PREVIEW: Gulls Close Four-Game Homestand With Battle Against The Barracuda
Feb 10, 2022By Paige Burnell/SanDiegoGulls.com
The San Diego Gulls are aiming to get back into the win column tonight as they conclude their four-game homestand with a matchup against the San Jose Barracuda at Pechanga Arena San Diego (7 p.m. PT; TV: AHL TV; RADIO: Gulls Audio Network).
The Gulls are 5-1-0-0 this season against the Barracuda after winning their last outing against the club 4-2 on Jan. 18. All-time, San Diego is 39-19-4-1 against San Jose and 20-18-2-1 at home.
"We need to be better," Gulls assistant coach Dan Jacob said. "As an individual, every single player. Our structure needs to be better, our grit needs to be better and that’s what we mentioned. We made a plan with the boys. Like I said, it’s teamwork. It’s not like we’re coming in kicking cans. We need to make sure they agree upon, that they chip in and we like the two practices that we had. So, we know we’re going to focus on us and the plan that we established for the next thirty games and make sure we go to work."
Gulls center Benoit-Olivier Groulx played a major role in that victory last month, posting his first multi-point performance of the season (1-1=2). In his last two games against the Barracuda, the former second round selection of the 2018 NHL Draft has 2-1=3 points.
Defenseman Nikolas Brouillard paces the Gulls against their fishy foes this season with 2-5=7 points. The Quebec native helped San Diego earn a split against the Tucson Roadrunners last week, posting 2-1=3 points in the weekend series. He leads American Hockey League defensemen in goals this season (8) and is second on the Gulls in points (8-13=21), goals and tied for third in assists (13).
Brouillard, who continues to switch between the blue line and the forward group, gives the coaching staff options with the lineup.
"That’s what’s great about our group," Gulls defenseman Kodie Curran said. "A lot of versatility guys and can kind of get through any type of adversity, I think. You know, that’s going to pay off in the long run."
Danny O’Regan had quite the weekend as well, amassing 2-4=6 points over consecutive multi-point performances against Tucson. He followed a career-best 1-3=4 point effort on Feb. 4 with a 1-1=2 point game on Feb. 5, earning nearly a third of his 7-13=20 points in just two games.
Moreover, O’Regan took the team lead in both power-play points (5-5=10) and power-play goals, while also recording the first shorthanded goal of his AHL career.
Other Gulls to contribute to the offense include Vinni Letierri, who matched a career-best with 1-2=3 points in Saturday’s loss. Brendan Guhle earned points in back-to-back games for the first time this season (1-1=2).
San Diego’s coaching staff wants to see these individual performances carry over into tonight’s game.
"It’s really about that momentum, the good things that we see and you know, to be better," Jacob said.
The Gulls will look to continue their offensive momentum against the Barracuda, whom they’ve outscored 19-13 this season. San Diego averages 3.17 goals-per-game against the Pacific Division’s last place team.
The Barracuda are on a five-game losing streak, with their last a 6-3 defeat handed to them by the Henderson Silver Knights. The ninth-place Barracuda only have one less point in the standings (29 points) than the seventh-place Gulls (30 points), but they also have played in three more games than San Diego.
The standings are becoming an important focus for the Gulls, as seven of the division’s nine teams will make the playoffs.
"We pinpointed a few things that we’ve been doing better, but it’s not good enough," Jacob said. "So, it’s just some stuff we want to focus on and the guys are fired up and we need to look ahead and make sure we take care of our own business."
To break their streak, San Jose will lean on Scott Reedy, who ranks first in the AHL with 10 power-play goals and is tied for first in goals among rookies with 18 this season. His 18-9=27 points also place him 11th among first-year skaters.
Multiple Barracuda are riding point streaks as well, as Sasha Chmelevski has 1-4=5 points over a three-game span and Evan Weinger has 1-3=4 points over a four-game run.
Both teams return following lengthy breaks. San Diego earned a break following a 10 game in 19-day stretch, while San Jose is playing its first game in eight days.
"Now, we’ve got kind of not a fresh start, but the second half that’s how we’re kind of looking at it is a fresh start, and we’re looking forward to the second half," Curran said.