The Eagles have held first place in the Pacific Division since the start of the season, but one team has been hot on their heels over the last few weeks: the Ontario Reign (LAK). Coming into tonight’s game, both teams had 54 points, although the Eagles have two games in hand. Colorado has struggled against Ontario this season, going 1–4–0–1 prior to tonight. Two of those losses took place in Loveland less than two weeks ago when the Reign temporarily bumped the Eagles into second place. First, the Reign won 6–3 in regulation. The very next night, the Eagles fell 4–3 in a shootout despite being up 3–0 early in the third. So emotions were high even before tonight’s game started.

The Game

The first period could not have gone worse for the Eagles. Turnovers in the neutral zone led to two Reign goals, the first happening only eighteen seconds into the game, and the second coming seven minutes later. Cole Guttman scored both goals for the Reign. Both teams went 0-for-1 on the power play in the first period.

The second period began with a change in net for the Eagles. Trent Miner did not return to the bench as Kyle Keyser took over. The Eagles broadcaster Kevin McGlue speculated that Miner might have sustained an injury during the goal, but it is unclear whether the change was because of injury or another poor start.

The Eagles had several very good chances in the second and yet still gave up another goal 12:12 into the second. A few seconds later, Alex Gagne and Jakub Dvořák were both sent to the box for roughing. During the ensuing four-on-four, Danil Gushchin managed to get the Eagles on the board.

Neither team had a power play during the second period, and the Eagles went into the second intermission down 3–1. Things really went sideways six minutes into the third when Gagne and Tristen Nielsen were called for penalties only 41 seconds apart, giving the Reign 1:19 of a five-on-three power play. The Eagles, thanks to Keyser’s incredible saves, repelled the onslaught. Yet, scarcely had the subsequent five-on-four begun when they yielded a goal. The Eagles couldn’t get another puck past Pheonix Copley, and ended up losing the game 4–1.

Conclusion:

Jack Ahcan was out of the lineup tonight after being called up by the Colorado Avalanche. His strength on the blue line helps the Eagles. His absence definitely made things a lot harder for the Eagles. But losing players to the Avalanche is something the Eagles can’t control. One thing they can control is special teams. Their abysmal power play numbers have been discussed ad nauseam since the start of 2026. They’re now one for twenty-one on the power play in their last seven games.

The Eagles will play the Reign two more times this season. Given their positions in the standings, there’s a decent chance these two teams end up meeting again in the postseason as well. On the bright side, the Reign have never won a playoff series against the Eagles. (The Eagles eliminated Ontario in 2021, 2022, and 2023. They didn’t face each other in the playoffs in 2024 or 2025). But given how things have gone so far this season, it’s hard to imagine Colorado prevailing if they play again in the postseason.

Up Next:

Colorado will head to Coachella Valley, where they’ll face the Firebirds (SEA) on Wednesday, January 21 at 7:30 MST. The Firebirds are currently fourth in the division at 22–12–5–0. The Eagles are 2–0–0–1 against them so far this season. AHLTV on FloHockey.com will stream the game.