The Gulls let slip a three-goal lead and suffered a 5-4 overtime loss to Abbotsford Wednesday night at Pechanga Arena.
Niklas Brouillard, Blake McLaughlin, Greg Pateryn and Lucas Elvenes scored for the Gulls, who built a 4-1 lead through two periods and finished with a 34-28 edge in shots on goal but suffered an extra-time loss for the second straight night.
The playoff-bound Gulls (27-31-3-2) have four games remaining in the regular season and the result ensures that they will be the seventh seed and thus not be eligible to host a home game in a best-of-three first-round series against either Ontario or Stockton.
The game winner was scored by Abbotford’s Justin Bailey on a four-on-three power play at 3:40 after San Diego’s Trevor Carrick was sent to the penalty box for tripping.
Bailey notched a hat trick.
Things got off to a shaky start just two minutes into the game when Gulls goalie Olle Eriksson Ek was far too casual handling the puck to the side of his own goal area.
He then misplayed it only to watch helplessly as Justin Bailey pounced and snapped a shot into the empty net for a short-handed goal and a 1-0 Abbotsford lead.
The Gulls bounced back when Brouillard scored a power-play goal on a one-timer with one second remaining in the first and then seemingly took control in the second when McLaughlin and Pateryn scored just 26 seconds apart.
Elvenes made it 4-1 Gulls at 16:37 with a smooth one-timer off a from Danny O’Regan.
McLaughlin’s goal was the first of his professional career while Brouillard and Elvenes scored on what had been a struggling power play.
Ek was pulled and replaced with Lucas Dostal at 15:43 of the third period after allowing a power-play goal to Sheldon Rempal and then another short-handed score from Bailey.
Dostal made a big save with just over four minutes remaining with a smooth glove snag on a wicked shot from Rempel.
With 3:20 remaining, the Gulls penalty kill had to come up big after Hunter Drew was hit with a delay of game penalty. Sure enough, the unit proved solid, holding the AHL’s second best power play to no shots.
Abbotsford pulled goalie Michael DiPietro for an extra skater right after the failed power play and Jack Rathbone ripped a shot that found its way through traffic and past Dostal with 25 seconds remaining for the tying goal.
The Gulls were coming off a 3-2 shootout loss at Henderson on Tuesday night and have lost seven straight games and eight of nine.
Limoges in the books
Rookie forward Alex Limoges made club history Tuesday when he scored his 12th power-play goal of the season to tie the game late in regulation. He ed Sam Carrick and Corey Tropp, who shared the previous mark at 11.
Not bad for a player undrafted out of Penn State.
“Yeah, that’s pretty cool,” Limoges said of the record. “To be up with those guys who have such a big name in San Diego history — it’s fun to be up there with them.”
Carter is a freelance writer.
