Examining Coach Dan Bylsma's Coachella Valley Defense

Offense is the glamorous reason the reason the Coachella Valley Firebirds have reached the AHL Western Conference Finals for the second consecutive year.

But not the only reason.

The Firebirds led the league, scoring 3.5 goals per game in the regular season. Less celebrated was that Coachella Valley surrendered just 2.53 goals per game, 2nd best in the 32-team AHL.

A goal-per-game advantage is why the Seattle Kraken farm team won 46 games in the regular season, and have rolled to a 6-1 postseason mark and a pair of series wins so far.

"Maybe we're not known for being a good defensive team," Firebirds coach Dan Bylsma (above photo) said recently. "We're known for scoring and skill and speed. But we've taken a lot of pride in our defensive game this year."

Defense Corps "Very Comforting"

Bylsma has expressed confidence in all three of his defense pairings.

"There's not a big difference, if you want to label them, between one and six on this defense corps. Ryker (Evans) is an NHL player. He's not only great with the puck offensively, he's a great defender.

"Connor (Carrick) and him can play against anybody. Goose (Gustav Olofsson) and Flower (Cale Fleury), I've seen them play a lot together. They're an outstanding pairing.

"Jimmy (Schuldt) is at times our best defender. With Otto (Ville Ottavainen), those six guys, it's very comforting."

Goose & Flower's Block Party

Olofsson and Fleury both came up with crucial shot blocks as the Firebirds were protecting a precarious 3-2 lead over the Ontario Reign in Game 1 of the Pacific Finals.

"Goose 'eats' one. That thing wasn't getting by him," Bylsma said afterward. "Flower had one on the other side of the net - maybe a little closer to the net than we would have liked - Goose was in the blue paint when he blocked a shot and so was Flower. That's what it takes this time of year."

Only One Issue With Goaltending

Goalie Chris Driedger has started, and starred, in all seven Firebirds playoff games. The man nicknamed "Dreegs" is 6-1 with a .921 save percentage and 2.31 GAA. Which naturally prompts memories of last season's Coachella hero between the pipes, Joey Daccord.

"Dreegs gives off a different feel than (the ever-exuberant) Joey," says Bylsma. "Calm, collected, confident. He's quiet sometimes, but he's got a big voice in the way he plays."

There's only one tongue-in-cheek way the coach would tweak his netminder. "I wish he had a better name to chant than 'Dreegs.'"

Editor's Note: Tomorrow, an examination of some of coach Bylsma's defensive philosophies.