The Need to Knows
- The Places: Acrisure Arena in Palm Desert, CA, and Abbotsford Arena in Abbotsford, BC
- The Schedule:
- Game 1: Today! 7pm
- Game 2: May 3rd, 6pm
- Game 3: May 7th, 7pm
- Game 4: May 9th, 7pm (If needed)
- Game 5: May 11th, 7pm (If needed)
- All games in Pacific Time.
- The Affiliates: Seattle Kraken and Vancouver Canucks
- Places to Watch: AHLtv on FloHockey
- Places to Listen: KDGL 106.9 The Eagle
How We Got Here
- Coachella beat the Calgary Wranglers in two games, first in a triple overtime classic in Game 1, and then shut the Wranglers out in Game 2!
- Abbotsford meanwhile had to go the distance against the Tuscon Roadrunners, winning the first game in a track meet, dropping Game 2, and finally dropping a fridge on the Roadrunners in Game 3.
As a result of the re-seeding in the AHL playoffs, the Firebirds and Canucks were set to play one another.
X-Factors heading into Game 1
Can anyone stop Bains and Blais?
The Baby Canucks had to go the distance in the first round against the Tuscon Roadrunners, and while Abbotsford has a number of extremely talented forwards who could’ve stepped up big time to beat them, no two players put themselves in a position to do that better than Arshdeep Bains and Sammy Blais.
Arshdeep Bains and Sammy Blais had a phenominal start to the playoffs; kicking them off with a two point night on game one and then being a major part of the Canucks attack through the next two games.
Of course, they’re just the highlights of a deep, deep scoring corps out in Pacific-Adjacent British Columbia; four players had 40 points in 40+ games for the Canucks this year, and while Aatu Räty and Christian Wolanin haven’t quite popped off to the same extent that Bains and Blais have, they’re right there with them in a host of Abbotsford players that have entered these early AHL rounds at nearly a point per game. Coachella needs to figure out how to shut these guys down quickly, and that starts with…
Surviving Early Surges
Against Tuscon, the Roadrunners subjected their goalie to a ridiculous amount of rubber through the first 20 minutes of the Best-of-3 series. Abbotsford dropped a mindboggling 44 shots in all three of the first periods they played in their first round series, and leading into the playoffs, it seems like that’s a particular specialty of the team. It’s paid off too; the Canucks are the current leader in goals scored in the entire conference; with 10 across 3 games.
The Firebirds will need to stymy the Canucks as much as they can, because otherwise they could end up in positions where it feels like they’ve been trapped on a power play they can’t escape.
Is the PK ready for battle?
The Firebirds were perfect on the penalty kill through the first round, which isn’t necessarily impossible in a Best-of-3 series, but it is pretty difficult. The Wranglers power play wasn’t exactly inspiring, and as such they went home with a spotless record on the way to beating Calgary in two hard fought games.
This series is gonna be the real test for the Firebirds; Abbotsford’s power play is 2nd in the conference with 25% success rate, and they had a lot of chances over a short series. They know how to get penalties, and it seemed like Tuscon was more than willing to get a little mean in order to facilitate it. Coachella’s discipline needs to be just as good against Abbotsford as it was against Calgary, or they could end up in a lot of trouble.
Who’s stepping up with Stephens and Hayden?
Mitchell Stephens has been on an absolute tear through the first couple of games for the Firebirds; having 3 goals in 2 games for a team lead. John Hayden also happens to be enjoying his 2025 playoff run, as he’s gotten 2 goals in 2 games.
The Firebirds only have one other goal scored by a non Stephens/Hayden player, and that’s Brandon Biro’s tally from Game 1.
While it is fun to whip Calgary every so often, the Firebirds are not just going to need defensive help on account of how good their opponent has started, they also need offensive help from their depth and youth to really solidify their chances. Plenty of players have an assist so far this playoffs, but they need to start contributing and soon; the AHL Canucks are built to score it seems, and it needs to be more than two guys doing all the work.
Granted, it’s still early!…but in a Best-of-5 series, you need to show your mettle quickly.
Let’s hear it for the young boys as they begin their series at home in Coachella!