Photo credit: @sjbarracuda

By Marko Ukalovic

SAN JOSE — The San Jose Barracuda (22-19-2-3) were happy to have Rudolfs Balcers and his scoring touch back in the lineup as his two goals led the way for a 4-2 victory over the Pacific Division leading Tuscon Roadrunners (27-15-2-1) on Wednesday night at the SAP Center. The win snapped the Cuda’s four-game losing streak.

Balcers’ second goal of the night proved to be the game winning goal for San Jose on the power play. Rourke Chartier kept the puck inside the blue line, passed it over to Tim Heed who fed Balcers who skated between the middle of the circles and fired a shot top self past Hunter Miska (15-5-0) for a 3-2 lead at the 8:26 mark of the third period. It was his team leading 14th goal on the season.

“It’s been a while (since I scored a goal),” said Baclers about his recent goalless streak. “I actually talked to my parents yesterday. We talked that I haven’t scored in a while. So it felt good.”

The Roadrunners would draw first blood when Mike Sislo skated in all alone on the right wing after taking a cross-ice feed from Lawson Crouse and fired a shot past Cuda goalie Troy Grosenick (6-8-3) into the back of the net for his 15th goal on the season at the 12:23 mark of the first period.

The Barracuda would even it up late in the first period when a turnover at the blue line gave the puck to Adam Helewka and he found a wide-open Emerson Clark who skated right down the middle all alone and buried a shot past Tuscon goalie Hunter Miska (15-5-0) for his sixth goal of the season at the 17:37 mark.

Despite the Roadrunners’ defense clogging up the middle of the ice and holding the Cuda to only three shots in the period, both teams headed into the first intermission tied at one apiece.

Tuscon regained the lead late in the second period with a power play goal from Lane Pederson. With Helewka in the sin bin for hooking, Laurent Dauphin found Pederson at the right point and he blasted a shot past Grosenick for his eighth goal of the season at the 16:14 mark.

Balcers tied it back up over a minute later with his first goal of the night when he received a pass from Tim Heed at the right slot and skated in on Miska and fired a shot that Miska wasn’t able to handle at the 17:21 mark.

In the third period, the Cuda took three undisciplined penalties (two too many men on the ice and one unsportmanlike conduct) that gave Tuscon a chance to come back but San Jose’s penalty kill along with Grosenick were perfect and didn’t allow another goal.

“Special teams were pretty good,” said head coach Roy Sommer. “It would’ve been a little disheartening if they had scored on those, but they didn’t.”

Chartier, back in the lineup after missing the last 30 games, gave the Cuda a huge insurance goal when Nick DeSimone connected with Chartier on a pass from center ice and he skated in from the left slot before firing a shot past Miska into the top right corner of the goal for his third goal of the season.

“He’s been through a lot these past couple of years,” said Grosenick about Chartier’s return to the lineup. “To see him comeback and get rewarded like that, with all his hard work, it’s a good thing to see.”

Grosenick made 37 saves on 39 shots, including a great sprawling save on Crouse in the second period while Tuscon was on the power play. Miska stopped 22 pucks on 26 shots for just his fifth loss on the season.

“It was big, it was big for him and just his psyche”, said Sommer about Grosenick finally getting a win. “He was kinda wondering when the next win was gonna come. He battled in there and made some big saves for us down the end for us.”

GAME NOTES: San Jose was 1/4 on the power play and snapped an 0/13 skid, while Tuscon went 1/6.

Along with Chartier, forward Danny O’Reagan was also back in the line up for the Cuda who has been up and down with the Sharks and Cuda this season.

Caleb Herbert made his debut for San Jose after recently signing with the team.

San Jose went 1-2-1-1 on their five-game home stand.

The announced attendance was 2,924.

UP NEXT: The Barracuda head out on the road to begin a four-game road trip beginning with a two-game weekend series in Stockton as they take on their Nor Cal rival the Heat on Friday 2/16. Face off is scheduled for 7 pm PT.