With confirmation that Trevor Zegras, Jamie Drysdale and Captain Sam Carrick would be returning to the line-up anticipation was high leading into game one of the first of a best of three in the Pacific Division semi-final.
Bakersfield had perhaps the best chance of the early going on some sloppy Gulls defense but Lukas Dostal looked dialed in as he made two back to back stops.
Chase De Leo followed that with a great opportunity from leading scorer Andrew Poturalski but his shot went wide as he had the goaltender Stuart Skinner out of position.
Lukas Dostal once again came up big with an unbelievable save on a sure Condors goal when he gloved a two on one chance as Cooper Marody was left all alone in front.
The trend continued as the Gulls appeared completely out of sorts down low and around their own crease, half hardheartedly poking at loose pucks with little to no urgency and forcing Dostal to make other-worldly stops in order to keep the game scoreless through the first ten minutes.
The Gulls were awarded the first Power Play of the game when Desharnais was called for roughing during a concerted shift from the Zegras line, the Chara-like defensemen pummeling Agozzino in front of the Condors net and finally getting called when the veteran forward eventually went down.
It took a beautiful deflection from the Captain Sam Carrick on a Jamie Drysdale blast to open the scoring, with San Diego showing some clean and crisp passing on the man advantage while drawing the Condors defenders tighter into their box and creating more space for the first Power Play unit. 1-0 Gulls.
The Gulls following up the goal with some continued attack Alex Limoges halted momentum, getting called for interference while the Groulx line was buzzing the Condors zone. San Diego did a good job killing the majority of the minor and took their 1-0 lead to the first intermission with 18 seconds left in the minor but it was pretty clear the story of the first twenty minutes of action was Lukas Dostal. Shots were 11-9 for the Condors with the shot map showing a humongous disparity in quality
San Diego killed the remaining 18 seconds of the minor to start the second then set to work trying to increase their lead. The bad blood between Deshairnais and Agozzino continued as they could not be separated in the neutral zone as play continued and both were eventually given coincidental minors to send the action to four on four.
Axel Andersson drew a high sticking call seconds into the four on four to setup the rare four on three man advantage.
The Power Play was once again all class as all four players touched the puck while moving and handing off, creating a lane then making one final pass to draw Skinner completely out of the net and give Captain Sam Carrick an easy tap in for his second of the night. 2-0 Gulls.
The next ten minutes was all San Diego, the Gulls looking in some sequences like a top tier league team playing a beer league squad as they created high danger chance after chance but could not help making that one extra pass at the finish; you could almost think they were … trolling?
Bakersfield started to slowly shift momentum, upping the shot total and getting a Power Play on an ill-advised slashing penalty by Nik Brouillard.
This time the Condors were able to shift and coax the Gulls out of position, creating two great chances that Dostal was equal to while Keegan Lowe rescued with a follow up block and rebound clearance. Captain Sam Carrick almost created his own hat-trick goal short-handed but he could not slip the puck by Skinner after splitting the Bakersfield defense on a partial break.
The Gulls continued to toy with the Condors, Axel Andersson unselfishly dishing to a wide open Sam Carrick but the Gulls Captain elected to make the extra pass also rather than finish for his third of the night. Chase De Leo grabbed the loose puck and drew a call as he was hooked by Deshairnais in the process.
The Power Play continued to pay dividends with the Gulls holding the zone and collecting any loose pucks for the majority of the time before Vinni Lettieri slammed one home on the one-timer from Ovechkin’s office. 3-0 Gulls.
San Diego controlling a 3-0 lead heading to the second intermission and shots 25-22 for the Condors.
The San Diego confidence with the puck on offense carried over to the third as Zegras and Agozzino almost connected on what would have been a highlight reel play but the veteran forward over-skated a perfect pass from Zegras, sent his way after a beautiful backwards 360 spin.
The Gulls continued to try setup their Captain for the hat-trick, Chase De Leo intercepting a pass and looking off a feed to the high-slot before sliding it to Carrick at the side of the net but a desperation stick save from Skinner kept the score 3-0.
Bakersfield found some bite as they drew a call in the San Diego zone. Winning the face-off allowed the Condors to immediately get set and although Dostal prevented the first few chances and allowed his team-mates to get a clearance the Condors finally got one by him on the next zone entry. Josh Mahura getting beat with speed and Benoit failing to pick up his man at the far post. 3-1 Gulls.
San Diego went right back to the penalty kill on the following shift after they tried to come back with a push, Keegan Lowe getting a little too overzealous and taking an kneeing call. The Condors wasted no time – winning the face-off and catching the Gulls killers too spread-out as they beat Lukas Dostal with a shot from the right side that clanged in off the post. 3-2 Gulls.
The intensity ramped up as both teams exchanged chances but Trevor Zegras showed just how dangerous he is as he stripped a Condors player of the puck on the forecheck and dropped a pass for Agozzino in the slot. The former Colorado Eagle giving Skinner no chance on his one-timer. 4-2 Gulls with less than five minutes left.
Things got interesting as the Condors got one back after a lengthy time-out and a well executed set-play with the extra-man and their net empty, overloading the Gulls down-low and leaving Dostal exposed. 4-3 Gulls with two minutes left.
It was an intense final minute with the Condors controlling the San Diego zone with the extra attacker before the Gulls were able to get possession in the final twenty seconds and free Zegras for an easy empty net goal to ice the contest.
Gulls win 5-3 in a game which the Condors lead in shots the entire way, by games end shots were 42-31 for Bakersfield.
Post Game Notes:
Hey Now, Its The Playoffs
I guess you could forgive the Gulls for not treating this like a playoff game. Hell the majority of the players in the Pacific voted against even having this post regular season tournament. That said, they looked way…. like WAY to casual with the puck in this game. There were sequences when it was actually kind of embarrassing how many grade A chances were sacrificed either for the extra pass or because Sam Carrick was sitting on two goals and everybody wanted to give him the third no matter the result. Pro-tip, maybe don’t do that next game.
BAKERY IS OUT OF YEAST
Dostal is back baby. He looked super human in that first period. It felt almost inevitable that the Condors would eventually get one by him on one of the many horrifically bad broken and defensive plays that the Gulls were guilty of through the first twenty minutes. He was dialed in. Then the Gulls woke up and completely took over for the second period and I started to worry that the lack of quality looks coming his way would potentially be his undoing but he was sharp, focused and stood tall for the entire sixty minutes. The Condors goals that got by him were either off the post and in or out-numbered opportunities that drew him out of position. I wonder if he gets the start for Game 2 or if the Gulls treat this like the regular season and give Eriksson Ek the equal share we have seen them deploy this season.
Zegras + Drysdale = Unstoppable Power Play
I said this in my preseason preview and I still stand by it – the Gulls season success would be dictated by Trevor Zegras. Once he and Drysdale left the Power Play was … largely uninspiring. Now look at it. It went three for three today, its clicking at 100% on the postseason.
One Line to Three
Let’s be honest, the Gulls have been a one line team for the last few weeks or so. If you needed a goal or a spark, you played the Groulx line. Now all of a sudden – there are three dangerous lines; with the addition of just two centers. If that doesn’t show you how important a good center is I dont know what is.
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