PREVIEW: Gulls Look To Close Regular Season With A Win
Apr 15, 2023By AJ Manderichio/SanDiegoGulls.com
The San Diego Gulls finish the 2022-23 regular season on the road, facing the Colorado Eagles at Budweiser Events Center (6:05 p.m. PT; TV: AHL TV; RADIO: Gulls Audio Network).
The team dropped its penultimate game of the 72-game campaign last night, falling 4-1 to the Eagles in the first matchup of their back-to-back set. Bryce Kindopp – a late addition to the lineup after Chase De Leo was scratched following warmups – scored the team’s lone goal in the third period. Brent Gates Jr. added an assist and Calle Clang stopped 29 shots in the loss.
"I thought the first period was a little tough for us," Gulls assistant coach Jason Clarke said. "It was seven minors (penalties) called throughout the first period, and we just couldn't get our feet underneath us. In the second and third periods, we kind of got our feet underneath us, and I thought we played really well. Played with a lot of jam, had a lot of offensive punch. We just couldn't finish the deal. We had three (to) four odd-man rushes, couple 2-on-1s, couple breakaways. I mean, it was a good 40 minutes, but unfortunately, the first period kind of cost us."
The Gulls did manage to kill several of those penalties – including an abbreviated Colorado 5-on-3 chance – before Spencer Smallman found the back of the net for a power-play goal late in the frame. The goal – the Eagles second of the period – would stand as the game-winning tally and help Smallman post 1-1=2 points in the win.
"It's tough for the top-minute guys and the lower-minute guys," Kindopp said of the penalty-filled opening frame. "The top-minute guys, they're going to get tired, penalty kill and power play. Then, when they have to be 5-on-5, they may not have as much energy. For the guys who don't play as much, you're kind of sitting on the bench, maybe not getting as much ice time or getting your legs into it as you want. It definitely kind of slows down the momentum, but it's part of hockey."
San Diego did flip the script in the final 40 minutes of the game, outshooting Colorado 21-15 and dictating play for long stretches.
"I thought the big thing was that we were able to have sustained pressure on the forecheck," Clarke explained last night. "I thought our d(efense) got up the ice real well, forwards were able to get pucks in behind Colorado's d(efense) and I thought we were able to attack as a unit of five. I think that was very evident in the second and third periods. We need to have more of that going into tomorrow's game."
A key for the Gulls is burying more of their high-quality scoring chances. The team had several during a strong second period but came out of the frame without a goal.
"We talked about it in the locker room after the second," Gulls defenseman Drew Helleson said. "We thought we could have got a lot more out of the period, that we maybe deserved better. Like I said, their goalie made some big saves, so we just got to bear down when we do get our chances tomorrow and put them in the back of the net."
Tonight is the fourth and final meeting between the two teams this season. The Eagles own the head-to-head record after the teams split the first two games, a 4-3 Gulls win on Oct. 26 and a 3-1 Colorado win on Nov. 30. Nikolas Brouillard leads active Gulls in points production against the Eagles this season, recording 1-1=2 points on Oct. 30. Charles Hudon posted a two-point performance (1-1=2) last night for three points (1-2=3) against the Gulls this season, tying Jean-Luc Foudy (2-1=3) and Ryan Wagner (2-1=3) for the most points against San Diego.
The Eagles enter tonight needing a win to clinch third place in the Pacific Division standings. Already guaranteed home ice in the First Round of the 2023 Calder Cup Playoffs, Colorado sits one point ahead of the Abbotsford Canucks. They will face either the Ontario Reign or Bakersfield Condors in the opening round of the postseason.