Gulls Set for Back-to-Back Tilt in Abbotsford
Mar 28, 2026By Ashley Rubin/SanDiegoGulls.com
The San Diego Gulls are set to wrap up their season series with the Abbotsford Canucks in a back-to-back set starting tonight at Rogers Forum (7 p.m. PDT; TV: AHLTV on FloHockey; Radio: Gulls Audio Network).
San Diego and Abbotsford have competed six times so far this season, with San Diego posting a 3-3-0-0 record including a 0-2-0-0 record on the road. The last time the teams met was in January when the Gulls dropped two contests to the Canucks. The Gulls have shutout the Canucks three times this season, including twice by Calle Clang. The two shutouts marked the first couple of his career as he held the team to 7-0 in November and 3-0 in December.
Abbotsford has been at the bottom of the Pacific Division rankings for a majority of the 2025-26 season. The team has posted a 22-36-3-3 record and is currently on a five-game losing streak. The Canucks no longer have an opportunity to clinch a playoff spot, as they have been mathematically eliminated from postseason contention.
The Gulls have found success recently, taking four of their past five games. The team’s record stands at 29-21-8-4 with 70 points recorded, holding them in the seventh place Pacific Division spot. They last competed on Sunday, Mar. 22 against the Calgary Wranglers, winning 5-4.
Nathan Gaucher made the difference in Sunday’s game, recording the 13th hat trick in Gulls AHL history. This marked the first three-goal game in Gaucher’s career and set a new AHL career-high in goals as he brought his total this season to 12. The forward was recalled to the Anaheim Ducks on Thursday, marking the first time he has been called up to the NHL in his career.
Ryan Carpenter also netted a goal, bringing his total this season to 16. Cal Burke got on the board as well, finding his third goal of the season and first of the season on the powerplay. Calle Clang was between the pipes, stopping 19 shots for his 15th win of the season.
"I think there's plenty from this game to keep and build on," head coach Matt McIlvane said. "I liked a lot of our offensive zone play. I thought we hunted pucks well and we played most of the game above them. We're continuing to build our game to put an exclamation point on the season."
Following tonight’s contest, the Gulls will have just nine games remaining in the regular season. The team will get right back at it with Abbotsford tomorrow before returning home for a matchup with the Tucson Roadrunners on Wednesday, April 1 at Pechanga Arena San Diego (7 p.m. PDT).