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The offensive woes of the Coachella Valley Firebirds continued Saturday night, but not because the Firebirds weren't putting pressure on the Henderson Silver Knights.
Despite putting 35 shots on net, the Firebirds scored just a single goal for the third game in a row, falling 2-1 to the Henderson Silver Knights at Acrisure Arena. The loss is the third in a row for Coachella Valley and drops the Firebirds five points behind first-place Colorado in the Pacific Division of the AHL.
With key offensive players like Jani Nyman, John Hayden and Cale Fleury recently called up to the parent Seattle Kraken of the NHL, the Firebirds have struggled to put the puck in the net in recent games. But in Saturday's game against Henderson, the Firebirds put pressure on Henderson goalie Carl Lindbom, only to have Lindbom turn away shot after shot.
The Firebirds took the lead in the game at the 9:11 mark of the first period when Tucker Robertson dropped a backhand pass to defenseman Ville Ottavainen, with Ottavainen beating Lindbom from the right circle. Jagger Firkus also had an assist on the goal on what was Ottavainen's first goal since November.
But the lead lasted just 49 seconds, with Henderson scoring when Kai Uchacz skated in from the right circle, slipping a shot past Firebirds goalie Nikke Kokko. The game remained 1-1 until 12:15 in the second period, when Henderson's Alexander Holtz fired a shot past Kokko from the right of the net.
After that, both Lindbom and Kokko played well, turning away shots including some from in front of the net. Kokko had 22 saves in the game.
Any comeback by Coachella Valley was hurt by a two-minute boarding penalty with just 3:31 left in the game, and the Firebirds also pulled Kokko in the closing minute for a 6-on-5 advantage that still couldn't produce the tying goal.
Despite the loss, the Firebirds remain in second place in the Pacific Division at 32-20-2-5 and 71 points, now five points behind Colorado. The Firebirds don't play again until Wednesday, when they again host Henderson for a 7 p.m. game.
This article originally appeared on Palm Springs Desert Sun: Firebirds drop third straight game as offense struggles to produce goals
Continue reading...
Despite putting 35 shots on net, the Firebirds scored just a single goal for the third game in a row, falling 2-1 to the Henderson Silver Knights at Acrisure Arena. The loss is the third in a row for Coachella Valley and drops the Firebirds five points behind first-place Colorado in the Pacific Division of the AHL.
With key offensive players like Jani Nyman, John Hayden and Cale Fleury recently called up to the parent Seattle Kraken of the NHL, the Firebirds have struggled to put the puck in the net in recent games. But in Saturday's game against Henderson, the Firebirds put pressure on Henderson goalie Carl Lindbom, only to have Lindbom turn away shot after shot.
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The Firebirds took the lead in the game at the 9:11 mark of the first period when Tucker Robertson dropped a backhand pass to defenseman Ville Ottavainen, with Ottavainen beating Lindbom from the right circle. Jagger Firkus also had an assist on the goal on what was Ottavainen's first goal since November.
But the lead lasted just 49 seconds, with Henderson scoring when Kai Uchacz skated in from the right circle, slipping a shot past Firebirds goalie Nikke Kokko. The game remained 1-1 until 12:15 in the second period, when Henderson's Alexander Holtz fired a shot past Kokko from the right of the net.
After that, both Lindbom and Kokko played well, turning away shots including some from in front of the net. Kokko had 22 saves in the game.
Any comeback by Coachella Valley was hurt by a two-minute boarding penalty with just 3:31 left in the game, and the Firebirds also pulled Kokko in the closing minute for a 6-on-5 advantage that still couldn't produce the tying goal.
Despite the loss, the Firebirds remain in second place in the Pacific Division at 32-20-2-5 and 71 points, now five points behind Colorado. The Firebirds don't play again until Wednesday, when they again host Henderson for a 7 p.m. game.
This article originally appeared on Palm Springs Desert Sun: Firebirds drop third straight game as offense struggles to produce goals
Continue reading...
