Colorado Eagles Score Four Third-Period Goals, Pull Away for 6-3 Win

Four goals in the final 20 minutes turned a competitive game into a comfortable road win for the Colorado Eagles, who pulled away from the San Diego Gulls 6-3 Friday night at Pechanga Arena.

Colorado led by only a goal heading into the third period before the Eagles' depth took over, converting four times to put the result out of reach. The specific Colorado scorers were not immediately available, but the final frame told the story plainly enough.

San Diego got strong individual performances and still lost by three. Sasha Pastujov led the Gulls with a goal and an assist, collecting his 11th multi-point game of the season. The left wing's 14th goal and 28th assist give him 42 points on the year, the most of any Gulls skater.

Ryan Carpenter added his 15th goal of the season, his sixth on the power play, extending his point streak to three games with five points over that stretch (3 goals, 2 assists). Judd Caulfield also scored his 15th goal of the season, and it was a notable one: the first power-play goal of his AHL career. Caulfield sits at 33 points on the year (15 goals, 18 assists), tied for second among Gulls skaters in goals and fourth in points.

On the blue line, Tristan Luneau continued one of the more quietly impressive streaks in the league. Two assists on Friday pushed his points streak to six games (2 goals, 7 assists over that run) and gave him 21 helpers on the season, the most among San Diego defensemen. Since the All-Star Break on Feb. 13, Luneau has 13 points in that span (2 goals, 11 assists), co-leading all AHL defensemen in points and ranking second in assists during that stretch.

Tyson Hinds, Yegor Sidorov, and Roland McKeown each recorded an assist for San Diego. Goaltender Calle Clang made 22 saves.

The two teams return to Pechanga Arena on Saturday night for the rematch, with puck drop scheduled for 6 p.m. PDT.