Gulls Look to Clinch Playoff Spot in Bakersfield Series
Apr 10, 2026
By Ashley Rubin/SanDiegoGulls.com
The San Diego Gulls and Bakersfield Condors are set for a final back-to-back series where the Gulls look to clinch their playoff spot starting tonight at Dignity Health Arena (7 p.m. PDT; AHLTV on FloHockey; Radio: Gulls Audio Network).
The Gulls could clinch their first Calder Cup Playoff spot since 2022 tonight. If San Diego takes a win and the Tucson Roadrunners lose to the Colorado Eagles in any capacity or San Diego earns an overtime point and Tucson loses in regulation, the spot will be secured for the Gulls.
"We're fighting for our lives," head coach Matt McIlvane said. "We know that urgency has been a thing for us for the last month or so because we know how tight it is. We know we have so much respect for our division and how tight the race is. So, every bit of this experience that we can stack together is valuable. We'll just keep collecting those experiences."
The Gulls have been heating up, taking seven of their past 10 contests. The team is on a three-game winning streak as they took victories over the Roadrunners, Condors, and most recently over the San Jose Barracuda on Tuesday.
"For the past 10 games, we know it's going to be a hard race to the playoffs," defenseman Nikolas Brouillard said. "Coming into this season, it was a big thing for us, making playoffs. So, I feel like we've played the playoff style the whole year. It's paying off. It's paying off for us right now, because we're hard to play against, and we're playing that gritty, gritty style of hockey that you know the playoffs need."
San Diego has found success over Bakersfield this season, winning five of the six contests they’ve played. The Gulls and Condors last competed on April 3 when the Gulls took a 6-3 win. The Condors stand four points over the Gulls in the Pacific Division standings with 80 points, having clinched a playoff spot Wednesday night with a victory over the Roadrunners. The Gulls have 76 points to their name and look to take four from the Condors this weekend to potentially jump them for sixth in the Pacific Division rankings.
Tuesday’s contest marked the Gulls’ first day game win of the season and broke a four-game losing streak against the Barracuda. Calle Clang made some essential saves, allowing only two goals through 37 shots. Matthew Phillips, Sasha Pastujov, and Sam Colangelo each found the back of the net. Nathan Gaucher scored two goals to mark five found in his past two contests. Brouillard made history as he became the Gulls’ all-time games played leader with 229 skated, tallying two assists in the record-breaking game.
Tomorrow will mark the Gulls’ series finale with the Condors right back at Dignity Health Arena before the team heads back home to close out their season series with the Roadrunners at Pechanga Arena San Diego (7 p.m. PDT).