Firebirds' 10-game point streak snapped in 5-2 loss to Eagles
No team can stay hot forever.
On Saturday, inside Acrisure Arena, the hottest team in the Pacific Division was given that reminder.
Two days after the second of back-to-back shutout wins, the Coachella Valley Firebirds, comfortably in first place, looked surprisingly flat in a 5-2 loss to the Colorado Eagles in front of a crowd of 8,459.
“They were hungry,” Firebirds forward Devin Shore said. “They just outplayed us, so credit to them.”
“They brought it,” Shore added.
The setback was the Firebirds' first home loss in regulation in a month. It also snapped Coachella Valley’s 10-game point streak in the standings and cut the Firebirds’ lead in the division from three points to one. The Tucson Roadrunners sit in second place, with 61 points, following a win over the Ontario Reign. The Eagles remain in third place, with 59 points.
Colorado jumped out to a quick lead on Saturday, scoring the first goal at the 1:05 mark of the first period. Shore answered 10 minutes later, on a power play goal to even the score. But within a minute the Eagles took the lead again, on their own power play, and ran away with the game.
Early in the third period, Firebirds' captain Max McCormick scored his team-leading 21st goal of the season on another power play to cut the deficit to 3-2. But Colorado scored its third goal less than a minute later to dissolve any thoughts of a Firebirds comeback.
The Firebirds (28-13-4-2) will be back on the ice Sunday at home against the Henderson Silver Knights. Puck drop is set for 5 p.m.
“It definitely wasn’t our best effort,” Firebirds forward Andrew Poturalski said of Saturday’s loss. “They deserved to win tonight. They played better than us and worked harder than us. But we’ve got a quick turnaround, and we’ve got a chance to redeem ourselves tomorrow.”
Firebirds goaltender Chris Driedger recorded 36 saves in the loss. Coachella Valley was 2-of-4 on the power play and 3-of-4 on the penalty kill.
Colorado netminder Ivan Prosvetov recorded another strong game for the Eagles. He recorded 38 saves and has not allowed more than two goals in any of his four games in the AHL this season. The 24-year-old from Russia has spent the majority of the 2023-24 season with the NHL’s Colorado Avalanche.
Shore said that while the loss was not welcomed, it could be a good reminder for the Firebirds of the type of game they can expect against division opponents down the stretch.
“That’s what the games are going to be like in the second half of the season and in the playoffs,” Shore said. “So, it’s good for us to get that taste and expect that every night.”
Firebirds head coach Dan Bylsma echoed that sentiment.
“It’s an indication that night in and night out,” Bylsma said, “you’re going to see a good team.”
He added, "I think you can expect a tough game and a tough opponent pretty much every night we’re playing.”
The goals
1-0, Eagles: Cedric Pare scored his ninth goal of the season on a shot that came easier than the Firebirds typically allow. It seemed to set Coachella Valley back on its heels to start the game.
1-1: Shore’s goal came on a shot from the left wing, following a pass from Cameron Hughes from the right win. Connor Carrick, who passed the puck to Hughes from the center of the ice, also recorded an assist on the play. The goal was Shore’s fourth of the season.
2-1, Eagles: Rile Tufte scored his 14th goal of the season for the Eagles on a pass from Peter Holland, who finished with a pair of assists in the game.
3-1: Spencer Smallman scored his seventh goal of the season to early in the second period to give the Eagles their first two-goal lead of the game.
3-2: McCormick’s power-play goal came on a tipped shot by Poturalski. The replay looked like it was Poturalski who scored, but the official scorekeeper credited McCormick on the tip.
4-2: Brad Hunt, who was especially active in the game, answered McCormick’s goal to give the Eagles another two-goal lead. The goal was a form of redemption for Hunt, who sat in the penalty box twice for slashing in the second period.
5-2: Callahan Burke scored his 11th goal of the season late in the third period.
Ice nuggets
Poturalski reached 400: In Thursday’s win over San Jose, Poturalski surpassed 400 career points in his AHL career. He’s one of just 99 players in the 88-year history of the league to reach that milestone.
For the season, Poturalski has 33 points (10 goals, 23 assists).
Wright out: Star rookie forward Shane Wright, who is second on the team with 18 goals this season, sat out Saturday with an undisclosed injury. He’s played 43 of the Firebirds’ 47 games this season.
Andrew John covers the Coachella Valley Firebirds for The Desert Sun and the USA TODAY Network. Email him at andrew.john@desertsun.com.
This article originally appeared on Palm Springs Desert Sun: Firebirds 'outplayed' in 5-2 loss to Eagles
