Predictions
Karen: The Firebirds mirrored themselves in regular-season points compared to their inaugural season. They were able to take control of the Pacific during regular-season play and win the regular-season series against the Wranglers. This will be a challenging fight for them. The first-round bye may create a slower start for the Firebirds in game one, but they know the fight they will be up against. Firebirds in four.
Jessica: This series went to five last year and even required some bonus hockey to finish the job. Unless the Wranglers finally crack the code, the Firebirds will repeat what they did last year and take this in 5.
Bold Prediction: Matt Coronato builds off the momentum of the last series and has a multipoint game.
