The San Diego Gulls took a season-high 42 shots, but were able to get just one past Nick Ellis in a 4-1 loss to the Bakersfield Condors Friday evening.
“Sometimes the score is not indicative of the play,” Gulls coach Dallas Eakins said after his team’s fifth loss in seven games to fall to 7-9-1- 0. “I think that’s the best game we have played all year. It’s hard not getting the points but I’m encouraged by the way that we played. I thought we were the dominant team.”
The Gulls outshot Bakersfield, 42-24, including an 18-8 advantage in the third period. This was just the second time in their past 14 games the Gulls outshot their opponent.
The Gulls allowed two power-play goals for the fourth consecutive game.
“(This) might have been the best our penalty kill has played all year,” said Eakins, whose team is last in the 30-team American Hockey League in penalty killing percentage, 75.3 percent.
Bakersfield’s two second-period power-play goals were the result of “two small mistakes,” Eakins said.
The Gulls killed four of the Condors six power-play opportunities and scored on one of their five before a crowd at Valley View Casino Center announced at 8,275.
Left wing Kalle Kossila scored a power-play goal with 14 minutes, 11 seconds to play, cutting the deficit to 3-1, but Ellis shut out the Gulls the remainder of the game.
Ellis (4-5-1-0) made 41 saves to end a four-game winless streak which began with an overtime loss.
Reto Berra stopped 20 of 23 shots in his first game with the Gulls since Nov. 4. The Anaheim Ducks, the Gulls NHL parent team, announced earlier Friday they had reassigned Berra and defenseman Jaycob Megna to the Gulls.
Berra had been recalled by the Ducks Nov. 8 and played twice with them before being reassigned to the Gulls. Berra stopped all six shots he faced in relief of an injured Ryan Miller in the Ducks 4-1 victory over the Vancouver Canucks Nov. 9 and 40 of 42 shots in a 3-2 shootout victory over the San Jose Sharks Monday.
The Gulls were scoreless in the first period for the seventh time in their past nine games. Left wing Ryan Hamilton opened the scoring for Bakersfield, the Edmonton Oilers AHL affiliate,12:34 into the game, skating past defenseman Andy Welinski and putting a backhanded shot past Berra for the unassisted goal.
Kyle Platzer put a wrist shot from the left faceoff circle past Berra for a power-play goal 8:50 into the second period. Gulls center Ryan White was called for charging for his hit on Platzer following the shot, giving the Condors (6-8-2-0) another power play, which Josh Currie scored on 1:49 later.
Eakins pulled Berra for a sixth attacker with 3:08 remaining. Mitch Callahan scored an empty-net goal with 1:23 left off Hamilton’s assist.
The Gulls will begin a five-game road trip Sunday at San Jose.
— City News Service
