For the Eagles, they'll start by facing the Reign in a single-elimination play-in contest after finishing the regular season fifth in the division standings with a .500 points percentage and a 15-15-4 record (34 points) in 34 contests. Ontario ended up sixth with a .475 points percentage, going 17-19-4 in the campaign (38 points).
The San Jose Barracuda and Tucson Roadrunners will match-up in the other play-in game earlier in the day. The two play-in winners will then square off on Wednesday to determine the final seed for the best-of-three semifinals in the Pacific, while the losers' seasons will be completed.
The winner of the Pacific Division will be awarded the John D. Chick Trophy, which has been presented to an AHL division champion annually since 1961-62. The Henderson Silver Knights, Bakersfield Condors and San Diego Gulls earned byes to the semifinals.
Colorado is coming off of 3-2 overtime loss on Saturday versus the Gulls to end the regular season. Eagles goaltender Justus Annunen started in his second-straight game and made 30 saves on 33 shots. Annunen, a third round pick of the 2018 NHL Draft by the Avs, was assigned to the Eagles earlier this month after concluding his season with Karpat in Finland's top professional league, going 7-9-7 with a 2.43 goals-against average and a .880 save percentage.
Eagles forwards Sampo Ranta and Ryan Wagner each scored a goal in the overtime loss against San Diego. Wagner finished the regular season with 13 points (five goals, eight assists) in 34 games while Sampo Ranta had seven points (four goals, three assists) in 14 contests after joining the team in April following a three-year career with the University of Minnesota.
The Reign wrapped up its regular season on an 8-2 run over its final 10 games. Colorado and Ontario last played on May 9 where Eagles forward Mike Vecchione completed the hat trick in a 7-5 victory.
Defenseman Nate Clurman and Peter Tischke along with forward Sheldon Dries will be out with lower-body injuries on Tuesday for the Eagles. Forward Shane Bowers is also expected to miss the outing with an upper-body ailment.
Tuesday's contest can be watched live on AHL.tv (subscription required) or listened to on 92.9 FM, The Bear, available online or with the iHeartRadio App
2021 PACIFIC DIVISION PLAYOFFS
Play-In Series (May 18-19)
Game 1 - Tue., May 18 - San Jose (4) vs. Tucson (7), 2:00 pm MT (at Irvine, Calif.)
Game 2 - Tue., May 18 - Colorado (5) vs. Ontario (6), 8:30 pm MT (at Irvine, Calif.)
Game 3 - Wed., May 19 - Game 1 winner vs. Game 2 winner, 8:00 pm MT (at Irvine, Calif.)
Semifinal "A" (best-of-3; to conclude by May 24)
Game 1 - Henderson (1) vs. Play-In winner (at Henderson)
Game 2 - Henderson (1) vs. Play-In winner (at Henderson)
\Game 3 - Henderson (1) vs. Play-In winner (at Henderson)
Semifinal "B" (best-of-3; to conclude by May 24)
Game 1 - Bakersfield (2) vs. San Diego (3) (at Bakersfield)
Game 2 - Bakersfield (2) vs. San Diego (3) (at Bakersfield)
\Game 3 - Bakersfield (2) vs. San Diego (3) (at Bakersfield)
Pacific Division Finals (best-of-3; to conclude by May 29)
Game 1 - Semifinal winners (at higher seed)
Game 2 - Semifinal winners (at higher seed)
\Game 3 - Semifinal winners (at higher seed)
\if necessary
