Game 4 Preview: Gulls vs. Barracuda Game 4
Apr 24, 2019San Jose is on the brink. The series is in the balance tonight as Game 4 could see the Gulls move on to the Pacific Division Finals while sending an adversary home for the season.
The Gulls lead the best-of-five series 2-1 and will play their first game of the 2019 Calder Cup Playoffs where they have a chance to eliminate an opponent. San Jose is on the brink of elimination tonight the Gulls took a 4-2 win two nights ago at SAP Center behind a 20-save performance from goaltender Jeff Glass and received goals from Sam Steel, Ben Street, Chase De Leo and Adam Cracknell.
In winning on the road, Glass improved to a perfect 3-0 with a 1.65 goals-against average and .946 save percentage in three career road postseason games. In Game 3, two of his 20 saves came in the final three-and-a-half minutes to keep the game at bay. With 3:34 left in the third, Glass denied Alexander True point blank, and then sprawled from left to right to deny another Barracuda forward. In the dying moments of the game, Dylan Gambrell was in all alone from the left wing, cut across and Glass dove with his paddle down to cover the far post and deny the rookie forward and keep the Gulls ahead with a two-goal lead to seal the win.
“Honestly, I think it just comes down for the guys will to want to win,” said Glass. “We have a real motivated group in there and they proved it tonight. When we want to win and go and play that way, not many teams can stop us. We’ll take the win, but we realize it’s only two of three and we have one more to go.”
Chase De Leo’s game-winner marked the third straight game to begin the postseason with his third goal to join Mueller as the only Gull to score goals in each of the team’s first three games to start a series (Games 1-3 in the First Round, Apr. 21-28, 2016 vs. Texas). Sam Carrick and Max Jones each tallied two assists in the win, with the 27-year old Carrick setting a new Gulls postseason record for all-time scoring with his 12th point (5-7=12) in 13 career playoff games with San Diego to surpass Chris Mueller’s 11 points (4-7=11) in nine games in 2016.
With a chance to move on to the second round for the third time in four seasons, San Diego enters tonight’s Game 4 with a 2-1 record with a chance to clinch a series, winning First Round games in 2017 at home against Ontario (Game 5) and in 2016 vs. Texas (Game 4).
The Gulls will have to win on the road, something that has been a place the hockey club has been all business of late. Dating to the regular season, San Diego has earned points in eight straight road games (6-0-2-0), in addition to 23 of their last 27 road contests (17-4-4-2).
Earning a win with a team on the brink is perhaps one of the most difficult games to claim victory. But, it’s what separates the Gulls from advancing tonight and eliminating a divisional foe.
“That close-out game is always the hardest one to win,” said head coach Dallas Eakins. “We’ve got to go in and not be hesitant and hope to win it. We have to go in and really take control of the game.”