Gulls, Silver Knights Close Three Game Series

Feb 27, 2021

The San Diego Gulls and Henderson Silver Knights face off in the final meeting of a three-game series today at Orleans Arena in Las Vegas, NV (2 p.m. PT; TV: Fox 5 San Diego, AHL TV; Radio: Gulls Audio Network). The two teams enter this afternoon’s matchup tied with the Chicago Wolves atop the American Hockey League in wins (7) and points (14).

Henderson won the first two meetings, defeating San Diego 4-2 in the team’s first-ever game on Wednesday, February 24. The Silver Knights held off a furious comeback attempt last night, handing the Gulls a 3-2 loss. It marked the first time San Diego dropped back-to-back games this season.

To avoid a third straight defeat, the Gulls are focused on a strong start.

“We need a better start than today, that’s for sure,” forward Chase De Leo said following Saturday’s loss. “It’s no secret. Dino (Kevin Dineen) says it best, there is one puck out there and two guys. Whoever wants it more is probably going to come away with the win. You can talk X’s and O’s all day and systems are great, but at the end of the day, it’s about that compete level and who’s going to want that puck more. If that’s us, it’s going to be a great day for us.”

A disciplined effort also remains a key for the Gulls. Through the first two games, San Diego found itself shorthanded 15 times. While the team’s fifth-ranked penalty kill only allowed two power-play goals, head coach Kevin Dineen knows this style is detrimental to the team’s success.

“Those are areas that you get to a point where you talk and you’re not seeing a response on the ice and your biggest weapon is these guys have a lot of pride,” he said following last night’s loss. “They want to play, and they want to stay on the ice, so when it’s going to start affecting their ice-time that’s how you get your message across.”

The team’s power play delivered in the loss, with  De Leo and rookie defenseman Jamie Drysdale scoring on the man advantage. It’s the second time this season the Gulls recorded multiple power-play tallies, and a simplified approach helped them find success.

“We were shooting the puck for one and obviously when you put pucks on net good things happen and it starts with bounces,” Dineen said. “Obviously, Jamie’s goal stepping up in the rush and him burying that, that’s just a skilled goal. So we got the players on there and we rely heavily on the penalty kill to get it done and they got some good production for us tonight.”

Drysdale enters today’s game co-leading the AHL in scoring (4-5=9). The sixth overall selection in the 2020 NHL Draft, the blueliner leads league defensemen in goals (4) and ranks tied for fifth in assists.

Henderson’s Jack Dugan is posting an equally impressive rookie campaign. The 2017 third-round selection of the Vegas Golden Knights, the left wing leads the AHL in assists (8) and co-leads in scoring (1-8=9). In two games against San Diego, Dugan has 1-4=5, including a three-point effort in the first game of the series.

Sam Carrick will reach a rare milestone today, skating in his 200th career game with San Diego. He becomes just the third player in franchise history to reach this number, joining Corey Tropp (205) and Jaycob Megna (216) as the only players in club history to appear in 200 contests with the Gulls.

The two teams will meet three more times this season, all at FivePoint Arena in Irvine, CA.