By: Eric He

photo credit: San Jose Barracuda

Fighting for a playoff spot with the regular season winding down, the San Jose Barracuda notched a crucial win on Friday night on the road over the Texas Stars as they recorded a 3-0 shutout.

Aaron Dell recorded 33 saves to help the Barracuda claw closer to the eighth and final playoff spot in the Western Conference. With a 30-24-8-3 record, the Barracuda now trail the 36-38-2-5 Charlotte Checkers by mere percentage points.

The Barracuda scored a goal in each period to methodically pull away from the Stars. Bryan Lerg struck first at the 7:30 mark of the first period, finishing on a nifty backhand off a loose puck in front.

They doubled up on the lead less than a minute into the second period. Julius Bergman connected on a one-timer off a pass from Ryan Carpenter to give the Barracuda a 2-0 lead. Though San Jose was outshot 16-3 in the second, Dell stopped all 16 shots to preserve the two-goal advantage.

An empty-net goal by Nikolay Goldobin in the third period sealed the pivotal win for the Barracuda.

The Barracuda are back at it against the Stars again on Saturday in Dallas.