The two hottest teams in the Western Conference meet in the Final as the Milwaukee Admirals take on the Coachella Valley Firebirds. Coachella Valley made short work of the Ontario Reign, sweeping them 3-0, while the Grand Rapids Griffins put up a fight in the Central Division Final before Milwaukee came away victorious after five games.
How Coachella Valley Beat The Reign
Coachella made the Ontario Reign easy to work on. Only in game three of the series did the Firebirds fight for a lead. The key for Coachella is to come out flying and stay out of the box as much as possible.
Injury Report
In game two of the series, Shane Wright took a nasty hit against the Reign. Specifically, Ontario’s Hayden Hodgson would illegally hit Wright. Consequently, Wright would not come back to the series for game three. Instead, Coachella would mark him as day-to-day. However, Wright has practiced with the team since the injury. Therefore, there is hope Wright will return to the lineup for game one.
Coaching Promotion
On Tuesday, May 28, the Seattle Kraken named Dan Bylsma their second head coach. Notably, Bylsma is the only head coach Coachella Valley have known in their short history. Moreover, Bylsma and his staff have created a playoff culture in the desert in just these two seasons. Even with his promotion to the NHL club, Bylsma knows he hasn’t finished his work with the Firebirds.
How Milwaukee Beat Grand Rapids
Kids Keep On Keeping On
Zach L’Heureux keeps leading the way for the Admirals. He now has eight goals and 13 points in 10 games, and is still shooting at a catastrophically high rate. Egor Afanasyev, the oldest of the “kids”, had four goals and six points in the final three games of the series against Grand Rapids. And Yaroslav Askarov, after struggling against Texas, stepped in and was more like the Askarov the Admirals fans expected in Games 2, 3 and 4, before having to bow out to injury for Game 5.
Tendie Tandem
Having a solid backup goalie really comes into it’s own in the playoffs. You can’t rely on just having the one great goalie, and though the Admirals don’t have the best single goalie, they might have one of the best tandems still alive in the playoffs. When Askarov has struggled, veteran Troy Grosenick has stepped in, and vice versa. Most notable, Grosenick pitched a 2-0 shutout in the do or die Game 5 vs Grand Rapids after not playing since Game 1 of the series.
Goals! Goals! Goals!
The Milwaukee Admirals have scored more goals than any other playoff team, with 32 in 10 games. They outscored the Griffins 16-10, and almost all their goals have come at 5v5 (Only seven power play goals this postseason, plus three shorthanded goals). Their special teams have been middling to bad, but their five on five play is what’s keeping this team alive.
Regular Season Series Match-up
For the first time all postseason, this match-up will be completely blind. These two teams didn’t play each other all season, though this is a match-up of last year’s Western Conference Final, which the Firebirds came out victorious with a 4-2 victory. These are different teams than that series, but not too different. It’ll be interesting to see if the Admirals can figure out the Firebirds this time around.
Phil Tomasino, who has been quiet so far this postseason, led the way for the Admirals last postseason with six points in the six game series, and the Firebirds captain, Max McCormick, had seven points to lead the series scoring.
Milwaukee 3 @ Coachella Valley 4 (Jun 5 2023) Final
Coachella Valley 2 @ Milwaukee 1 (Jun 3 2023) Final
Coachella Valley 2 @ Milwaukee 5 (Jun 1 2023) Final
Coachella Valley 1 @ Milwaukee 3 (May 29 2023) Final
Milwaukee 3 @ Coachella Valley 5 (May 27 2023) Final
Milwaukee 4 @ Coachella Valley 6 (May 25 2023) Final
Firebirds to Watch
Going into this post season it was unclear how Chris Driedger would perform. Now, Driedger has becom a key for Coachella’s success in the last six games. Driedger has won sox of this seven playoff apperances, with a 2.39 GAA and a .921 Save Percentage.
The Admirals present a much larger and more physical challenge than any team Coachella faced all season. As this round starts up, expections grow for John Hayden, to bring more of his physicality to the table.Moreover, Hayden will not only add a physical presence for Coachella, but he also has the potential for increased production. In the seven games so far, Hayden has a +5 rating with two goals and two assists.
Another player to watch is Andrew Poturalski. Unlike others, Poturalski led the Chicago Wolves before joining the Firebirds, giving him valuable experience at UW-Milwaukee Panther Arena. Poturalski averages 0.86 points per game, with one goal and five assists. On the road and with his knowledge, he should lead plays that will convert into Firebirds’ goals.
Admirals To Watch
I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again: Zach L’Heureux is a problem. Currently shooting at over 40%, leading the AHL in goals and points, and even getting into it with the opposing goalie, Sebastian Cossa, he’s making an impact on and off the scoresheet. He’s also leading the team in penalty minutes with 26, and only Louie Belpedio (Lehigh Valley) and Hayden Hodgson (Ontario) have more, with 30 each.
Egor Afanasyev has come alive in the last few games. Currently second on the team in scoring, four of his five goals came in Games 3 and 4, and seven of his nine points came in this series. Can he take it up another notch as the quality of competition continues to improve?
Goaltending is going to be big in this series. Coachella Valley made Erik Portillo, one of the best performing goalies in the first round, look ordinary. Askarov missed Game 5 with injury. Will Grosenick be the guy for the Admirals? He’s performed well so far, with a .924 over the five games he’s played (good for fourth in the postseason and third among still active goalies). If he stumbles, does Milwaukee have another option? It’s going to be interesting to see who mans that starter’s crease tonight in Palm Springs.
Predictions
Karen: The Admirals will make this a challenging series for the Firebirds. Indeed, in the last two series, it has been evident that the Admirals are willing to push the other team late. Conversely, Coachella wants to have a chance to win Bylsma a Calder Cup before his move to Seattle. In conclusion, Firebirds in 6.
Jay: Every time it looks like the Admirals are down for the count, they pull it back. That being said, Coachella Valley is a monster. They made short work of the Wranglers and the Reign, and have only lost one game all postseason so far. The Admirals will put up a fight, but the Firebirds take this series in 5 games.
What’s Next
The Coachella Valley Firebirds open their best of seven series against the Milwaukee Admirals tonight at the Acriscure Arena in Palm Springs. Puck drop is at 7pm PT.
