The San Diego Gulls entered Saturday’s game against Coachella Valley trailing the Firebirds by two points in the Pacific Division standings.
Following Coachella Valley’s 4-0 win at Pechanga Arena, the gap between the teams feels much larger.
Playing their third game in four nights, the Gulls (16-12-6-2, 40 points) looked sluggish in falling to 1-5 against Coachella Valley on the season.
The Gulls struggled to create scoring chances against Coachella Valley goalie Victor Ostman and went 0-for-4 on their first four power play chances on the way to their fourth shutout loss of the season. The Firebirds have outscored the Gulls 22-4 in their last five games.
The teams meet twice more; Jan. 30 in the desert and April 18 at Pechanga Arena.
The Firebirds (20-12-4, 45 points) took a 1-0 lead at 15:44 of the first period, when Jani Nyman finished a two-on-one by slipping a shot past Gulls goalie Tomas Suchanek’s glove side.
The visitors took total control in the second period as Nyman scored a second time at 4:51 and Ty Nelson made it 3-0 with a goal at 6:38.
Gulls forward and team enforcer Travis Howe briefly threw a charge into the home crowd by initiating a third-period scrap with Jacob Mellanson directly in front of the visiting bench. But Howe got tossed from the game and the Firebirds made it 4-0 a few seconds later on a power-play goal from Tyson Jugnauth.
The teams engaged in a handful of other scraps in the game’s closing minutes but that did little to alter the result.
Suchanek was called up from ECHL Tulsa on Thursday, replacing Vyacheslav Buteyets, who was sent back to Tulsa.
San Diego Gulls’ Nikita Nesterenko (13) shoots past Coachella Valley Firebirds’ Jagger Firkus (57) and Jani Nyman (33) during the second period Jan. 17, 2026 in San Diego, Calif. (Photo by Denis Poroy)
It was Suchanek’s third appearance as a Gull this season and first since playing well while making 25 saves on 26 shots in a 2-1 overtime shootout loss to Henderson on Dec. 13.
Saturday’s loss dropped the Gulls to 1-6 in games with goalies other than Ville Husso, currently with the Anaheim Ducks, or primary starter Calle Clang in net.
Clang posted his second shutout of the season in Friday’s 1-0 home win over Abbotsford and has allowed one goal or fewer in four straight starts.
The Gulls open a four-game road stretch with games at seventh-place Tucson on Tuesday and Wednesday before visiting Abbotsford next weekend.
Notable
Defenseman Tim Washe, who was called up by the Anaheim Ducks on Jan. 7, has been named to the Feb. 10-11 AHL All-Star Classic. Washe scored his first NHL goal in the Ducks’ 3-2 overtime victory over the Kings on Thursday.
• Forward San Colangelo (7 goals, 9 assists) was called up by the Ducks on Thursday.