Despite not leading for a single second of the game, the San Diego Gulls stole a win from the San Jose Barracuda 5-4 in overtime on Wednesday night at Tech CU Arena.
With the Barracuda scoring first, each goal was scored in alternating fashion until the Gulls scored their overtime winner after tying the game at four in the third period.
“I thought we played an okay game. I don’t think we played poorly,” Barracuda head coach John McCarthy said.
In a game where each regulation goal was scored by the alternating team, the Barracuda played quality hockey but failed to make a difference in the little moments that often decide close games.
In overtime with the game tied at four, Ville Husso took advantage of a poor Barracuda line change and delivered a stretch pass to former-Barracuda Justin Bailey. Bailey then entered the zone with an odd-man rush and patiently set up former-Barracuda Ryan Carpenter who scored the game winner.
Despite the loss, the Barracuda have blocks to build off of.
“We’ve got to take what we can get, take a look at it, pull out what we can, and learn from it,” McCarthy said.
1. Walker Duehr wastes no time dazzling in his ‘Cuda debut
The Sharks assigned Walker Duehr to the Barracuda on Tuesday after playing eight games in Teal since he was acquired on waivers from the Calgary Flames on January 22.
Duehr took very little time to make a strong impression in his first game with the Barracuda. He scored his first goal on a first-period power play when he received the puck at the blue line. He then walked the blue line and skated down to the faceoff circle, where he fired off a toe-drag release to score the game’s first goal.
Duehr also assisted the Barracuda’s second goal of the game when he passed to Braden Haché at the blue line after Rem Pitlick won an offensive zone faceoff.
“Do my role to the best of my ability and help this team get wins,” Duehr replied when asked about his mindset while playing in the AHL. “If I do that, I’ll give myself a chance [to return to the NHL].”
2. Braden Haché scores his first AHL goal
Rookie defenseman Braden Haché notched his first AHL goal thanks to the aforementioned Duehr assist in the second period to give the Barracuda a 2-1 lead.
Haché received the puck at the blue line after the Barracuda won an offensive zone faceoff, and scored with a laser of a shot.
“Duehr just said, ‘Get it to the net.’ He bumped it back to me and won the battle on the wall. I saw a lane and got it through,” Haché said. “It’s cool. Obviously, you dream of that your whole life. Cool to be able to get that done.”
Haché also recorded an assist on Andrew Poturalski’s goal later in the same period for his first multi-point game in the AHL.
3. Andrew Poturalski adds to his league-leading point total
Andrew Poturalski built on his lead atop the AHL’s points leaderboard when he scored on Braden Haché’s aforementioned assist.
Poturalski received the puck on the half board then skated to the top of the faceoff circle, and then in at an angle towards the Gulls’ net. He was afforded lots of time and space by the Gulls’ defense, perhaps too much time and space for the AHL’s leading point scorer. Without being challenged, Poturalski scored with the help of some traffic in front of the net.
Poturalski’s 24th goal of the season was also his 59th point of the season.
Poturalski then recorded his 37th assist and league-leading 60th point of the season when he redirected the puck in front of the net to Ethan Cardwell to give the Barracuda a 4-3 lead. Cardwell’s goal also gave Thomas Bordeleau his 100th career point in the AHL, who recorded the secondary assist.
