Author: Eric He

Kings end road trip with blowout win over Mavericks

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AP photo: Matt Barnes stands by the Sacramento Kings bench during thier game against the Dallas Mavericks on Wednesday night

By: Eric He

There’s no better place to end a road trip than against a beatable opponent, and the Sacramento Kings took care of business against the Dallas Mavericks — the bottom-feeders in the Western Conference — on Wednesday night in a 120-89 win to wrap up a six-game swing.

Five players finished in double figures as DeMarcus Cousins led the way with 24 points to go along with 14 rebounds and seven assists.

“Nobody wants to fly that long with a loss under their belt,” Cousins said to reporters. “A good way to go home, good way to end this trip. Hopefully we can gain some momentum from this and start a little streak.”

The Kings led by just four at halftime at 56-52, but dominated the second half. They outscored the Mavericks 29-12 in the third quarter to pull away. An 11-0 run to kick off the third helped gain separation, putting Sacramento ahead 67-52.

They never looked back, extending the lead to 20 at the 4:33 mark on a basket by Cousins, who again dazzled in the game with an array of offensive moves from both inside and outside.

The Kings’ 21-point advantage at the end of third quarters ended with them dropping 120 points on the lowly Mavericks.

Rudy Gay and Darren Collison each had 19 points, and Gary Temple had 17 off the bench.

The Kings end their road trip with a 2-3 record. They play the Kings on Friday at home.

Legal trouble?

Cousins and Matt Barnes could be in some hot water. They were both sued on Wednesday in connection with an alleged assault at a night club in New York that occurred earlier this week. There have been no criminal charges yet.

But reports indicate Barnes was sought for police questioning regarding the incident. TMZ released a video purportedly showing Barnes and Cousins leaving the club. Police say Barnes allegedly choked a woman and started a fight.

Armalis’ shutout leads Barracuda past Rampage 4-0

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photo by sjbarracuda: San Jose Barracuda goaltender Martin Armalis is swarmed and congratulated by his teammates after shutting out the San Antonio Rampage at AT&T Center in downtown San Antonio on Sunday afternoon

By: Eric He

Mantas Armalis recorded 29 saves and Timo Meier scored two goals as the San Jose Barracuda shut out the San Antonio Rampage on Sunday night in a 4-0 road win.

Armalis, the rookie goaltender, moves to 5-1-0-1 in his AHL career after his first shutout.

The Barracuda score two late goals in the first period to take control of the game. Tim Heed fired a one-timer past Rampage goaltender Spencer Martin and Timo Meier scored on a wrist shot minutes later. Both were power play goals that gave San Jose a 2-0 lead heading into the second period.

Meier netted his second goal of the game in the second period, taking a feed from Kevin Labanc and whistling a one-timer into the net from the right side.

John McCarthy added a goal midway through the third period to close out matters.

The Barracuda stopped all four of the Rampage’s power plays. They put 33 shots on goal on Martin, who lost his first career game to San Jose.

After falling in a shootout to the Rampage last night, the Barracuda walk away from San Antonio with a loss and a win. They have a few days off before playing Stockton at home on Thursday.

Kings run out of gas in overtime loss to Wizards

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By: Eric He

DeMarcus Cousins scored 36 points and grabbed 20 rebounds, but the Kings couldn’t find their offense in overtime in a 101-95 loss to the Wizards on the road on Monday.

The Wizards scored the first seven points of overtime, helped by a three-pointer from Bradley Beal and second chance opportunities for Washington. Sacramento managed just three points in the extra session — a “too little, too late” three-pointer by Rudy Gay.

Cousins forced overtime with a tough driving layup with 10 seconds left in regulation, and John Wall missed a jumper at the buzzer to preserve the tie.

But for Cousins, it was just one of his spectacular baskets on a night where he carried the Kings — Gay was the second-highest scorer on the team with 18 points. Cousins hit on an array of contested jumpers that kept his team in the game.

Sacramento trailed 12-4 early but took a 53-50 lead into halftime after outscoring Washington 34-25 in the second quarter. After a tightly-contested third quarter, the Wizards jumped ahead by as many as eight points in the fourth, but the Kings grinded their way back into it.

It wouldn’t be enough, though, as the Wizards prevailed in overtime. Beal had a game-high 31 points, while Wall chipped in 19 points.

“This was a very winnable game,” Cousins told the Sacramento Bee. “Hopefully this doesn’t come back to bite in the butt later on.”

The Kings are now 1-1 on their six-game road trip. Next up, they play at Philadelphia on Wednesday.

Barracuda beat Reign on the road again 5-2

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By: Eric He

sjbarracuda.com photo: Members of the San Jose Barracuda sit waiting for the start of Saturday night’s game against the Reign in Ontario

Last month, Mantas Armalis made his first career AHL start with the Barracuda against the Ontario Reign on the road and struggled, earning less-than-favorable reviews from his coach, Roy Sommer.

Perhaps the feedback will be a little more positive this time around. Armalis made 22 saves in Saturday’s 5-2 win over the Reign at Citizens’ Bank Arena a night after notching another win in a 31-save performance.

Armalis’ back-to-back wins is his first such streak of the season. The Barracuda, meanwhile, rode a pair of two-goal performances from Adam Helewka and Tim Heed to victory.

San Jose scored twice in the second period to take a 3-1 lead. With the score even 1-1, Helewka converted on the power play. Midway through the period, Danny O’Regan extended the advantage, cleaning up a rebound in front.

Heed notched his second goal to give San Jose a 4-1 lead in the third, tipping a shot from O’Regan into the net. After a quick response by Ontario, Helewka recorded his second score of the game, converting a 2-on-1 scoring chance off a pass from Rourke Chartier.

The teams each scored a goal in the first period. Sam Herr scored for the Reign early in the game, but Heed answered with a booming shot from the point on the power play.

San Jose finished 2-of-4 on the man advantage and also outshot Ontario 28-24.

The Barracuda now have a week off before playing two games on the road against the San Antonio Rampage on Dec. 3 and 4.

Barracuda fall to Condors as Grosenick leaves with injury

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By: Eric He

The San Jose Barracuda wrapped up a six-game road trip with a 3-1 loss to the Bakersfield Condors on Tuesday night as starting goaltender Troy Gosenick departed in the first period with an injury.

Grosenick sustained midway through the first period when he apparently hurt his right leg following a scramble. He was helped off the ice putting no weight on the leg.

All three Condors goal came after backup Mantas Armalis replaced Gosenick in net. Bakersfield struck early in the second — just 27 seconds in — courtesy of Taylor Beck, who skated end-to-end and deposited a wrist shot from the right side into the net.

Four minutes later, Adam Helewka provided an equalizer for the Barracuda, knocking the puck in off a scramble in front.

But the deadlock only lasted until 13:22 of the third period. On a 2-on-1 break, the Condors’ Josh Currie found pay dirt, beating Armalis glove side for the eventual game-winner.

Ryan Hamilton added an empty-net goal to give the Condors a two-goal win.

The Barracuda managed 38 shots on the net against Condors goaltender Laurent Brossoit, but he managed to stop all by one. Armalis, meanwhile, allowed two goals on 20 shots faced. San Jose also went o-for-4 on the power play in the loss.

San Jose finishes its six-game road trip with a 2-3-0-1 record. Next up will be another tilt with Bakersfield, this one at SAP Center on Friday at 6 p.m.

Hackett denies Barracuda in 4-0 loss to Gulls

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By: Eric He

If it were not for Gulls goaltender Matt Hackett, the result might have been different. But the Barracuda were shut down by Hackett on Saturday night in a 4-0 loss to San Diego on the road.

San Jose peppered Hackett with 37 shots on net, but none of them proved true was the goalkeeper stopped them all.

“That was the best performance I’ve ever seen from him,” Gulls head coach Dallas Eakins said on Hackett. “He kept us in the game with some timely saves. Without him we aren’t on the winning end tonight.”

That was not hyperbole. The Barracuda came out firing, putting 17 shots on the goal in the first period. But Hackett was up to the task, while the Gulls slipped two goals past Barracuda goaltender Troy Grosenick. The first goal came from Zac Larraza, who took a rebound off the boards and buried it past Gosenick, and the Gulls also netted one in the final minutes of the period, as Corey Tropp punched home a rebound.

Grosenick wound up allowing four goals on 21 shots. The Barracuda trailed 3-0 after two periods, with the lone second period goal coming from Brassard, who snuck past Patrick McNally and fired one home. San Diego also tallied a goal in the third on the power play to conclude matters.

The Barracuda have now dropped consecutive games to the Gulls after losing to them in a shootout on Friday. They wrap up their six-game road trip against the Condors on Tuesday.

San Jose Barracuda Friday game wrap: Barracuda falter late in loss to Gulls 3-2 in shootout

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By: Eric He

sjbarracuda.com photo: San Jose Barracuda goaltender Tony Grosenick defends the net against the San Diego Gulls on Friday night at Valley Casino Center in San Diego

The San Jose Barracuda (5-3-0-2) allowed a late game-tying goal in regulation and eventually fell 3-2 in a shootout to the San Diego Gulls (5-5-1-0) on Friday night on the road.

Ahead by a goal in the final minutes of the third, goaltender Troy Grosenick fended off a barrage of shots from the Gulls. Finally, Ondrej Case snuck in and beat Gosenick from in close to even the score at 2-2.

An eventful but scoreless overtime period resulted in a shootout, where Stefan Noesen delivered the winner of San Diego in the fourth round. Gulls goaltender Dustin Tokarski then denied Ryan Carpenter, who had the Barracuda’s final chance, for the win in an intense affair.

“It was one of those tight-checking games,” said Gulls Head Coach Dallas Eakins. “I think the rivalries in this league are growing. That’s the great thing about this division. As these guys develop the rivalries will only get stronger.”

San Jose jumped ahead with the lone first period goal. Timo Meier grabbed the puck off an offensive zone face-off and fired it past Tokarski to give the Barracuda 1-0 lead.

But San Diego tied it midway through the second period when Joakim Ryan gave the puck away to the Gulls’ Stu Bickel, who beat Grosenick through the five-hole.

Carpenter untied the score at 13:15 of the third period, deflecting a shot from the point by Tim Heed to give the Barracuda 2-1 lead. It wouldn’t hold up, though, despite a 35-save effort from Grosenick.

The Barracuda continue their six-game road trip with another tilt against the Gulls on Saturday.

Barracuda blank Rampage 4-0 in afternoon affair

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By: Eric He

AP photo: San Jose Barracuda goaltender Tony Grosenick (1) stopped 27 Texas Stars shots in the Barracuda Tuesday afternoon victory over the San Antonio Rampage in AHL action in San Antonio

An 11:30 a.m. start was not a problem for the San Jose Barracuda on Tuesday afternoon as they defeated the San Antonio Rampage 4-0 on the road.

Goaltender Troy Gosenick recorded his second shutout of the season and sixth of his professional career, making 27 saves in the winning effort.

The Barracuda scored a goal each in the first and second periods and added two empty-netters in the third to close out the game.

Top prospect Timo Meier put the Barracuda on the board, who grabbed the puck in the offensive zone off of a shot by Danny O’Regan that was blocked, and Meier scored on an open net. It was Meier’s second goal with the Barracuda after he netted his first marker on Saturday.

Marcus Sorensen, who has impressed with the AHL team this season, doubled the San Jose lead in the second period. Taking advantage of a shot by the Rampage that hit the post, Sorensen took the put and sped into the zone, beating Rampage goaltender Kent Simpson up high to give the Barracuda a 2-0 lead.

Meier, O’Regan and Sorensen paved the way for the Barracuda in this game, combining for three goals and four assists. Rourke Chartier and Sorensen added empty net goals to seal the victory in the third period.

Gooseneck stood tall in net, making glove saves, pad saves and standing his ground in scrambles to keep the puck out of the net. The Barracuda also held the Rampage scoreless on three power play opportunities as well.

San Jose is now 5-3-0-1 on the season and 2-1-0-0 in this six-game road trip. They play next at San Diego on Friday.

Barracuda win high-scoring affair over Texas 8-5; 13 goal total is season high for both teams

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By: Eric He

sjbarracuda.com photo: San Jose Barracuda Ryan Carpenter (40) works on offense against the Texas Stars.  The Barracuda Timo Meier scored his first pro goal Saturday night which proved to be the game winner at Cedar Park TX

The San Jose Barracuda scored four goals in the third period in a high-scoring affair to beat the Texas Stars 8-5 on the road on Saturday.

The Barracuda went into the third period trailing 5-4 after starting goaltender Mantas Airmails allowed five goals on 21 shots. Troy Gosenick, however, replaced Armalis in the third period and stop all four shots he saved.

Julius Bergman tied the game at 5-5 early in the period and then Timo Meier gave the Barracuda a 6-5 lead on a deflection. A pair of empty net goals put th game away for San Jose.

Seven of the game’s 13 goals were scored in the third period. With the game tied 1-1 entering the second, the two teams traded goals at a furious pace, with the Stars grabbing a one-goal lead at the end of 40 minutes.

The Barracuda received goals from seven different players, with Tim Heed scoring twice.

San Jose splits the two-game set with Texas and will next head to San Antonio to play the Rampage on Tuesday.

Barracuda fall to Stars despite Goodrow’s hat trick 5-3

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By: Eric He

sjbarracuda.com photo: The San Jose Barracuda got a hat trick performance from Barclay Goodrow but it wasn’t enough as the Barracuda fell two goals short in the 5-3 loss to the Texas Stars in AHL action at Cedar Park, Texas

Despite a hat trick from Barclay Goodrow, the Barracuda fell to the Stars 5-3 on the road on Friday night to kick off a six-game road trip.

The game was tied 1-1 early in the second period, but the Stars scored three unanswered goals to put the game out of reach. Mattias Backman netted a goal for the Stars to put them ahead.

But with the score 2-1 entering the third, the Barracuda couldn’t stop an onslaught of goals by the Stars. Travis Morin and Denis Gurianov both beat Troy Grosenick in a span of a minute and 30 seconds.

Goodrow, who scored the Barracuda’s first goal, found the back of the net twice in the third period, but the Stars responded each time to win by two goals.

San Jose had plenty of power play opportunities, going 1-of-5 on the man advantage. The Barracuda recorded 26 shots while the Stars had 32.

Grosenick lost for the third straight start, allowing five goals on 26 shots faced.

The Barracuda are now 3-3-0-1 on the season and lost three of their last four games. They play the Stars again on Saturday at 5 p.m.