Firebirds eye redemption as playoffs arrive

Canucks spoil home finale in late third‑period flurry

The Firebirds opened the week Friday against Abbotsford and looked flat for nearly 40 minutes before Jacob Melanson tied the contest late in the second. Momentum didn’t hold. The Canucks pounced twice in 14 seconds late in the third and added an empty‑netter for a 4‑1 win, handing Nikke Kokko a hard‑luck loss despite 22 saves.

OT shootout in San Diego ends with Gulls on top

Saturday’s regular‑season curtain‑closer turned into a back‑and‑forth thriller. Newcomer Andrei Loshko announced himself with two first‑career AHL goals, while a power‑play one‑timer from Oscar Fisker Mølgaard and a bar‑down equalizer by Logan Morrison forced overtime at 4–4. Just 34 seconds into OT, San Diego’s Sam Colangelo buried the winner, capping a 5‑4 setback for Coachella Valley.

State of the Firebirds

Coachella Valley finished April at 2‑6, hardly the surge they wanted, yet their 37‑25‑5‑5 record (84 pts) still locked up home ice for the opening round. The late‑season slide underscores areas to tighten: defensive coverage and late‑game composure. The upside? This roster knows how to grind through long playoff runs—and now regains leading scorer Jani Nyman, fresh off a 3‑goal, 3‑assist NHL stint.

Round 1 preview – Firebirds vs. Wranglers

• Format: Best‑of‑three (all at Acrisure Arena) starting Tuesday, April 22.

• Season Series: Firebirds 6‑2‑0‑0 versus Calgary.

• Playoff History: Coachella eliminated the Wranglers in each of the last two springs—Pacific Finals (2023) and Pacific Semis (2024).

What to expect:

• Star Ppower Return – Nyman slots back with Ben Meyers and Jagger Firkus, a trio that drove the league’s third‑best power play.

• Goaltending Duel – Coach Derek Laxdal will have to balance the net between Kokko’s steady glove and rookie Victor Östman, owner of a 2.38 GAA in limited duty.

• Special‑Teams Battle – Coachella’s penalty kill ranks top‑five in the league, snuffing out 85.2 percent of opposing power plays; the power play, meanwhile, sits in the middle of the playoff pack, so even a modest uptick with Nyman back could swing a short series.

• Physical Edge – Expect Calgary to lean on forechecking forwards like Martin Frk; Cale Fleury and Nikolas Brouillard will need quick exits to ignite transition.

One best‑of‑three series is a sprint: score early, stay disciplined, and ride the crowd. If the Firebirds can re‑discover their December‑January scoring swagger—and if Nyman heats up quickly—Coachella Valley has every ingredient to dismiss Calgary for a third straight year and begin another deep Calder Cup chase.

Key players to watch

• Jani Nyman – 28 AHL goals despite missing 14 games; sniper returns to reclaim the crease‑front real estate.

• Nikolas Brouillard – Three assists Friday and two on Saturday; quarterback of a PP that must be difference‑maker.

• Andrei Loshko – Two‑goal debut hints at unexpected secondary punch that could swing a short series.

Buckle up: the quest for unfinished business drops the puck Tuesday night in the desert.

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