The San Diego Gulls played three games in four nights last week. That’s a common occurrence in the AHL. When you score six goals and give up six, you hope for more than two points.
Alas, that’s all the San Diego Gulls could earn for their efforts last week. They dropped both games to the previously bottom feeding Bakersfield Condors (Edmonton Oilers affiliate). And they beat the Cleveland Monsters for the third time in a week (Columbus Blue Jackets).
Playoffs
If it wasn’t for Cleveland, the Gulls would be in bad shape. As it stands now, the Gulls still have six more points than the fifth place Stockton Heat (Calgary Flames), with only six games remaining for both teams this season. The top four teams in the division make the postseason.
San Diego’s chances of making the playoffs improved this week. The Gulls sit only two points behind the second place Ontario Reign (LA Kings). If the Kings and Anaheim Ducks can’t meet in the first round of the Stanley Cup playoffs, at least their farm teams look like they’re going to be driving up and down the 15 in April.
Standouts
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This won’t be a surprise to anyone who has been following the San Diego Gulls or the Anaheim Ducks this season. Kevin Roy is still insanely talented. Before last week, forward Mitch Hults had eight goals in 47 AHL games. Last week the 6’2″ 205 lb. Wisconsin native was moved to Roy’s line with small, skilled local boy Austin Ortega.
Hults scored two goals in three games with Roy making plays for him. Roy was the only player on the Gulls with both goals and assists last week. He ended up with a goal and two assists. If you wonder whether or not Roy should be with the Ducks right now, you can read what Blake Navarro wrote last week.
Defensively, the San Diego Gulls are still missing both Andy Welinski and Korbinian Holzer. They’re both inexplicably being healthy scratched a few hours north on the 5. As a result, the Gulls’ defensive corps is having to dig deep. Keaton Thompson is stepping up to the challenge. He had a goal, and he looked better than he did earlier in the season when he had less pressure on him. This is a great time for him to be stepping up his game.
Top Stopper
San Diego’s problem last week was not in net. Goalies Reto Berra and Kevin Boyle combined for a 0.950 save percentage over three games. Clearly, the problem is offense. Both netminders had good weeks.
Boyle let in only one goal in 45 shots against Cleveland, Friday night, to seal the Gulls only victory of the week. That’s a 0.978 save percentage for those of you keeping track at home. It’s a good time for Boyle to find his game, considering John Gibson had to leave the Ducks game Sunday night with an injury. Berra may spend time up in Anaheim this week.
PIMs
There were games last week, so it should be no surprise Mike Liambas led the Gulls in penalty minutes. Additionally, he had the team’s only fight. It was a good one. He and Bakersfield’s Evan Polei dropped both their helmets and their gloves in a high-quality bout. If you’re looking for a reason to travel down the 5 next season, consider this: Fighting is still a big part of AHL hockey. And it happens much more frequently early in the season.
Attendance
The Gulls still lead the AHL in attendance with an average of 9,192 fans per game. They’re 156 per game ahead of the Hershey Bears (Washington Capitals). San Diego only has two home games left this season. It would be quite a coup for them to lead the league.
Games This Week
Speaking of home games, the San Diego Gulls host Fan Appreciation Night this Saturday against the Ontario Reign. It will be the second of home-and-home, back-to-back games against their main rival. Trust me, these games are always good, and they’re better on the second night.
Consider the Reign still employ Kurtis MacDermid. Ducks fans remember him from his dirty hit on Ondrej Kase earlier this season. The sparks always fly when these two teams meet. If the Ducks already have their playoff position wrapped up, I’d suggest skipping their game against Arizona and making the drive down south for this one.
Next: Anaheim Ducks Three Stars of the Week (March 26-April 1)
The Gulls also play Wednesday at the San Jose Barracuda (San Jose Sharks). By the end of this week, we should know where the Gulls will slot for the playoffs this season.