[ad_1]
Game 4 of the Calder Cup Finals kicks off Thursday night at the Hershey Bears and hosts the Coachella Valley Firebirds.
The Bears found themselves down 0-2 in the series and came home with a near must-win in Game 3 which they won in overtime. Meanwhile, Coachella was in its first year as an AHL team and two wins away from winning the Calder Cup Finals.
Game 4 will drop on Thursday at 7 p.m. ET.
How to watch Hershey Bears vs Coachella Valley Firebirds
Every AHL game, including the Calder Cup playoffs, can be watched live on AHLTV at watchtheahl.com. With the Stanley Cup playoffs over, the remainder of the Calder Cup Finals can also be watched live on the NHL Network.
Coachella Valley took back-to-back points in Games 1 and 2 to take a 2-0 lead, but Joey Daccord was nature in losing OT Game 3. As mentioned, the Firebirds, the AHL affiliate of the Seattle Kraken, are in their first season in the AHL.
Meanwhile, the Hershey Bears are the longest-running AHL team and are affiliates of the Washington Capitals. The Bears are also searching for the 12th Calder Cup in franchise history.
“We ended up with three to nothing in the series, it’s pretty much over,” Hershey coach Todd Nelson put it bluntly. “I think we tired them out of having to play in the O all the time. We were lucky to win the game…
“This team we’re playing against never stopped and never quit. That’s a credit to them. They’re a good hockey team, but we have to get them to score. I felt like three goals at least, they’re out there. We can’t let that happen against them.”
Even though the Hershey Bears pulled off a much-needed win, Coachella Valley Firebirds head coach Dan Bielsma wasn’t surprised by the way the Bears played. Entering this series, Bylsma expected a tough seven-game series.
“It’s now a series,” Bielsma said after game three. We need to play 60 minutes like we played the 10 minutes of extra time tonight. We planned from the start for 420 minutes of hockey. It is a series of seven games. We’re in for the long haul.
“We know we’re playing a really good Hershey team, and we expected it to be a fight. We want it to be a fight. The longer it goes, we think the better for us.”
x factor: Kole Lind leads the AHL in scoring in these playoffs as in 22 games, he has 7 goals and 21 assists for 28 points. When the Firebirds’ offense is to tap, he’s the offense and makes good passes. Coachella needs him to take over Game 4 if the Firebirds offense is going to click and go up 3-1 in the series.
Hershey Bears vs. Coachella Valley Firebirds Game 4 Prediction
The Hershey Bears played their usual role and got traffic up front and made life difficult for Joey Daccord who was struggling with back-to-back stops. The Firebirds are the better team on paper, but the Bears are hard to beat at home, which makes this game fun.
I expect another close, competitive game, but I would love for Hershey to come out strong and score early to get the momentum going and even this series up.
Hershey’s Bears 4, Coachella Valley Firebirds 2
Poll: Who do you think wins Game Four?
Coachella Valley Firebirds
0 votes
[ad_2]
