Dustin Tokarski stopped all 22 shots he faced in his first game since Dec. 26 and Nick Sorensen and Antoine Laganiere scored power-play goals in the second period as the San Diego Gulls defeated the Bakersfield Condors 4-0 Sunday at Valley View Casino Center.
Jordan Samuels-Thomas and Chris Wagner scored in the third period as the Gulls (26-13-2-2) won for the eighth time in nine games. The Gulls have a standings point in 14 of their last 15 games. They are 4-0-0-0 this season against the Condors, the Edmonton Oilers American Hockey League affiliate.
Tokarski had been sidelined in part because of a lower-body injury, not dressing for nine games, including eight in a row from Dec. 29 through Jan. 20. He was in uniform, but did not play in the Gulls last six games.
Jhonas Enroth had played in goal for the Gulls the last eight games and 10 of the past 11 with a 9-1-0-0 record.
Tokarski made seven saves in both the first and third periods and eight in the second for his first shutout since March 16, 2014 when he made 29 saves against the Buffalo Sabres in his third game with the Montreal Canadiens.
“He was great since he hasn’t played in a long time,” Gulls coach Dallas Eakins said.
“He had to wait his turn to get back out on the ice. He did that through supporting teammates and working extremely hard. I’m really proud of his performance, he really earned it.”
The Gulls killed all four of Bakersfield’s power-play opportunities, including a two-man advantage for one minute, 29 seconds of the second period when they led 1-0.
“The 5-on-3 kill gave us a lot of momentum,” Tokarski said. “That’s what good teams do. They find a way to get out of tough spots.”
The Gulls scored on two of their seven power-play opportunities before a crowd announced at 9,627.
Sorensen opened the scoring 9:15 into the second period, putting in a rebound of a shot by Kalle Kossila for his sixth goal of the season. Nic Kerdiles was also credited with an assist.
Laganiere scored his team-leading 15th goal and fifth in five games 16:52 into the second period, off assists by Kossila and Kevin Roy.
Samuels-Thomas scored off a rebound by a shot by Scott Sabourin 1:30 into the third period. Wagner scored 6:03 into the period off assists by Max Gortz and Kerdiles, who had one assist in his six pervious games with the Gulls this season.
Nick Ellis made 41 saves, 15 in the first period and 13 each in the second and third, for the Condors (19-19-5-1).
The Gulls will next play Tuesday at Valley View Casino Center against the Iowa Wild, the Minnesota Wild’s AHL affiliate. The Gulls, the Anaheim Ducks AHL affiliate, defeated the Wild, 3-1, Jan. 16 in Des Moines, in their only previous meeting.
— City News Service