Photo credit: @sjbarracuda

By Marko Ukalovic

Desperate times call for desperate hockey. The San Jose Barracuda (30-26-4-4) gave their fading playoff hopes a shot in the arm as six different goal scorers powered the way to a  6-2 victory over the Stockton Heat (32-26-2-4) on Friday evening at Stockton Arena.

San Jose’s victory along with the Texas Stars’ 3-2 shootout loss to the Rockford IceHogs kept the Barracuda mathematically alive. They will need to win out and need Texas to lose out in order to make the playoffs.

The Cuda would get off to the start it wanted midway through the first period. Manny Wiederer’s wrist shot pinballed off of Heat goalie David Rittich’s (7-4-0) equipment and before he could corral the puck it went his under the right arm into the back of the net. The rookie forward’s eighth goal of the season came at the 9:20 mark. Radim Simek and Noah Rod received assists on the goal.

Stockton generated a couple of scoring chances late in the first period, but weren’t able to get a puck past Cuda goalie Stephon Williams (2-1-0). They outshot San Jose 8-5 in the first period.

A close call early in the second period almost resulted in a goal for Stockton on the power play. A one-timer shot from the point deflected on Williams and off his pads as it was laying in the crease that created a mad scramble in front of the net. The Cuda were able to clear the puck with no harm done.

Noah Rod, playing just his seventh career game, gave the Cuda a 2-0 lead when he scored his first career AHL goal. Rod was able to pounce on a rebound off a Julius Bergman shot and back-handed the puck top-shelf past Rittich at the 9:20 mark of the second period. Emerson Clark received the secondary assist.

Rudolfs Balcers continued his sensational rookie season when he scored his team leading 21st goal of the season after receiving a pass from Rourke Chartier, he was able to collect his own rebound on his initial shot and fired it home past Rittich at the 13:47 mark.

Stockton would get on the board when Mike McMurtry scored his fifth goal of the season exactly a minute later. Emile Poirier’s shot pinballed off Williams and McMurtry punched home the rebound at the 14:47 mark. Ryan Lomberg received the secondary assist.

San Jose regained their three-goal lead just 50 seconds into the third period. Tim Heed, in his fifth game with the Cuda, scored his first goal on the season on the power play. Heed blasted a shot from the right point inside the near post past Rittich. Jacob Middelton and Alex True received assists on the goal.

Williams made a great save while Stockton was on the power play five minutes into the period. He had lost his stick during a mad scramble, but was able to use a defenseman’s stick and reached back across the crease to stop a shot that was headed for an empty net.

Chartier put the game away with his sixth goal of the season at the 13:40 mark. The Cuda had sustained pressure inside the Heat zone as Ivan Chekhovich fed Chartier, who snapped home the puck inside the post. The goal snapped a 12-game goalless drought for Chartier. Balcers received the secondary assist.

Lomberg tipped home the puck past Williams from a shot from the point. McMurtry sent a shot toward the net that Lomberg was able to deflect home for his 10th goal of the season at the 16:40 mark.

Chekhovic iced the game with an empty-netter for his second goal in as many games to close out the scoring at the 17:46 mark. Chartier received the only assist on the goal.

Williams made 22 saves on 24 shots to earn the victory. Rittich made 16 saves on 21 shots in the defeat.

GAME NOTES: San Jose went 1/2 on the power play. Stockton was 0/6.

This was the 10th meeting of the season between the two teams. They play each other twice more in the final four games of the regular season.

Brodie Dupont gave a hard check on Zach Frye that cause some pushing and shoving after the whistle late in the first period.

Heed’s power play goal made it seven consecutive games with a power play goal for San Jose. They are 10/29 in their last seven games on the power play.

With the FIGHT FIGHT FIGHT! Colby McAuley and Luke Gazdic exchanged fisticuffs with less than two minutes left in the game.

UP NEXT: The Barracuda take on the Stockton Heat to close out the home-and-home series on Saturday at 1:15 pm PT at SAP Center.