PREVIEW: Gulls, Silver Knights Shift Four-Game Series To Orleans Arena
Mar 19, 2022By Paige Burnell/SanDiegoGulls.com
Things only get better with time, and this certainly applies to the intensifying rivalry between the San Diego Gulls and the Henderson Silver Knights as the four-game regular-season series moves to Orleans Arena for is third contest (7 p.m. PT; TV: AHL TV; RADIO: Gulls Audio Network).
The Gulls bested the Silver Knights 3-1 last night for their fourth straight overall win and their fifth consecutive victory against the Silver Knights, outscoring Henderson 24-7 and already claiming the season series.
"The emotion is like playoffs," Gulls head coach Joel Bouchard said. "You play that same team and you know, you win two so we expect them to come out really hard tomorrow at home. It’s that fine line where you still want the guys to protect each other, to stick together, but to not get overboard and still play within the concept and with the scoreboard and stuff, which I think our guys did good."
One of those concepts is a commitment to continue to get to the inside, utilizing a grittier style of play to cash in on opportunities in front of the opponent’s net. San Diego put this on display in last night’s win, with Jacob Perreault scoring the type of “greasy goal” coaches love during this time of the year.
“Yeah, you like them,” Bouchard said. “You like to play on the inside, as we say it. And it used to be a lot of that and obviously, the game has got somehow a different way, but there’s still you get to the playoff or get deep into the season, there’s still that way of getting those hard goals and those goals way inside and converging to the net. So, offense comes from all different ways. I think we’ve got better in some of the strategy we brought, but that strategy is always a good one.”
Perreault has points in back-to-back games and 2-6=8 points over his last 10 contests. The same applies to his linemates Alex Limoges (0-6=6) and Benoit-Olivier Groulx (4-2=6), who both earned assists for six points in their last five contests.
"Honestly, I think we just got chemistry," Perreault said about his line. "We all see the ice pretty well, so we try to move the puck as much as possible, stay in movement. Yeah, I mean, it’s hard to tell but we got a lot of like different skills and we can all can use each other to make plays and all of that. So, I’ve been liking this line a lot."
Nikolas Brouillard continued his strong play, collecting the first shorthanded goal of his American Hockey League career in last night’s win. With 4-2=6 in his last four games, Brouillard enters tonight leading all AHL defensemen in goals (12) and is tied for eighth in points (12-22=34). He leads the Gulls in assists and points and ranks second on the team in goals.
The offense supported Lukas Dostal, who continues his excellent run, stopping 22-of-23 shots yesterday to earn his third consecutive win. The Czech Republic netminder is undefeated against Henderson this season, posting a 1.40 goals-against average (GAA) and .950 save percentage (SV%).
His excellent play is a key to San Diego’s recent success on the penalty kill. The Gulls are 6-for-6 (100%) in the last two games against Henderson and 13-for-14 (92.9%) over their last five games.
"First of all, it starts with the goaltender," Bouchard said when asked about the team’s penalty kill. "We’re going to give a few shots, it’s going to happen so the goaltending has been good and…I put the bar high on every detail and it’s demanding at the beginning of the year, but as you can see, things like sticks and angling and stuff…and then when you get to the PK (penalty kill) when you’re a man short, those things are important. I like our aggressiveness, our trigger points when we know when it’s time to go. That being said, it’s always to start all over again the next day."
The ever-tightening playoff race – San Diego sits just four points back of sixth-place Henderson – has the Gulls playing at their best.
"Yeah, I feel like the whole team we’ve been buzzing a lot," Perreault said. "So, our feet are moving, we’re making plays, our zone entries are really good, our breakouts, we’re working harder than the other team I feel like. We’re a skilled team, so once we work hard and outwork the other team there’s good chance of winning the game."