2023-2024 Game 18: San Diego Gulls at Chicago Wolves

Dropping their last home game in overtime to the Central Division leading Texas Stars after fighting back from a 3-0 deficit the San Diego Gulls hit the road with renewed confidence but were missing one of their star forwards as they rolled in to Chicago.

With Pavol Regenda now injured after a nasty looking lower body injury sustained in the previous game against Texas, Coach McIlvane opted to insert Travis Howe back on the fourth line while elevating Ben King to the second line in a very well earned promotion. The top line was switched up once again as Jacob Perreault replaced Nikita Nesterenko who showed great chemistry with Ben King in the previous game against Texas. The third line remained intact as did the defensive pairings.

Calle Clang was given the start while Nick Wollf, Sasha Pastujov and Alex Stalock remained the healthy scratches.

First Period:

Starting the game off by matching the Wolves physical intensity the Gulls continued forward their more polished play of late by dominating the early goings. Earning back to back Power Plays on tripping and then slashing calls.

Jacob Perreault among a few of the Gulls players who looked particularly inspired through the first five minutes and got the scoring going by receiving a very nice pass from Nikita Nesterenko in the slot, the dangerous sniper made no mistake, going post and in to make it 1-0 Gulls.

It was all Gulls for the next ten or so minutes and it took until the halfway mark of the period for the Wolves to even register their first shot on net. San Diego generated chances across all four lines and it was all Keith Kinkaid could do to keep the score at 1-0 as the Gulls fired shot after shot on the Chicago net.

San Diego earned another Power Play as the period reached its final quarter but this time the Wolves aggressive penalty kill prevented the Gulls from getting a good chance set up during the two minute sequence.

The Wolves were given a Power Play of their own in the final three minutes and although the Gulls penalty killing units looked decidedly average both at denying zone entries and denying the Wolves high danger chances, Calle Clang was there to make numerous important saves to preserve and allow San Diego to take the all important 1-0 lead into the first intermission.

Shots were 15-7 in favour of San Diego after the first twenty minutes of play, the shot map showing the Gulls dominance on the frame both in terms of shot volume and possession in the Chicago zone.

Second Period: San Diego Gulls 1 – Chicago Wolves 0

It was all Gulls again to start the second with a similar story to the first, as San Diego were awarded a Power Play when the Wolves Domenick Fensore was called for tripping on Brayden Tracey.

Chicago once again proved overly aggressive on the penalty kill, sending two men into the San Diego zone and being quick to close on the Gulls when they did manage to get possession and attempt to move up ice. Just as time was about to expire on the minor, some open ice on the left wing opened up and Nikita Nesterenko broke into the Chicago zone, his initial shot sent wide but Josh Lopina collected the loose change in the corner and the puck found its way back to Nesterenko through two Gulls. The former Boston College standout weighing and measuring a shot-pass that Brayden Tracey expertly redirected through the Wolves netminder. 2-0 Gulls and their second Power Play marker of the night.

Chicago attempted some push back after the goal but the Gulls remained committed to boxing out in front of Clang while keeping things physical down low.

However the Wolves were relentless and both possession and momentum went their way as time went on in the frame, not to mention Power Plays. Just as the Gulls successfully killed one minor to Robert Hagg on the back of some great work from all three units, the Wolves were given another man advantage when Tyson Hinds was given the lone minor for a behind the play scuffle that was started by Wolves veteran Cory Conacher.

The Wolves made the Gulls pay this time, crashing the crease and depositing a dirty goal by Clang to make it 2-1.

San Diego came back with an instant response from the fourth line and despite Keith Kinkaid making a highlight reel diving stop on a Travis Howe attempt at a rebound from a powerful Olen Zellweger shot, you got the sense that the Gulls felt wronged by both the unjust minor and subsequent power play goal allowed.

The other lines followed on from the fourth lines near opportunity and a nice breakout pass and even nicer move by Andrew Agozzino at the Wolves blue line allowed him to enter the zone with speed and fire a wicked shot that beat Kinkaid high glove side. 3-1 Gulls. That’s the kind of veteran scoring I have been looking for.

Both teams traded some near misses in the final minutes of the period as first the Gulls came close on a four on two rush that came oh so close to making it 4-1 before the Wolves countered via an outnumbered break that saw a Wolves player ring the post in the dying seconds of the frame.

San Diego taking a 3-1 lead into the second intermission despite being largely out-played on the period, the Wolves edging them in shots 10-9 on the frame but the Gulls leading by 24-17 overall. The shot map showing San Diego still doing a fairly good job at keeping the Wolves to the perimeter but allowing too much shot volume.

Third Period: San Diego Gulls 3 – Chicago Wolves 1

The final period began at a frenetic pace that was only broken up by a good amount of bad blood as both teams continually clashed after the whistle and saw many a stick slash, snag and swipe on both sides.

As time passed over the halfway mark some good pressure from the combination of Judd Caulfield and Nathan Gaucher saw Caulfield strip Domenick Fensore of the puck, swing wide around a diving Alex Green and swing a pass back out in front to the crashing Gaucher. The Ducks 2022 first round pick slamming the puck home. 4-1 Gulls.

Chicago attempted a response but the Gulls held firm backstopped by Clang. The Swedish goaltender not only making his usual positional stops but also the odd sprawling save.

Some inspired forechecking from the fourth line kept the Wolves from making any progress in the last few minutes of the period and as the final horn sounded Calle Clang looked up to the rafters while simultaneously raising his arms in celebration for his second win of the season.

Post Game Notes:

Nikita Nikita

Nikita Nesterov was given the first star of the game and deservedly so, two of the Gulls four goals went directly through him and through him only. There were at least two other high danger chances that were also solely his doing. His ability to think the game three steps ahead and slow things down is very Getzlaf-esque but he goes about it in a completely different style. Where the Ducks legend quietly went about his craft with subtle yet simple and beautiful passes to soft areas, Nesterenko uses speed and an element of flair. This kid loves to create on the rush. He was already too good for the AHL to start this season but now he is really starting to come into his own and could end up being the team MVP by years end.

Poor Pasta

I thought the injury to Regenda would mean Sasha Pastujov might get a shot on a line that isn’t the fourth – allowing him a better chance to flourish, but I also understand why elevating the likes of Ben King and Jacob Perreault through the line-up makes sense also. They have earned their promotions through hard work where Pastujov hasn’t shown enough with his opportunities so far. He is fresh from Junior so it will take time for him to adjust, but again – maybe some time in Tulsa will help that.

Penalty Kill Woes

One of the major reasons for the Gulls terrible start has been the Penalty Kill, currently ranked 29th in the league at a 75% kill rate, San Diego have allowed 20 Power Play goals – tied for worst with four other teams. They have allowed 68 goals on the season, so roughly 29% of the goals they have allowed have been while they were shorthanded. They appear to have finally fixed their offensive production issues, they next need to turn their focus on the penalty kill.

No Longer Last And Moving Up Slowly

The Gulls are now 4-10-4 with 12 points in 18 games, this win putting them ahead of the Wolves now to drop them to dead last in the league. They are still last in the Pacific but only two points behind the Barracuda and three behind the Condors. It’s a long road to the final playoff spot though, that is currently occupied by the Eagles who at 21 points are 9 points ahead. It’s not an impossible feat and if the Gulls keep trending upward, I can see them getting on a roll that will see them continue to string together groups of wins that allow them to pace their division rivals to edge slowly closer to that final spot.