After thrashing the Calgary Wranglers (CGY) 6–3 on Friday, the Eagles laced up their skates for a rematch on Sunday afternoon. Although the Colorado Eagles had six goals in Friday’s game, only one of them came at even strength. After weeks of special teams struggles on the road, it was a nice change of pace. However, the inability to score five-on-five against a team at the bottom of the standings could be a sign of bigger problems.

The big news for the Eagles was the arrival of Gavin Brindley, assigned to the Eagles on March 26. Brindley played under Coach Mark Letestu last year with the Cleveland Monsters, the AHL team for the Columbus Blue Jackets. He has six goals and seven assists in 56 games with the Colorado Avalanche this season. He’s expected to be a formidable addition to the Eagles’ lineup.

At the start of the game, the Eagles sat in second place in the Pacific, three points behind the Ontario Reign (LAK). A win would bring them within one point and one step closer to reclaiming their spot atop the division. Calgary started the game in ninth place in the ten-team division and were 1–9–0–0 in their last ten games. On paper, this looked to be another easy win for the Eagles. But they’ve lost too many games to sub-par teams lately to assume anything.

Trent Miner started in net for the third game in a row.

First Period

The Eagles started out strong, outshooting the Wranglers 6–1 in the first five minutes of the game. At 5:38 of the first, Gustav Stjernberg slapped in a shot from the blue line. Taylor Makar  tipped it in, putting the Eagles up 1–0.

After that, the Wranglers turned up the heat. outshooting the Eagles 6–2. Midway through the period, Calgary’s Rory Kerins tied the game. The Eagles gave up multiple odd-man rushes and couldn’t control the puck. Calgary was then called for back-to-back penalties at 15:22 and 15:31 of the first, giving the Eagles a full 1:51 of five-on-three. But even with a two-man advantage, the Eagles weren’t able to score. The teams went to first intermission tied at one.

Second Period

Nothing much happened in the second. Both teams had one power play but failed to score. Calgary seemed to dominate play through the first half of the period, but as time wore on, the Eagles found some traction and tipped the ice in their favor. In the last few minutes before intermission, the Eagles had a good bout of sustained pressure, but couldn’t quite solve Arsenii Sergeev.

Third Period

The Eagles once again struggled to control the puck in the third period. They had multiple turnovers and several instances of being pinned down in their own defensive zone. They looked tired, seeming to sit back and watch where the puck rolled rather than making any effort to go after it. But finally, at 16:41, they broke through. Once again, it was a shot by Stjernberg tipped in by Makar.

Calgary pulled its goalie shortly afterwards. They had multiple shots on goal, but Miner stopped them all, securing the Eagles’ 2–1 victory.

Takeaways

Gustav Stjernberg secured his first two professional points, firing both shots that resulted in Eagles goals. Makar now has six goals and three assists in his last seven games.

The Eagles struggled way more against the Wranglers than they needed to. They shouldn’t have to fight this hard to beat a team that’s already eliminated from the playoffs. Later in this road trip, the Eagles will face both the Ontario Reign and the San Jose Barracuda (SJ). Those games will be huge. The Reign are in first place in the division, ahead of the Eagles by only one point. The Barracuda are in third place. They’ve been hot on the Eagles’ heels for weeks now.

It can be hard for teams to maintain momentum in this final stretch before the playoffs, but if the Eagles want to keep home-ice advantage, they’ll need to turn up the heat and show a lot more grit than they did on Sunday.

Up Next:

The Eagles continue their road trip. They play the Bakersfield Condors (EDM) on Wednesday, April 1. The Condors are currently in fourth place in the Pacific Division. They’ve won their last three games and are 6–3–1–0 in their last ten. Puck drops at 7:30 Mountain Time. AHLTV on FloHockey.com will stream the game.