Gulls Kick Off Pivotal Series Against Eagles
Mar 13, 2026By Ashley Rubin/SanDiegoGulls.com
A critical four-game series between the San Diego Gulls and Colorado Eagles gets underway tonight at Pechanga Arena San Diego (7 p.m. PDT; TV: AHLTV on FloHockey; Radio: Gulls Audio Network).
The Eagles have been steady at the top of the Pacific Division standings for a while. They have posted an overall 34-14-4-4 record and are coming off a win over the division-leading Ontario Reign. They have gone 5-3-1-1 in their past 10 contests and hold a 16-8-2-2 record on the road.
The Gulls would be considered the underdog in this upcoming series, but the team has proven in the past that they can defeat the division-leading teams. San Diego took a shootout win over Colorado in the first game of the teams’ previous back-to-back series but did fall in regulation in that second game. San Diego has seen a lot of success in first games of back-to-back series this season, going 12-2-2-0.
"It's no secret those are going to be massive games and extremely challenging," forward Matthew Phillips said. "I think we're ready for it, and we kind of just need to take our licks from [San Jose] and come out with a ton of energy in a big couple games at home."
San Diego is coming off a loss to the San Jose Barracuda at Tech CU Arena. The team dropped the Wednesday match 4-1 after struggling to get their chances through. Defenseman Tristan Luneau was the lone scorer of the night, extending his point streak to five contests (2-6=8).
"Well, he's more than capable of producing offense," head coach Matt McIlvane said. "He moves pucks efficiently and gets them through, he defends with purpose, and he finds himself with the puck a lot. He's got more than enough ability to make things happen."
Prior to that loss the Gulls snapped a three-game losing streak with a 6-4 win over the Rockford IceHogs on home ice. The win was huge in keeping the Gulls in playoff position and also improved their second game of back-to-back games record, bringing it to 5-7-3-1. The team looks to replicate that win and momentum tonight.
This series is important for San Diego as they have fallen to a less comfortable playoff position. The Henderson Silver Knights have tied the Gulls for sixth place in the Pacific Division as both teams now stand with 62 points. The Silver Knights are idle tonight, giving the Gulls an opportunity to jump ahead if they can walk away with two points.
Tomorrow night will see the second game of this series at Pechanga Arena San Diego before the teams head out to Colorado to skate in the final two games at Blue Arena starting Tuesday, Mar. 17 (6:05 p.m. PDT).