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Inside the matchup: Coachella Valley Firebirds vs. Calgary Wranglers

shad powers, palm springs desert sun
·4 min read

Just like they did in the first round of the Calder Cup playoffs, the Coachella Valley Firebirds used a dominating victory in a decisive final game to advance. Whew!

The Firebirds rolled to a 5-0 win over the Colorado Eagles on Friday to survive their second-round series and set up the clash that most were expecting and hoping for.

The second-place Firebirds now face the first-place Calgary Wranglers in a best-of-five series for the Pacific Division title. The matchup pits the teams with the two best records in the entire American Hockey League as the Wranglers scored 106 points to the Firebirds' 103.

It's a classic matchup as both teams are in the top five in the AHL in both goals scored and fewest goals allowed.

The Coachella Valley Firebirds defeated the Colorado Eagles 5-0 in game five of the second round of the 2023 Calder Cup Playoffs at Acrisure Arena in Palm Desert, Calif., on Friday, May 5, 2023.
The Coachella Valley Firebirds defeated the Colorado Eagles 5-0 in game five of the second round of the 2023 Calder Cup Playoffs at Acrisure Arena in Palm Desert, Calif., on Friday, May 5, 2023.

There are only eight teams remaining to win the Calder Cup and the Coachella Valley vs. Calgary series begins Thursday in Calgary.

Here is everything you need to know about the matchup:

The schedule

  • Game 1: Thu., May 11 - Coachella Valley at Calgary, 6:05 p.m.

  • Game 2: Fri., May 12 - Coachella Valley at Calgary, 6:05 p.m.

  • Game 3: Mon., May 15 - Calgary at Coachella Valley, 7 p.m.

  • Game 4: Wed., May 17 - Caglary at Coachella Valley, 7 p.m.

  • Game 5: Fri., May 19 - Caglary at Coachella Valley, 7 p.m.

As the top seed, Calgary had the choice of whether to play Games 1 and 2 at home or Games 3, 4 and 5. Calgary, just as they did in their 3-1 win over Abbottsford in the previous round, has chosen the first two games at home. It's an interesting strategy and the opposite of what the Firebirds would've chosen. So if the series comes down to a decisive Game 5, it will be at Acrisure Arena, not in Calgary.

Season series

The two teams split their eight meetings this season, but the Wranglers have won the only two played since Acrisure Arena opened, dealing the Firebirds two of their rare regulation-time home losses during the year.

  • Oct. 16: Firebirds 6, Wranglers 5

  • Oct. 17: Firebirds 3, Wranglers 1

  • Oct. 28: Wranglers 6, Firebirds 4

  • Oct. 29: Firebirds 5, Wranglers 3

  • Nov. 22: Wranglers 5, Firebirds 3

  • Nov. 24: Firebirds 4, Wranglers 3

  • March 1: Wranglers 3, Firebirds 1

  • April 15: Wranglers 3, Firebirds 1

Know the foe

What makes the Wranglers so good is simple. It's hard to score against them. They have the best goalkeeper and, according to most experts, the best player in the AHL in Dustin Wolf. Wolf, only 22, was named the goaltender of the year this season and last season in the AHL. He was named the AHL MVP this year, the first goalie to earn that honor since 2004. He yields just 2.09 goals per game. However, the Firebirds did score three or more goals against him five times during the regular season.

Calgary goaltender Dustin Wolf (32) skates away from the goal during a break in play during the first period of their game at Acrisure Arena in Palm Desert, Calif., Wednesday, April 5, 2023.
Calgary goaltender Dustin Wolf (32) skates away from the goal during a break in play during the first period of their game at Acrisure Arena in Palm Desert, Calif., Wednesday, April 5, 2023.

With Wolf along with their stingy overall team defense that includes having the best penalty kill in the league, the Wranglers yielded a league-low 174 goals in the regular season. The Firebirds, by comparison, gave up 194 goals during the season, which ranked fourth-best in the AHL. There were only four teams in the league that did not yield 200 goals.

How good was their penalty kill in the series against Abbottsford? The Wranglers were shorthanded 18 times and only yielded one goal.

Offensively, the Wranglers' primary weapon is Matthew Phillips, who led Calgary with 76 points. He was particularly a thorn in the Firebirds' side, racking up five goals and seven assists in the eight games against Coachella Valley.

Around the AHL

The other three divisional finals feature the Hershey Bears vs. the Hartford Wolf Pack for the Atlantic Division title, the Toronto Marlies vs. the Manchester Americans for the North Division title and the Texas Stars vs. the Milwaukee Admirals for the Central Division title. The winner of the Wranglers-Firebirds series will play the winner of the Stars-Admirals series in the final four in a best-of-7 series.

Watch party

The Coachella Valley Firebirds will host free viewing parties for Round 3 of the Calder Cup Playoffs at the Spotlight Showroom at Spotlight 29 Casino on Thursday night. Fans are invited to come together to cheer on the home team as the Firebirds take on the Calgary Flames for Game 1 on Thursday and Game 2 on Friday. Doors open both days at 5 p.m. The puck drops for both games is at 6:05 p.m.

Fans cheer for the Coachella Valley Firebirds during game five of the second round of the 2023 Calder Cup Playoffs against the Colorado Eagles at Acrisure Arena in Palm Desert, Calif., on Friday, May 5, 2023. Firebirds won 5-0.
Fans cheer for the Coachella Valley Firebirds during game five of the second round of the 2023 Calder Cup Playoffs against the Colorado Eagles at Acrisure Arena in Palm Desert, Calif., on Friday, May 5, 2023. Firebirds won 5-0.

Firebirds tickets

Tickets for Game 3 at Acrisure Arena on Monday are on sale now, starting at $19.

Shad Powers is a columnist for The Desert Sun. Have questions about the Firebirds or the AHL playoffs? Shoot him a message at shad.powers@desertsun.com.

This article originally appeared on Palm Springs Desert Sun: Inside the matchup: Coachella Valley Firebirds vs. Calgary Wranglers