The Stockton Heat have taken a 1–0 series lead over the Colorado Eagles in the Pacific Division Final. On Tuesday evening, they’ll look to push the Eagles to the brink of elimination.
Heat goaltender @Dustin Wolf made 23 saves for his first American Hockey League shutout in Stockton’s 5–0 win over the Eagles on Monday.
@Justin Kirkland scored twice in the victory, with @Andy Welinski, @Eetu Tuulola, and @Matthew Phillips also finding the back of the net. Here’s Welinski’s power-play blast past @Justus Annunen that gave the Heat a 2–0 lead in the second period.
The Heat outshot the Eagles 30–23 in Game 1. Colorado goaltender @Justus Annunen allowed five goals and made 25 saves in the loss, which snapped his five-game playoff winning streak.
The Pacific Division Final is a best-of-five series. After the first two games at Stockton Arena, the series will shift to Loveland, Colorado for the remaining balance of play.

Projected lineups

These combinations are based, in part, on those used in these teams’ previous games. 
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Stockton Heat
@Jakob Pelletier – @Rory Kerins – @Matthew Phillips
@Justin Kirkland – @Luke Philp – @Martin Pospisil
@Emilio Pettersen – @Connor Zary – @Eetu Tuulola
@Alex Gallant – @Byron Froese – @Walker Duehr
@Kevin Gravel – @Nick DeSimone
Greg Moro – @Colton Poolman
@Ilya Solovyov – @Andy Welinski
@Dustin Wolf
@Daniil Chechelev
Colorado Eagles
@Dylan Sikura – @Mikhail Maltsev – @Kiefer Sherwood
@Jean-Luc Foudy – @Jayson Megna – @Martin Kaut
@Stefan Matteau – Ryan Wagner – @Alex Beaucage
@Dalton Smith – Andreas Wingerli – Oskar Olausson
@Jacob MacDonald – @Roland McKeown
@Andreas Englund – @Jordan Gross
Wyatt Aamodt – @Keaton Middleton
@Justus Annunen
@Hunter Miska

Playoff scoring stars

This section excludes players recalled to the NHL or on assignment to other leagues.
Stockton Heat
  1. Justin Kirkland — 4 GP, 3 G, 4 P
  2. Emilio Pettersen — 4 GP, 2 G, 4 P
  3. Jakob Pelletier — 4 GP, 2 G, 4 P
  4. Glenn Gawdin — 3 GP, 1 G, 4 P
  5. Nick DeSimone — 4 GP, 2 G, 3 P
Colorado Eagles
  1. Jayson Megna — 6 GP, 6 G, 8 P
  2. Kiefer Sherwood — 5 GP, 3 G, 8 P
  3. Jordan Gross — 6 GP, 1 G, 7 P
  4. Mikhail Maltsev — 6 GP, 4 G, 6 P
  5. Jean-Luc Foudy — 6 GP, 3 G, 6 P

Heating up

Look out, Colorado: Justin Kirkland has started scoring goals in bulk.
The big 25-year-old forward tallied a pair of goals in the 5–0 win over Colorado in Game 1, including the game-winner — although it wasn’t exactly Kirkland’s signature snipe.
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Kirkland scored 25 goals and 48 points in 65 games with the Heat in the 2021–22 regular season. He’s already up to three goals and four points in four playoff contests.

How to watch

Game 2 in Stockton will be broadcast on AHL TV (subscription required) and on Spreaker (audio only), with the opening puck-drop set for 7:30 p.m. MT.
FlamesNation contributors Paige Siewert and Mike Gould will provide live game updates on Twitter. Additionally, you’ll be able to follow along at TheAHL.com.

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