ONTARIO, Calif.—The Colorado Eagles are the only team in the Pacific Division to clinch their spot in the playoffs after a victory over the Bakersfield Condors (EDM) on Wednesday. Yet, their Saturday night performance falls short of expectations.

To maintain their first place spot, they have to stay alive for ten more games. For other teams, the race for seeding is much more dire.

For most of the season, the Ontario Reign (LAK) was closely trailing the Colorado Eagles. In a recent change of events, The Abbotsford Canucks (VAN) charged ahead of the Reign by a mere one point.

After the 2–1 loss, the Reign will move up in the standings and bring the Eagles’ four game win streak to a halt.

Takeaways

It seemed the Eagles phoned it in and took the night off. Missed passes and a general sluggish demeanor characterized their performance on the ice. Rather than playing to the identity of a first-place team, the roster spent more time fighting than scoring.

Besides the lackluster appearance on the ice, the team struggled offensively. In the second period alone, the team ended the frame seven shots behind Ontario. In the third period, the Reign kept the Eagles to a mere four shots on goal.

The special teams, while usually very effective, also struggled. Despite shutting down all three penalty kill opportunities, the special teams only converted one of their seven power play opportunities.

Defensively, the support of goaltender Trent Miner was weak when a strong presence was dire. Both goals from the Reign were off of an odd-man rush, setting Miner up for failure.

Chris Wagner shined some positivity on the night, extending his point streak on an assist to Matthew Phillips’ goal.


Even with the loss, Colorado still leads second-place contender Abbotsford Canucks by seven points.

Upcoming

The Eagles face the Ontario Reign on Sunday, March 30 at 4:00 p.m. MT at Toyota Arena. AHLTV on FloHockey.com will stream the game.