Firebirds Down Wranglers 5-2, Nyman Scores Twice to Extend Win Streak

Jani Nyman scored twice and Nikke Kokko turned aside 22 shots as the Coachella Valley Firebirds rolled past the Calgary Wranglers 5-2 at Acrisure Arena on Wednesday, pushing their win streak to three games.

The margin of control was evident on the shot clock: Coachella Valley outshot Calgary 39-24, a 15-shot differential that reflected a Firebirds team that spent most of the night dictating play in Calgary's end. Kokko, facing a Wranglers offense that had tested him far more severely just days earlier, was largely comfortable behind that kind of territorial edge.

Nyman has been a consistent presence on what has been one of the AHL's more productive top lines this season. The Finnish forward skated alongside Logan Morrison and Jagger Firkus, a unit that has punished opponents throughout the year. Morrison leads the Firebirds with 52 points and 25 goals this season, posting a plus-24 rating that ranks among the best in the league. Firkus, meanwhile, leads Coachella Valley with 31 assists.

The 5-2 win came just days after the Firebirds had beaten the same Wranglers squad 4-2 on Saturday at Acrisure Arena, a game in which Nyman and Morrison each collected three points, with a goal and two assists apiece. Defenseman Gustav Olofsson chipped in a goal and an assist in that earlier contest, and Kokko was tested heavily, stopping somewhere between 37 and 39 shots depending on the official count.

With the back-to-back wins, Coachella Valley improved to 4-2-1-0 in the season series against Calgary. The Wranglers entered the Wednesday matchup at 19-23-10-4 with 52 points, while the Firebirds held a 29-20-5-0 mark and 63 points, a gap that reflects how these two teams have separated over the course of the season. Calgary's most dangerous offensive threat, Rory Kerins, leads the Wranglers with 45 points. Martin Frk tops the team with 20 goals and a plus-8 rating, and William Stromgren leads Calgary with 30 assists.

Both teams return to action March 13: Calgary hosts the Manitoba Moose, while Coachella Valley welcomes the Ontario Reign to Acrisure Arena.