Returing home to finish the fourth and final meeting with the Silver Knights the Gulls were welcomed by newcomer Drew Helleson and the return of Axel Andersson to the line-up after being absent the last game for unexplained reasons.
Nik Brouillard moved back to forward and jumped right into the top six, on the second line with Knidopp and Drew. Consequently Tracey moved back to the fourth line with Marleau and Badini. Drew Helleson was paired with Jacob Larsson (not my first choice if I were coaching) in his debut. Nathan Larose drew out to make room for the incoming Helleson. Lukas Dosal was given the start.
It should also be noted that the Silver Knights were missing eight regulars due to call-up injury and were playing under-manned and essentially only rolling two pairs of defense-men.
First Period:
Right off the bat Alex Limoges found some time and space to drive the Henderson net but smartly handed off to Helleson who jumped into the play, the rookie defender getting his first taste of action on offense and the Gulls first shot of the game.
Another quick heads-up play this time between Helleson and Larsson resulted in the Gulls getting their first power play as an intercept and quick back-pass to Larsson from Helleson was then sent up ice to a streaking Brouillard who was hooked to prevent a clear cut breakaway.
San Diego had some good looks with the man advantage but could not get the puck to settle in the finish. The Groulx line drew another call soon after the penalty expired as the center in question was hooked attempting to retrieve a loose puck in the Henderson zone.
It took some time and patience for the Gulls to finally generate a chance but in the final twenty seconds San Diego were able to string together a sequence to setup Brayden Tracey at the backdoor but the young winger was cross checked from behind into the net by a Henderson defender before he could even control the puck. On replays it looked as though the puck had gone into the net before it was pushed off its moorings and at the very least revealed a clear cross-checking or interference call (given Tracey had not touched the puck) but no call was made and it was deemed no goal was scored on the play.
Minutes later the Silver Knights struck first on some poor coverage by the Gulls in their zone as they allowed Henderson to retrieve a puck down low and find an open man in front. Helleson was up the side-boards out of position while Larsson completely whiffed on controlling and transitioning the puck. 1-0 Silver Knights.
Henderson took confidence from the goal and increased both their possession and shots over the next few minutes. San Diego had some good looks with their own respective counter attacks but again, like their earlier Power Plays – could not get the puck to stick.
The Gulls were given their third Power Play of the game and period with three minutes left in the period and again patiently moved the puck around the net before attempting to find Tracey at the back door but both times he was either tied up or cleaned out before he could get to a rebound.
Time wound down for the remainder of the period with the Gulls heading to the first intermission down by one and relatively even in shots, San Diego carrying the narrow 9-8 edge.
Second Period: Henderson Silver Knights 1 – San Diego Gulls 0
San Diego picked up the hitting to start the second period and in doing so created some more space. Nik Brouillard left Reid Duke behind the play after one such heavy hit which left an opening for Jacob Perreault to receive a pass from Alex Limoges with speed driving the Henderson net, his drive-shot beating the Silver Knights goaltender. Tie game 1-1.
Both teams exchanged chances – including a blistering wrist shot that hit iron from Lucas Elvenes but the stalemate continued for another ten minutes until a great heads up play from Axel Andersson to jump in on the rush, receive a pass at the Henderson blue line and move in with speed and spot Jacob Perreault at the far post. The speedy winger getting his second of the game to take the lead for the Gulls. 2-1 Gulls.
San Diego closed out the period having killed a brief minor to Axel Andersson and enjoying their own Power Play thanks to a call drawn by Bryce Kindopp on a partial break. The Gulls taking a 2-1 lead to the second intermission and comfortably ahead in shots 22-16.
Third Period: San Diego Gulls 2 – Henderson Silver Knights 1
Play was back and forth for much of the start of the third but with little to no space for either team it didn’t make for overly entertaining play in terms of shots on net.
Bryce Kindopp drew a call when he caught a stick up high in the San Diego zone and the Gulls went to their sixth Power Play of the game. Holding the Henderson zone and setting up several chances that came oh so frustratingly close to going in, the Gulls eventually came up short and play continued at five on five with under ten minutes remaining in the game.
The clock continued to wind down with the Gulls playing a perfect strategy of protecting the lead by keeping the puck in the Henderson zone as often as they could. The Silver Knights did manage a few ferocious forays into the San Diego zone and Lukas Dostal had to look strong in net as he made successive stops through traffic.
Brendan Guhle took an ill advised and ill timed tripping call with three and a half minutes remaining to set up close finish but Lukas Dostal looked every bit the NHL calibre goaltender he is as he calmly snagged shots through traffic and slid across to anticipate one-timers, allowing no rebounds in the process.
With the penalty killed and the Henderson net empty Greg Printz closed in on and turned the puck over near the Gulls blue-line and immediately skated off up ice with Alex Limoges matching him stride for stride. Unselfishly sliding the puck to him so allow for the empty net tally. 3-1 Gulls.
Given it was the fourth straight game between these two teams there were a few scuffles after the goal as Limoges was tripped after taking his shot and Greg Printz took exception but the bad blood eventually cooled and the Gulls took the win 3-1.
Post Game Notes:
Helleson First Impressions
The biggest takeaway I can gleam from Helleson is that transition is the name of his game. He is ALWAYS looking for the pass. He was at the beginning of a lot of resulting Gulls high danger chances, always looking to make the first pass and keep the puck moving North in transition. His strong defensive abilities are what he is most known for but for me – his transition game really stood out and is something that fits perfectly with the style of game Anaheim is molding their team around as they look to accelerate their rebuild. I am sure the defensive side will show more as he gets more comfortable, he showed some flashes with some physical play down low but also looked overwhelmed at times with the heavier side to the AHL.
The Mystery Of Axel
Will we ever know why Axel Andersson was a last minute scratch on Trade Deadline day? I would love to know what the deal was in place that might have involved him. My best guess is it was something involving Rickard Rakell and we have the Penguins to thank that it did not happen. Here is hoping his name does not come up again in any further moves in the off-season.
Standings Update
This is slightly out of order as I am writing this days later (and the Gulls have just beat the Tucson Roadrunners as well) but the Gulls recent run has them now at .500 and more than comfortable in the seventh and final spot for the playoffs in the Pacific. Just one point behind the Silver Knights and .019 behind them in points percentage. Should the Gulls move passed Henderson and finish the season in the sixth spot, they would likely face the Colorado Eagles in the first round. A team that will be missing players to their parent club widely regarded as the Stanley Cup favourite but also extremely well-coached with incredibly boring systems that work even better in playoff games.
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