Category: AHL

Heat shut down Barracuda in 4-1 win

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The visiting Stockton Heat picked up a three goal win over the San Jose Barracuda on Sun Jan 2, 2022 at the SAP Center in San Jose (image by the San Jose Barracuda)

by Marko Ukalovic

SAN JOSE — The Stockton Heat enacted revenge on the San Jose Barracuda in a 4-1 victory on Sunday afternoon at SAP Center.

San Jose has two out of its past three games. Stockton have won five out of its last six. The Barracuda handed the Heat their first regulation on home ice back on New Year’s Eve.

Adin Hill made his first career start for the Barracuda. Hill just came off the Covid-19 protocol, and the San Jose Sharks sent him down for a conditioning assignment.

Stockton (19-3-2-1) drew first blood early in the first period. A turnover by Artemi Kniazev was picked up by former ‘Cuda forward Alex Gallant who snapped home a wrist shot top shelf past Hill for his first goal of the season at the 2:04 mark.

The Heat doubled its lead on the power play halfway through the opening frame. Martin Pospisil sent a shot from the point initially saved by Hill but Luke Philp cleaned up the rebound for his eighth goal of the season.

The aftermath set off ‘Cuda head coach Roy Sommer who frantically went over by the Stockton bench and started yelling at them. The referees ejected both head coaches after the hostile exchange of words.

Stockton scored their third unanswered goal in the second period. Matthew Phillips sent a home run pass up the ice that sprung Jacob Pelletier on a breakaway. Pelletier skated in a snapped home a wrist shot top shelf past Hill for his team leading 11th goal of the season at the 7:52 mark.

Pelletier has a team high 28 points on the season.

San Jose (11-14-1-0) scored its only goal of the game halfway through the third period. Adam Raska skated in on Heat goalie Dustin Wolf, who made the initial save. Scott Reedy cashed in the rebound for his team leading 14th goal of the season at the 10:10 mark.

Stockton iced the game with an empty net goal with 1:05 remaining. Justin Kirkland’s fourth goal of the season snapped a 19-game goal less draught for the Heat left winger.

Wolf finished the game stopping 33 out of the 34 shots to earn his league best 15th victory of the season and 10th in a row. Hill made 33 saves on 36 shots in the losing effort.

GAME NOTES: San Jose finished 0-for-5 on the power play. Stockton was 1-for-6.

The Three Stars of the Game were: 1) Wolf 2) Reedy 3) Pelletier

UP NEXT: San Jose continues its five-game homestand on Friday 1/7 as they host the Henderson Silver Knights at 7:00pm at SAP Center.

Barracuda cool off Heat in 4-0 shutout victory

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Stockton Heat left winger Alex Gallant (20) and San Jose Barracuda right winger Steenn Pasichnuk (80) go for the throw down at Stockton Arena in downtown Stockton on Fri Dec 31, 2021 (photo by the Stockton Heat)

by Marko Ukalovic

STOCKTON, Calif. — The San Jose Barracuda wiped the bad taste out of its mouth the last time they played in Stockton.

The ‘Cuda ended 2021 on a good note with a dominating 4-0 shutout victory over the Heat on Friday afternoon at Stockton Arena.

The last time San Jose played in Stockton back on December 7th, they suffered an embarrassing 10-1 loss to the Pacific Division leaders.

The Barracuda stole a page out of the Heat playbook by playing more physical, cashing in on counter attacks and getting outstanding goaltending.

San Jose have lost two games in a row after having their past two games postponed earlier this week due to Covid-19 protocols. Stockton had its four-game winning streak and seven game point streak snapped after having their two past games also postponed. It was their first home loss in regulation this season.

The first period was scoreless as both goalies, San Jose’s Sam Harvey and Stockton’s (and former ‘Cuda) Andrew Shortridge who both made their first starts of the season, made key saves to keep each team off the board.

Harvey stopped a Glen Gawdin breakaway 14 seconds into the game. Shortridge robbed an open net attempt by Nick Merkley with San Jose on a power play with 2:03 remaining in the opening period.

San Jose (11-13-1-0) drew first blood past the halfway point of the second period. Jayden Halbgewachs sent an outlet pass that sprung Merkley on a breakaway. Merkley lifted a backhander under the glove of Shortridge for his sixth goal of the season at the 11:27 mark.

Merkley’s goal was the first time San Jose have had a lead against Stockton this season.

The Barracuda doubled its lead after a taking advantage of a Heat turnover. Joachim Blichfeld intercepted Conner Mackey’s clearing attempt inside the Heat zone. Blichfeld skated in a snapped a wrist shot past Shortridge for his ninth goal of the season at the 15:20 mark.

Stockton (18-3-2-1) was left scratching their heads heading into the second intermission at they outshot San Jose 11-7 in the middle frame.

San Jose scored its third unanswered goal on the penalty kill early in the third period. Seconds after killing the first penalty off of a five-on-three opportunity for Stockton, Merkley found Evan Weinger up the ice as he just left the penalty box. Weinger skated in on a breakaway and beat Shortridge with a wrist shot for his fifth goal of the season at the 4:36 mark.

It was the ‘Cuda’s sixth short-handed goal of the season.

Blichfeld scored its second goal of the game late in the period. Blichfeld gathered the puck in the neutral zone. As he skated into the Heat zone, he fired a shot from just inside the blueline that beat Shortridge top shelf to the short side for his 10th goal of the season at the 13:26 mark.

Harvey stopped all 30 shots he faced to earn his first career AHL shutout. Shortridge made 22 saves on 26 shots in the losing effort.

GAME NOTES: San Jose finished 0-for-2 on the power play. They are 0-for-9 against Stockton on the man advantage this season. Stockton was 0-for-4.

This was San Jose’s first shutout win since 1/8/20. They now have four shutout wins against Stockton. The ‘Cuda’s last shutout win against the Heat was on 1/14/17.

Mike Murphy, the Barracuda’s head equipment manager, was the backup goalie for San Jose as Alexei Melnichuk is still on the AHL Covid-19 protocol. Zachary Sawchenko is up with the Sharks as their netminder due to Adin Hill still on the NHL Covid-19 protocol.

Bilchfeld has 10 multi-goal games in his career.

Steenn Paschinuk was recalled by San Jose from Orlando. Paschinuk fought with Alex Gallant in the second period.

The Three Stars of the Game were: 1) Harvey 2) Blichfeld 3) Merkley

UP NEX: San Jose play their first game of 2022 on Sunday 1/2 as they host the Stockton Heat at 1:00pm at SAP Center.

AHL postpones Barracuda-Heat game on Wednesday due to Covid-19 protocols

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The San Jose Barracuda and Stockton Heat postponed for Wed Dec 29 at SAP Center the game will be rescheduled. The Barracuda have 12 players on their Covid 19 protocol list. (photo from San Jose Barracuda)

by Marko Ukalovic

The AHL announced earlier today that due to league COVID-19 protocols affecting the Barracuda, the San Jose Barracuda’s game on Wed., Dec. 29 against the Stockton Heat has been postponed.

The ‘Cuda now have 12 players on the protocol list as well as assistant coach Michael Chiasson. Here is the current list of players that are on the protocol.

D Mark Alt

F Sasha Chmelevski

D Nick Cicek

F Joe Garreffa

F Dillion Hamaliuk

D Patrick Holway

F Krystof Hrabik

F Evander Kane

G Alexei Melnichuk 

D Ryan Merkley

F Scott Reedy  

F Jasper Weatherby

An additional Barracuda staff member also remains in the AHL’s COVID-19 protocol.

An update to the status of Friday and Sunday’s games will be provided in the coming days.

A make-up date for Wednesday’s game has yet to be determined.

All San Jose Sharks and San Jose Barracuda players and staff are fully vaccinated against COVID-19 and compliant with the NHL and AHL’s COVID-19 testing and guidance protocols. 

San Jose Barracuda podcast with Marko Ukalovic: Would it be a good idea to shut it down; Bakersfield-San Jose postponed due to Covid 19

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SAP Center in San Jose sat empty on Mon Dec 27, 2021 as the San Jose Barracuda and Bakersfield Condors game has been postponed (file photo Fear of the Fin)

On the Barracuda podcast with Marko:

#1 With the number of professional sports events being shutdown to Covid 19 protocols would it make sense to follow what the NHL did and just shut it down for a week?

#2 The San Jose Barracuda have six players and one assistant coach with Monday’s game against the Bakersfield Condors postponed what ways will the postponements impact teams?

#3 The Barracuda have announced that all Barracuda and Sharks players are fully vaccinated and are compliant with the NHL and AHL protocols. Those that have been boosted have not been hospitalized and when there is breakthrough it’s been mild cases.

#4 The Barracuda lost their last game last week Wed Dec 22, 2021 at the Budweiser Events Center in Loveland to the Colorado Eagles 5-0. The Barracuda had their two game win streak end while the Eagles snapped four game loss streak.

#5 The Barracuda and the Stockton Heat are supposed to face off this Wednesday at SAP Center in San Jose the plan is for that game to go forward for a 5pm puck drop.

Join Marko for the the Barracuda podcasts each Tuesday at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

Barracuda-Condors game postponed on Monday due to Covid-19 protocols

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Image on the cover by the San Jose Barracuda media relations

by Marko Ukalovic

The AHL announced today that due to league COVID-19 protocols affecting the Barracuda, the San Jose Barracuda’s game against the Bakersfield Condors game for Monday December 27th has been postponed.

The following six San Jose Barracuda players and one coach are in the AHL’s COVID-19 protocol: 

D Nick Cicek

F Dillion Hamaliuk (effective Dec. 23) 

F Evander Kane

G Alexei Melnichuk 

D Ryan Merkley  

F Jasper Weatherby

Assistant Coach Michael Chiasson

Additionally, one Barracuda staff member has also been placed in the AHL’s COVID-19 protocol. 

A make-up date has not been determined. 

As of now, Wednesday’s game between the Barracuda and Stockton Heat is still scheduled as planned at SAP Center at San Jose at 5:00pm. 

All San Jose Sharks and San Jose Barracuda players and staff are fully vaccinated against COVID-19 and compliant with the NHL and AHL’s COVID-19 testing and guidance protocols. 

Eagles split series in 5-0 shutout win over Barracuda

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A short handed San Jose Barracuda hockey club suffered a shutout loss to the Colorado Eagles at Budweiser Events Center in Loveland on Wed Dec 22, 2021 (image by the San Jose Barracuda)

by Marko Ukalovic

Covid-19 was the sixth man for the Colorado Eagles.

They took advantage of a San Jose Barracuda lineup without its offensive stars in a 5-0 shutout victory on Wednesday evening at the Budweiser Events Center.

It was a rough going for ‘Cuda head coach Roy Sommer who was dealt a depleted lineup with Jasper Weatherby, Nick Cicek and Evander Kane out as they were placed on the Covid-19 protocols. Adam Raska was out with an upper body injury and so was Joachim Blichfeld.

San Jose had its two-game winning streak end. Colorado snapped its four-game losing streak.

The opening frame featured a scoreless period with each team getting two power play chances but neither team was able to cash in on both opportunities with the mad advantage. Both ‘Cuda goalie Alexei Melnichuk and Eagles goalie Justus Annunen held down the fort for their respective teams in the first period.

The Eagles outshot the Barracuda 10-9 in the opening 20 minutes.

Colorado (10-11-2-2) drew first blood on the power play to start out the second period as their opportunity carried over from the first period. Rob Hamilton found Dylan Sikura open in the left slot and Sikura lasered in a wrist shot past Melnichuk for his eighth goal of the season at the :41 mark.

The Eagles doubled its lead under five minutes later. Sikura led an odd man rush into the ‘Cuda zone. His shot was saved by Melnichuk, but the rebound leaked out to a wide-open Jean-Luc Foudy who tapped home the puck into an open net for his third goal of the season at the 5:53 mark.

Colorado scored its third unanswered goal thanks to a ‘Cuda turnover inside its own zone. Andreas Englund intercepted a clearing attempt. He found Sampo Ranta in between the faceoff circles and wired a wrist shot top shelf for his third goal of the season at the 11:27 mark.

San Jose (10-12-1-0) were dominated in the middle frame by Colorado as they were outshot 16-6 by the Eagles.

Colorado put the game away with a five-on-three power play goal halfway through the third period. Martin Kaut scored his sixth goal of the season at the 9:45 mark.

Alex Beaucage completed the scoring under two minutes later when he scored his third goal of the season at the 11:22 mark.

Annunen finished the game stopping all 22 shots he faced to earn the shutout victory. Melnichuk made 31 saves on 36 shots in the losing effort.

GAME NOTES: San Jose finished 0-for-6 on the power play. Colorado was 2-for-8.

The Three Stars of the Game were: 1) Annunen 2) Sikura 3) Kaut

UP NEXT: The Barracuda return home to host the Bakersfield Condors on Monday 12/27 at 7:00pm at SAP Center.

Barracuda bury Eagles 4-1 have won two in a row

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The San Jose Barracuda pick up their second straight win against the Colorado Eagles at the Budweiser Events Center on Tue Dec 21, 2021 (image by the San Jose Barracuda)

by Marko Ukalovic

LOVELAND, Colo. — The San Jose Barracuda’s power play is heating up.

They scored twice on the power play as it was the difference in their 4-1 victory over the Colorado Eagles on Tuesday evening at Budweiser Events Center.

San Jose have won two games in a row and three out of its last four games. They climbed out of the cellar in the Pacific Division with 21 points. Colorado have lost four games in row.

San Jose (10-12-1-0) drew first blood 33 seconds into the first period. Captain Jacob Megna sent in a shot from the left point and Jeffery Viel redirected the puck past Eagles goalie Justus Annunen to the short side for his third goal of the season. Adam Raska received the secondary assist.

Colorado (10-11-2-2) answered back with a power play goal halfway through the opening frame. Rob Hamilton made a quick pass over to Martin Kaut who skated in from the right point and wired a wrist shot through a screened ‘Cuda goalie Alexei Melnichuk for his fifth goal of the season at the 10:54 mark.

The Barracuda regained the lead with a power play goal. Nick Cicek found Sasha Chmeleveski along the right boards. Chmeleveski’s initial shot on goal was saved by Annunen but he cashed in his own rebound for his fifth goal of the season at the 16:27 mark.

Jasper Weatherby, who was sent down to the ‘Cuda by the Sharks as the parent team has had both of their scheduled games this week canceled by the NHL due to ever growing Covid protocols, received the secondary assist as he made his AHL debut.

Despite doubling up on the ‘Cuda on the shot clock 12-6, Colorado found itself trailing by one at the first intermission.

San Jose extended their lead early in the second period with its second power play goal on a five-on-three opportunity. Nick Merkley sent in a shot from between the faceoff circles where Jayden Halbgewachs tipped it past the five-hole of Annunen for his eighth goal of the season at the 5:15 mark.

The ‘Cuda has five power plays goals in their past three games.

Halbgewachs, who made his NHL debut for the Sharks last Thursday, scored in his first game back with the ‘Cuda.

The Barracuda squandered an opportunity to tack on to their lead with five minutes left in the middle frame when Raska drew two penalties on the same shift on Jean-Luc Foudy and Dalton Smith. The Eagles penalty kill led by Annunen kept themselves in the game by not allowing a goal on the full two-minute five-on-three power play.

Viel scored his second goal of the game and fourth of the season with an empty netter from his own defensive zone with 1:06 left in the third period to seal the deal for the Barracuda.

Melnichuk (6-5-1) finished the game stopping 34 of the 35 shots to earn his six victory of the season and has won back-to-back games. Annunen made 22 saves on 25 in the losing effort. He is now 1-4 against ‘Cuda this season.

GAME NOTES: San Jose finished 2-for-8 on the power play. Colorado was 1-for-4.

San Jose is 4-0-1 against Colorado this season and are 3-0 at the Budweiser Events Center.

The Three Stars of the Game were: 1) Melnichuk 2) Halbgewachs 3) Kaut

UP NEXT: San Jose and Colorado concludes their two-games series on Wednesday 12/22 at 6:05pm at the Budweiser Events Center.

San Jose Barracuda podcast: Cuda coming off 3 goal win face Eagles in Colorado tonight

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The San Jose Barracuda face off against the Colorado Eagles at the Budweiser Arena tonight at 6:05 pm PST (file photo by the San Jose Barracuda file)

On the SJ Barracuda podcast with Marko:

#1 Marko, the San Jose Barracuda (9-12-1-0) got the bad taste of losing to the Ontario Reign last Friday out of their mouths with a turnaround win against the San Diego Gulls (9-12-1-0) with a three goal win 4-1 Saturday night.

#2 The win on Saturday was third win for the Barracuda in five games, the Gulls are a tough customer especially when they are on home ice they are 7-1 when leading after 40 minutes.

#3 The Barracuda capitalized on some good offense in the third period which help lead to their victory over the Gulls, the win was San Jose’s fifth third period comeback this season.

#4 Evander Kane who scored the goal ahead and what later was to be the gamer and has an assist, and has eight points in his last four games. Has any NHL teams expressed any interest in Kane or do you see him having any chance at getting back with the Sharks?

#5 The Barracuda are back in Colorado tonight at 6:05 pm against the Eagles the last time the Barracuda and Eagles met the Barracuda picked up a huge five goal win 10-5. San Jose picked a few wins of late talk about their confidence going into Colorado tonight.

Join Marko for the Barracuda podcasts each Tuesday at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

Barracuda’s third period blitz bury Gulls 4-1

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The San Jose Barracuda bounced back from their last game loss to the Ontario Reign Fri Dec 17 and defeated the San Diego Gulls at Pachenga Sports Arena in San Diego on Sat Dec 18, 2021 (image by the San Jose Barracuda)

by Marko Ukalovic

SAN DIEGO — Fifth time is a charm.

The San Jose Barracuda scored four unanswered goals in the third period as they defeated the San Diego Gulls 4-1 on Saturday night at Pachenga Sports Arena. It was the first victory for San Jose against San Diego this season after losing the first four games of the season series.

San Jose have won three out of its past four games. San Diego have lost three games in a row.

San Diego (9-12-1-0) had a chance to break the seal at the 11:19 mark of the first period when they were awarded a penalty shot when Buddy Robinson was hooked by Artemi Kniazev on a breakaway opportunity. However, ‘Cuda goalie Alexei Melnichuk stood his ground and made a left blocker save on Robinson’s attempt.

San Jose’s (9-12-1-0) best chance to score in the opening frame was a short-handed chance from Evander Kane with under five minutes remaining. His shot was stopped by Gulls goalie Ollie Eriksson-Ek and cleared away from the crease by Vinni Lettieri.

San Diego drew first blood on the power play late in the second period. Lettieri found Benoit-Oliver Groulx open along the left wing. Groulx snapped home a wrist shot past Melnichuk for his first goal of the season with 2:13 remaining.

The goal triggered hundreds of stuffed animals thrown on to the ice as it was the Gulls annual Teddy Bear Toss night and the officials sent both teams to the locker room as the final 2:13 of the second period played the second intermission.

San Jose evened the score early in the third period on an even strength goal. Patrick Holway found himself at the right place at the right time. A shot from the point by Nick Cicek pinballed off a scrum in front of the net out just beyond the faceoff circles. Holway collected the puck and fired a wrist shot to the short side past Eriksson-Ek for his career AHL goal at the 4:08 mark.

Holway is on a professional try out contract with the ‘Cuda from the South Carolina Stingrays of the ECHL.

Kane gave the ‘Cuda their first lead of the game halfway through the period. He intercepted a centering pass inside the Gulls zone by Groulx and snapped home a shot through the five-hole of Eriksson-Ek for his second goal as a member of the Barracuda at the 9:39 mark.

San Jose scored its third unanswered goal of the game on the penalty kill. Artemi Kniazev set up Kane, who sent a shot on net that Eriksson-Ek wasn’t able to control the rebound. Scott Reedy, who was parked out in front of the crease, buried the rebound for his team leading 13th goal of the season at the 12:34 mark.

It was the first point of Kniazev’s AHL career. Kane now has eight points in six games.

The Barracuda scored its fourth short-handed of the season and have all four in their past four games.

San Diego head coach Joel Bouchard decided to take a long shot gamble as he pulled Eriksoon-Ek with 5:40 left in the third period. It backfired as Jacob Megna scored an empty netter from his own zone with 46 second left to seal the deal.

Megna’s second goal of the season happened while San Jose was down six-on-four as they were killing off a hooking penalty taken by Krystof Hrabik.

Melnichuk, who was pulled after the first period last night against Ontario, rebounded with his best performance of the season. He finished stopping 26 of the 27 shots in earning his fifth victory of the season.

Eriksson-Ek made 28 saves on 31 shots in the losing effort.

GAME NOTES: San Jose finished 0-for-5 on the power play. San Diego was 1-for-6. The ‘Cuda have given up a power play goal in their 10th straight game.

The Three Stars of the Game were: 1) Kane 2) Reedy 3) Groulx.

San Jose is now 5-12 after trailing after two periods. They have snapped a three-game losing streak on the road.

Eriksson-Ek suffered his first loss against San Jose in his career. He is now 5-1 against them.

UP NEXT: San Jose continues their road trip with a two-game series with the Colorado Eagles on Tuesday 12/21 at 6:05pm at Budweiser Events Center.

Reign rule over Barracuda in 7-4 win

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The San Jose Barracuda has had their struggles as they lost to the Ontario Reign at the Toyota Center in Ontario on Fri Dec 17, 2021 (image by the San Jose Barracuda)

by Marko Ukalovic

ONTARIO, Calif, — The road has not been kind to the San Jose Barracuda of late.

The Ontario Reign scored five unanswered goals en route to a 7-4 victory over their NorCal rival on Friday evening at Toyota Arena.

San Jose had its two-game winning streak snapped. Ontario have won three out of its last four games and sit in second place in the Pacific Division with 29 points.

San Jose has been outscored 17-5 in their past two road games.

Ontario (14-5-0-1) drew first blood early in the first period. Austin Wagner intercepted a clearing attempt from Cole Moberg in the neutral zone. Wagner skated around the ‘Cuda defense and slid a shot past the five-hole of ‘Cuda goalie Alexei Melnichuk for his fourth goal of the season at the 2:51 mark.

The Reign doubled their lead more than halfway through the opening frame. Aidan Dudas made a drop pass to T.J. Tynan who blasted a one-timer past Melnichuk for his fourth goal of the season at the 12:50 mark.

Tynan has 11 points in his last 10 games for the Reign.

Ontario scored its third unanswered goal with 35 seconds left in the period. Valdimir Tkachev fed a pass back up to the point and Blake Siebenaler sent in a seeing eyed wrist shot past Melnichuk for his first goal of the season.

Ontario out shot San Jose 14-7 in the first period as the dominated play the entire period.

The Reign kept the route going early in the second period. Siebenlaer sent in the puck from the red line that took a tricky bounce off the boards out in front of the faceoff circles where Tyler Madden shot the puck into an empty net for his eighth goal of the season at the 2:18 mark.

Ontario scored its fifth unanswered goal on the power play. Jaret Dolan-Anderson centered a pass from behind the end line out to Gabriel Vilardi who beat Melnichuk with a wrist shot for his third goal of the season at the 5:31 mark.

San Jose (8-12-1-0) has given up a power play goal to the opposition for the ninth straight game.

Melnichuk was replaced by Zachary Sawchenko to start the second period. Melnichuk made 11 saves on 14 shots.

The Barracuda broke through on the scoreboard on the power play halfway through the middle frame. John Leonard sent cross ice pass over to the Sasha Chmelevski who ripped a wrist shot past Reign goalie Matthew Villalta for his fourth goal of the season at the 10:18 mark.

San Jose scored its second straight power play goal on a five-on-three man advantage. Chmelevski found Scott Reedy down low near the crease and Reedy one-timed the puck into the back of the net for his team leading 11th goal of the season at the 13:55 mark.

The Barracuda scored its third unanswered goal early in the third period. John Leonard scored his third goal of the season at the 1:39 mark.

Ontario regained its three-goal lead on the power play when Martin Frk scored his team leading 12th goal of the season at the 11:13 mark.

San Jose scored its third power play of the game on another five-on-three opportunity. Reedy scored his second goal of the game at the 13:51 mark. Ryan Merkley and Evander Kane set up Reedy’s 12th goal of the season.

Ontario iced the game late in the period seconds after their power play opportunity expired. Tkachev scored his third goal of the season at the 17:02 mark.

Villalta finished with 26 saves on 30 shots to earn the victory. Sawchenko made 12 saves on 16 shots in his two periods of action and suffered the loss.

GAME NOTES: San Jose finished 3-for-7 on the power play. Ontario was 2-for-4.

UP NEXT: San Jose continues their road trip in San Diego on Saturday 12/18 as they take on the Gulls at 7:00pm at Pechanga Arena.