CONDORS LOOK TO CLOSE OUT FIREBIRDS AS SERIES SHIFTS TO COACHELLA VALLEY

  • CONDORS @ FIREBIRDS

    FIRST ROUND (Game 2, Best-of-3)

    The Condors postseason run is presented by Dignity Health, Mercy & Memorial Hospitals

    Acrisure Arena, Palm Desert, Calif.

    PUCK DROP: 6 p.m.

    WATCH PARTY: Join the Condors official watch party at Legends Bar & Grill tonight. There will be food and drink specials and the game on multiple TV’s with sound. Reservations are not accepted and seating is first-come, first serve.

    PLAYOFF PASSES: 

    You can secure your seats now with the purchase of a Playoff Pass. Passes are available as eight flex vouchers to use for any round, in any quantity. Seats are purchased on a first-come, first-serve basis, so do not be left out on all of the playoff excitement. Purchase yours by clicking here.

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    JERSEY RAFFLES & AUCTIONS:

    Throughout the postseason, each game will feature auctions and/or raffles. Tonight, there is a Cam Dineen signed game jersey up for bidding! Click here to bid.

  • GAME NOTES

    To download tonight’s game notes: click here

GAME PREVIEW presented by Rodriguez & Associates

The Bakersfield Condors can advance to the division semifinals in Game 2 as the series shifts to Coachella Valley.

SERIES SCHEDULE

(5) BAKERSFIELD CONDORS vs (4) COACHELLA VALLEY FIREBIRDS (best-of-3)

GAME 1: Thursday, April 23: Coachella Valley 1 @ BAKERSFIELD 6 (BAK leads, 1-0)

GAME 2: Saturday, April 25: Bakersfield @ COACHELLA VALLEY (Acrisure Arena), 6 p.m.

GAME 3: Sunday, April 26: Bakersfield @ COACHELLA VALLEY (Acrisure Arena), 5 p.m.*

*-if necessary

SNAPPED

The 6-1 win on Thursday was the largest win in Condors AHL postseason history and snapped a skid of seven straight losses.

TOMMER TIME

Making just his second Calder Cup Playoffs start, Matt Tomkins stopped 38 shots in the Game 1 win. He is now 5-1-1 against Coachella Valley (regular season + playoffs combined).

KILL, KILL, KILL

The Condors penalty kill was a perfect 7/7 on Thursday. Bakersfield’s penalty kill was 14th overall at 81.9%, but second at home killing 115/130 power plays (88.5%). Coachella Valley had been 7/25 (28.0%) against Bakersfield entering the postseason.

CAPTAIN CONDOR

Seth Griffith had two goals in Game 1 and added to his Calder Cup playoff total with 45 points (16g-29a) in 50 games. He finished fifth in the league scoring race with 67 points (18g-49a) in 71 games.

DJ POU

Sam Poulin entered Game 1 as one of the few Condors with postseason experience. He scored and had an assist to give him eight points (4g-4a) in 11 career postseason contests.

WHAT CAN BROWN DO FOR YOU?

Josh Brown had two assists and was +4. He matched his career best with 13 points (2g-11a) in the regular season.

REGULAR SEASON RECAP 

Bakersfield won six of the eight matchups in the season series with a 6-1-1 record. Three of the eight games went past regulation.

PLAYOFF HISTORY

The Condors make their sixth appearance in the AHL postseason after missing out on a tiebreaker a season ago. Bakersfield has been swept in each of its last three postseason series dating back to 2022. The last series victory came when the Condors swept Abbotsford in the first round of the 2022 Calder Cup Playoffs. Overall, the team is 3-2 in best-of-3 series including back-to-back wins in 2021 on its way to a Pacific Division Title.

Coachella Valley enters the postseason for the fourth straight season in its existence. The Firebirds advanced to back-to-back Calder Cup Finals in 2023 and 2024. Last season, the team swept Calgary in the first round, before falling to the eventual Calder Cup Champion Abbotsford Canucks in four games.

CLOSE OUT

Bakersfield is 3-1 in the AHL era with an opportunity to close out a series. The team defeated San Diego in Game 3 of the 2021 postseason and Abbotsford in the first round of the 2022 playoffs. Bakersfield failed to eliminate Henderson in Game 2 of the Pacific Division Finals in 2021, but did so the following opportunity with a Game 3 win.

YOUTH ON DISPLAY 

The Firebirds forward group features only five forwards older than 23 years of age. Only two of their d-men are 25 years or older and none of their three netminders are older than 25.

Similarly, the Condors have eight rookies up front, but a more veteran back end with five of the six blueliners expected to dress having over 300 professional games of experience.

AROUND THE PACIFIC 

2-seed Colorado and 3-seed Henderson both swept their first round series and will matchup in the divisional semifinals. Ontario, who had a bye in the first round, awaits the winner of this series in a best-of-5.