This story was originally published on Hockey Mountain High, part of the Mile High Sports network.

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On Tuesday, the Eagles took a 2–1 series lead against the Chicago Wolves in the Western Conference Final. Only 24 hours later, they met again for Game Four, and Wolves evened the series back up, winning 2-1 to tie the AHL Western Conference Final a two games apiece. Due to the 2-3-2 format in the AHL playoffs, the series will now wrap up in Loveland – with Games 6 and 7 scheduled for Sunday and Tuesday – but will the Eagles return to Colorado looking to close Chicago out, or will the be fighting for their playoff lives following Game 5 on Friday in The Windy City?

So far, both goalies have been outstanding in this series. Cayden Primeau has a 2.40 GAA in the playoffs and a save percentage of.924. Trent Miner has a GAA of 1.51 and a .936 save percentage. Chicago will once again be without one of their top scorers, Felix Unger Sörum. The Eagles have been without their captain, Jayson Megna, since the end of the Henderson series. Megna is on the trip with the Eagles and is skating with the team in a non-contact jersey.

First Period

The first period proceeded with little fanfare. Chicago had one power play but couldn’t convert. There were also offsetting roughing penalties, resulting in four-on-four play, but no goals. Both teams had a handful of truly dangerous opportunities, but both goaltenders held the line. The Eagles’ best chance (and Primeau’s best save) came courtesy of T.J. Hughes.

Shots on goal were even at nine apiece.

Second Period

Both teams had power plays in the first half of the second period, but neither team could score. Then, at 9:27 of the second, Ivan Ryabkin went to the box for hooking. On the ensuing power play, the Eagles committed a turnover and gave up a short-handed goal to Justin Robidas. It was his fifth goal of the playoffs. It was also the second game in a row that the Eagles gave up a short-handed goal. They went to the second intermission down 1–0.

Third Period

Things went downhill fast in the third period. At just 1:21 of the third, Bradly Nadeau scored to put the Wolves up 2-0. A large chunk of the period ticked away as the Eagles fought to salvage the game. Finally, at 11:21 of the third, Hughes came off the bench and skated the puck down the wall and through the circle. He then tipped the puck to Alex Barré-Boulet near the slot. Barré-Boulet’s fifth goal of the playoffs cut the Wolves’ lead in half.

The Eagles pushed hard in the final minutes of the frame, ultimately outshooting the Wolves 18–9 in the third period. But in the end, the Eagles fell 2–1 to the Wolves.

Takeaways

At the second intermission, the Wolves broadcast showed faceoff statistics for the game. According to those stats, faceoffs were 29–10 in favor of the Wolves. This is interesting for two reasons. First, the AHL publishes very few stats overall. It’s always been reported that they track many basic statistics, such as time on ice, but they’re never published. (There are several theories why they would track these things but keep them secret. I won’t hypothesize here.) Faceoff statistics are one of the many things that are not made public by the AHL. So either the Wolves have somebody in-house counting for them, which makes the stat extremely suspect, or they’re publishing stats the AHL generally keeps secret.

Regardless, assuming the stat is anywhere near correct, it obviously points to a problem. The Wolves’ second goal came because of a successful faceoff.

Just as in the regular season, special teams continue to be this team’s Achilles’ heel. The Eagles had three power plays and didn’t score in any of them. Plus, they gave up another short-handed goal.

In the end, one loss in Chicago is not a catastrophe. The Eagles only needed one win in Chicago, which they achieved on Wednesday. They have one more game in Chicago before coming home. A second victory on the road would obviously be fantastic. But winning all three games in the Wolves’ arena would have been a miracle. On the bright side, this means the series must return to Colorado for Game Six (and Game Seven, if needed), allowing the Eagles to wrap up the series on home ice in front of their fans.

These teams are evenly matched across the board. Every game they’ve played, both in the regular season and in the playoffs, have been close. All but one have been one-goal games. I think this series is destined for seven games. I hope I’m wrong and the Eagles win in six, just to save me the heart attack. But this series has “seven” written all over it.

So buckle up, my friends. I predict we’re in for one heck of a ride!

Up Next

Game 5 happens on Friday at 6:00 pm Mountain Time. AHLTV on FloHockey.com will stream the game.