Colorado enters Henderson series with edge from regular-season dominance

Colorado reached the Pacific Division semifinals looking like a team with an answer for nearly every Henderson question. The Eagles went 6-2-0-0 against the Silver Knights in the regular season, outscored them 26-17 and leaned on a goaltending edge that has already carried into the playoffs, which is why this best-of-five series opened with Colorado carrying real bite.

That edge starts in net. Colorado’s goalies allowed just 1.90 goals per game against Henderson during the season, and Trent Miner won three of those meetings, including a shutout against 35 shots. Miner then backed up that trend in the first round, making 18 saves for Colorado’s first Calder Cup Playoff shutout in a 3-0 win over San Diego before stopping 26 shots in the 6-1 series-clinching victory. Colorado swept the Gulls 2-0, with T.J. Tynan, Tristen Nielsen and Taylor Makar scoring in Game 1 and the club finishing the regular season and opening round with a clear identity: defend, wait, finish.

Head coach Mark Letestu has seen what that does for the rest of the roster. Miner’s calm run has allowed Colorado to play with more freedom, and that matters for a team that also finished the regular season 10-0-? against San Diego? No, 10 meetings, 41-19 in goals, and only one regulation loss. The Eagles were the Pacific Division’s No. 2 seed entering the postseason and looked every bit like it in dispatching San Diego, a reminder that the scoring can come from multiple layers rather than one line doing all the heavy lifting.

Ivan Ivan led Colorado in first-round scoring, while the return of Alex Gagne and the ability to roll through pieces such as Ivan, Polin and Bradley have given the Eagles the kind of depth that can grind down a series. That balance is part of the challenge for Henderson, which advanced with a sweep of San Jose but now has to confront a team that has already shown it can control pace and territory for long stretches.

Henderson’s best counter may be Trevor Connelly. He had five points in two playoff games, was named AHL Rookie of the Month for March after points in all 15 games and finished that stretch with a franchise-record 15-game point streak, giving him 40 points in 38 games on the season. Carl Lindbom also gives the Silver Knights a path back, since he owns their only win over Colorado among current Henderson goalies and carries a 2.45 goals-against average in five games against the Eagles.

The series began Friday at Lee’s Family Forum in Henderson, with Game 2 set for Sunday and Game 3 moving to Colorado on Tuesday if necessary. Colorado arrived with the more proven matchup, the steadier goalie and the longer playoff memory, after a run to the Pacific Division finals last spring ended in five games against Abbotsford.