Gulls Offense Comes to Life, Dostal Blanks Silver Knights | San Diego Gulls

Nov 8, 2022

By Brett Pickler/SanDiegoGulls.com

The San Diego Gulls offense exploded for a 7-0 victory over the Henderson Silver Knights at The Greenback Mortgage Enviornment in Henderson.

“It was a great way to come back out a droop,” Gulls head coach Roy Sommer mentioned. “We knew it was there. I’ve form of been speaking about it, we have been doing a variety of good issues, like cleaned up our d(efensive) zone and impartial zone and began to get a bit offense. We had been getting attractiveness and we bumped into sizzling goaltenders and, tonight, the floodgates opened for us.”

HIGHLIGHTS

The Gulls entered tonight’s sport wanting convert their scoring probabilities. It appeared as if this could be a problem, with Vegas Golden Knights goaltender Laurent Brossoit in web on a conditioning stint, however the opening interval turned out to be an offensive clinic from San Diego.

Scoring 4 objectives on 14 pictures, the Gulls put every thing collectively. The explosion started on the facility play, courtesy of San Diego’s ruthless forecheck. Gulls ahead Benoit-Olivier Groulx deflected the puck into the online at 8:44 of the interval, capping off a picture-perfect man benefit.

Lower than 5 minutes later, San Diego began to catch fireplace. Ahead Jacob Perreault seen Brossoit was late to his submit and ripped a shot from the nook. The puck beat him to the submit, giving Perreault his second aim in as many video games. A minute later, defenseman Drew Helleson prolonged the result in three after blasting a seeing-eye shot by means of net-front site visitors for his first profession skilled aim. 

“It felt good and for some purpose there, I couldn’t get one to go (in) for a very long time there,” he mentioned following the sport. “Hopefully, when it rains, it pours right here.”

The action-packed opening interval ended after ahead Rocco Grimaldi stole the puck within the defensive zone. He used his pace to create a partial breakaway. When it appeared like he was about to shoot, he slammed on the breaks, permitting Justin Kirkland to step right into a wrist shot and fireplace it excessive to make it 4-0 with 36 seconds left within the body. Kirkland would go on to tie a career-high in single sport factors with 1-2=3.

San Diego entered the second interval with their confidence excessive. They chased Brossoit, who made 10 saves on 14 pictures, and saved their foot on the gasoline with new goaltender Jiri Patera in web. Following a textbook forecheck, Grimaldi intercepted a breakout move on the faceoff dot. He rapidly gave the puck to Groulx who drove the online from the aim line, stuffing it house for his second of the sport. 

Up 5-0, the Gulls appeared for extra offense. Grimaldi picked up his fourth level of the night time on a wrist shot from the faceoff dot at 9:12 of the interval, receiving a cross-ice move from Kirkland and placing it previous Patera.Forty-two seconds later, defenseman Nikolas Brouillard attacked the Henderson zone at full pace. After some modern stick dealing with within the excessive slot, he began a give-and-go contained in the hashmarks and slid a move to ahead Danny O’Regan who one-timed the puck into the again of the online.  Ahead Pavol Regenda prolonged his level streak to four-games with an help on the Gulls’ seventh aim of the sport.

“It simply reveals we’re able to scoring objectives,” Sommer mentioned of the season-high aim complete. “Now we have objectives in that room, we simply weren’t seeing them. Now possibly guys will not be gripping their sticks so tight and letting it fly.”

Offense was not the one excessive level for San Diego tonight. Gulls netminder Lukas Dostal continued his high-level play by posting a career-high 28 save shutout. Regardless of his dominance between the pipes, it was not a straightforward journey because the Gulls conceded seven penalties, tying a season excessive. 

“That is even higher,” Sommer mentioned. “I’ve to offer the fellows a variety of credit score, got here down on the finish and so they received in entrance of some pucks and continued to work on it. They weren’t dishonest and making an attempt to get objectives, they had been working for his or her goaltender, which was good to see.”

Dostal managed the crease, by no means seeming flustered by the Henderson assault. His composure in web helped the Gulls tie their AHL report for the most important margin of victory, with the seven-goal distinction tying the group’s 8-1 win in opposition to the Tucson Roadrunners on Jan. 25, 2017. 

“I imply, we felt the previous few video games we’ve been trending in the proper course,” Helleson mentioned following the win. “So, it felt good. We form of felt we deserved to at the least get a type of in opposition to Milwaukee so to lastly rating some objectives and such as you mentioned, escape, it feels good and hopefully, we will maintain it that going.”