The postseason is over for the Seattle Kraken’s American Hockey League affiliate Coachella Valley Firebirds, who lost 3-2 to the Colorado Eagles on Wednesday night and dropped their best-of-five Pacific Division Final three games to one.
The Firebirds blew a two-nothing lead when the Eagles scored three unanswered goals in the second period and held on.
Kraken 2022 2nd-round NHL Draft pick Jagger Firkus opened the scoring just 4:13 into the contest with an assist to defenseman Ville Ottavainen.
Ottavainen, who played one game for the Kraken during the 2024-’25 season, then made it two-nothing for the visitors at the 2:30 mark of the second period. It was the right-shot Finn’s first goal of the playoffs.
That’s when things went south and turned in favor of the Avalanche affiliate located in Loveland, Colorado.
Bryan Yoon got the Blue Arena rocking when he put the Eagles on the board with his first of the postseason at 6:45 of the second. Tristen Nielsen tied the game just two minutes and twelve seconds later. The momentum continued for the home squad when Gavin Brindley scored the eventual game winner at 11:53.
There were no goals in the third period. Colorado finished with one more shot than Coachella Valley, 26-25, and went 1-for-2 on the power play while the Firebirds went 0-for-2. It was an even game that came down to home ice advantage.
The Eagles took a 2-1 series lead with a 4-1 win at Blue Arena on Sunday.
The Kraken affiliate fell two wins short of the western conference final, a stage it reached and won twice in its first four seasons of existence. The Firebirds went on to lose the Calder Cup Final in both 2023 and 2024.
The Eagles joined the AHL in 2018. This is their first trip to a conference final.
Earlier Kraken:
— Kraken 2026-’27 Outlook; Now The Bad News
