Photo credit: @sjbarracuda

By Marko Ukalovic

There are fast starts and then there are fast starts by the San Jose Barracuda. They scored two goals in the first 39 seconds of the game to coast their way to a 4-0 shut out victory over the Bakersfield Condors on Sunday evening at SAP Center. The win is the fifth in a row for the Pacific Division leaders.

Dylan Gambrell got off the schneid when he tipped in a Kyle Wood shot from the point past Condors goalie Shane Starrett (5-1-0) 23 seconds into the game. Gambrell’s fourth goal of the season set a San Jose (14-3-1-2) franchise record for quickest goal to start a game. Vincent Praplan received the secondary assist. The goal snapped an 11-game goalless streak for Gambrell.

Jayden Halbgewachs set up Manny Wiederer 16 seconds later as Wiederer sent a wrist shot past Starrett for his seventh goal of the season at the 0:39 mark.

Francis Perron intercepted a cross ice pass in the Cuda zone and skated in all alone on a breakaway and buried the puck past Starrett for his team-leading 10th goal and 22nd point of the season at the 3:57 mark. The Cuda had three goals on the first three shots. Perron is currently on a four-game point streak.

Bakersfield (11-9-0-0) had a chance to get on the board with seconds left at the end of the first 20 minutes with a mad scramble in front of the net, but Cuda goalie Josef Korenar (8-1-1) found the puck through all the traffic.

Korenar made a key moment in the game in the second period while Bakersfield was on the power play. Tyler Benson had a wide-open net to shoot at, but Korenar maneuvered his way over to make a spectacular save to deny Benson. Korenar made another save second after that led to a successful penalty kill.

San Jose blew the game the open on the power play toward the end of the middle frame for a 4-0 lead. Nick DeSimone found an open Rourke Chartier. who snapped a shot past Starrett for his second goal of the season at the 17:36 mark. Chartier now has five points in four games against the Condors. Perron received the secondary assist.

Korenar was excellent in between the pipes for his ninth victory of the season stopping all 31 shots he faced for his second shutout of the season. Starrett suffered his first back to back losses of the season making 18 saves on 22 shots.

GAME NOTES: San Jose was 1/4 on the power play. Bakersfield was 0/4

This was the eighth straight game San Jose has earned at least one point. They are now 8-1-0-1 (best in the AHL) at SAP Center including winning the past six in a row.

It was Kansas City Blades night at the Tank. The Blades were the San Jose Sharks minor league affiliate in the IHL from 1991-96.

The announced attendance was 3,073.

UP NEXT: The Barracuda travel down to San Diego to take on the Gulls on Saturday, December 15 at 7:00 pm.