Kole Lind the hero again in Firebirds' 4-3 overtime win over the San Jose Barracuda

Kole Lind is getting familiar with playing the hero against the San Jose Barracuda inside Acrisure Arena.

The 24-year-old right winger from Saskatchewan played that role again for the Coachella Valley Firebirds Monday, this time in a 4-3 overtime win over San Jose in front of a home crowd of 6,309.

Lind also scored the goal that ended the game against the Barracuda on Jan. 10, in the same arena, in a shootout.

On Monday, just 1:46 into overtime, Lind took a pass from teammate Tye Kartye on a two-on-one break. Instead of giving the puck back to Kartye, who has been playing his best hockey of the season, Lind kept it and fired at the Barracuda goal.

“I decided right from the get-go that I was shooting the puck,” Lind said. “I got my head up, picked a spot early and, lucky enough, it went in.”

The win was the first in a Firebirds’ uniform for goaltender Chris Driedger. The 28-year-old goalie was optioned by the NHL’s Seattle Kraken and he arrived in the Coachella Valley over the weekend. It was his first American Hockey League game since the 2019-20 season.

It was also Driedger’s first game since tearing the ACL in his right knee last summer. He has since rehabbed the knee and only recently became available to play.

“I wasn’t really sure how I was going to feel, because it’s been a few months,” Driedger said. “But it felt good. It was fun to be in there. I felt comfortable. That’s where I do my best work.”

Driedger allowed three goals, but recorded 30 saves and made some critical stops in the final period to help send the game into overtime.

“He was counted on a couple times to come up with some huge saves, and he did,” Firebirds head coach Dan Bylsma said. "He had a number of huge saves for us, especially in the third period."

It was the 14th overtime game of the season for the Firebirds, who have earned a reputation for their theatrics late in games. Following consecutive losses inside Acrisure Arena, Coachella Valley (34-9-4-2) is now on a three-game win streak.

The Firebirds are 13-2-0-2 inside their home arena, which opened Dec. 18. They are also 6-0 this season against San Jose.

The goals

1-0, Barracuda: Kyle Criscuolo gave San Jose the early lead with a goal just four and a half minutes into the game. The goal was his 12th of the season.

1-1: Following more than a period without a goal by either team, Carsen Twarynski evened the score on a goal that was assisted by Luke Henman and Austin Poganski. It was Twarynski’s 10th goal of the season.

2-1, Firebirds: Luke Henman gave Coachella Valley its first lead of the game early in the third period on a rebound goal following a shot by Matt Tennyson. For a moment, it appeared that it could have been the game-winning goal. Bylsma said that this goal was critical in swinging momentum toward the Firebirds.

2-2: Little more than a minute after Henman’s goal, Thomas Bordeleau fired the puck past Driedger to tie the game. The goal was Bordeleau’s 20th of the season.

3-2, Barracuda: Three minutes later, Jeff Viel added a third goal for San Jose to regain the lead.

3-3: Cameron Hughes then evened the score once again with a goal nine minutes into the third period. The goal was the fourth in the period and gave Hughes his eighth of the season. Tye Kartye and Brogan Rafferty assisted on the goal.

4-3, Firebirds: Lind’s 20th goal of the season ended the game.

Firebirds' player of the game

Lind is the choice here. It's evident that he has the flare for these big moments.

Lind scored a pair of goals last Wednesday in a win over the Ontario Reign, then added the game-winner Monday for three goals in three games. This is the first time he’s had three goals in three games since he recorded a hat trick in early December.

Ice nuggets

Driedger’s debut: The Kraken had placed Driedger on waivers last week, with the plan to option him to the Firebirds if he was not claimed by Friday’s deadline.

Driedger was 9-14-1 last season for the Kraken, playing behind starter Philipp Grubauer. The Winnipeg native tore his ACL playing for Canada last summer at the IIHF World Hockey Championships.

Kartye's strong play continues: The best stretch of Kartye’s season continued Monday, with the 21-year-old forward adding two assists in the win. Kartye, who assisted on Lind’s game-winning goal, has now either scored or assisted on goals in seven consecutive games.

Kartye has scored five goals and recorded five assists during the seven-game stretch.

Next game

Wednesday: The Firebirds are back on the ice March 1 versus the Calgary Wranglers. Puck drop is 7 p.m.

The game will mark the first appearance for the Wranglers inside Acrisure Arena. The teams are currently the top two in the AHL’s Western Conference. The Firebirds lead the season head-to-head series, 4-2.

"We've played them six times already," Bylsma said, "but it feels like we haven't played them at all. They're the best team in the league, or one of the best teams in the league, and it feels like a showdown that needs to happen."

Coachella Valley would jump Calgary in the standings with a win.

Andrew John covers sports in the Coachella Valley 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: Kole Lind is again the hero in Firebirds' 4-3 OT win over San Jose