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Barracuda shoot down Gulls with 5-3 win

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Photo credit: @sjbarracuda

By Marko Ukalovic

SAN JOSE, Calif. — The San Jose Barracuda scored two unanswered goals early and then three unanswered late in the game to take down the San Diego Gulls 5-3 on Monday evening at SAP Center. They have now won three games in a row and sit atop the Pacific Division with 29 points.

Kyle Wood scored the game-winning goal at the 6:45 mark of the third period when Francis Perron led him with a pass into the San Diego zone. With the help of a screen from Alexander True, Wood fired a shot from the point past Gulls goalie Jared Coreau (3-4-2) for his first goal of the season. Wood finished with a two-point night (1G, 1A).

“I’ve been trying to chip in any way possible,” said Wood. “It’s nice to see that one finally go in. (It) only took 18 or 19 games. So it was a big relief.”

San Jose (13-3-1-2) drew first blood early into the first period. Kyle Wood skated in along the right boards, fed a wide open Alex True, who beat Coreau top self into the upper left corner of the goal for his fifth goal of the season at the 3:53 mark. Keaton Middleton received the secondary assist.

Wood made an excellent defensive play to stop a goal from San Diego (8-8-1-1) three minutes after assisting on True’s goal. Troy Terry was able to keep inside the Cuda zone when San Jose failed to clear the puck. He fed a pass to the left slot to Kalle Kossila, who had a wide-open net to shoot at. Wood made a diving save with his body to keep the score 1-0 in favor of San Jose.

San Jose dominated play in the penalty-free opening frame as they outshot San Diego 16-5.

San Diego had a short-handed scoring chance just before the halfway mark of the second period from Joseph Blandisi, but Cuda goalie Josef Korenar (8-1-1) was able to stop Blandisi’s wrist shot without giving up a rebound.

San Jose extended its lead to 2-0 when Nick DeSimone had possession of the puck along the right boards and threaded a pass into the middle of the crease where captain John McCarthy re-directed the puck past Coreau for his fifth goal of the season at the 12:16 mark. Rourke Chartier received the secondary assist.

San Jose closed out the middle frame with the ice tilted in their favor as they outshot San Diego 14-7.

San Diego cut the lead in the half early in the third period when Devin Sideroff won a battle behind the net and fed a pass over to a wide open Alex Dostie, who was all alone on Korenar and snapped a back-hander into the lower right corner of the net for his first goal of the season at the 2:17 mark. Ben Thomson received the secondary assist. Luke Schenn received the secondary assist.

It didn’t take long for the Gulls to get the equalizer 13 seconds later. Blandisi fought his way to win a battle and sent a pass to a crashing Chase Deleo, who corralled the puck and tapped it home past Korenar for his fifth goal of the season at the 2:30 mark.

“They scored those two quick goals and we just kinda stuck with it,” said Cuda head coach Roy Sommer. “We get down, guys buckle in and they get mad. They want to continue the success we’re having.”

Evan Weinger gave the Cuda san insurance goal when he finished off a pretty 2-on-1 chance burying the puck past Coreau into the upper right corner for his fifth goal of the season at the 11:19 mark. Matt Fonteyne skated in along the left boards and sent in a pass right to the tape of Weinger, who made no mistake about it as Coreau never had a chance in making a save. Jeffery Truchon-Viel received the secondary assist.

Steve Olesky immediately went after Weinger in frustration with Truchon-Viel coming to the aid of his teammate. Both Truchon-Viel and Olesky received matching roughing penalties.

True scored his second goal of the night on an empty netter with the Gulls having pulled Coreau with over three minutes remaining in the game. Jon Martin fed the puck over to True who did a spin-o-rama before cashing in with his sixth goal of the season at the 17:11 mark.

Terry completed the scoring when he beat Korenar with a point-blank shot that went top-shelf after taking a feed from Blandisi from behind the net. Terry’s eighth goal of the season came at the 18:42 mark.

Korenar finished the game, making 19 saves on 22 shots for the victory. Coreau made 32 saves on 36 shots in suffering the defeat.

GAME NOTES: San Jose was 0/2 on the power play. San Diego never received a power play opportunity. 

This was the first of 10 meetings between the two teams, including twice more in December. San Jose was 4-3-1-0 against San Diego last season and are now 14-12-3-2 all time against them.

San Jose have allowed a league-low 44 goals this season and are now currently first in the AHL in goal-differential with +25. The Iowa Wild are second with +23.

The announced attendance was 3,092.

UP NEXT: The Barracuda head south to Bakersfield to take on the Condors on Saturday, Dec. 8 at Rabobank Arena at 7:00 pm.

Barracuda come back to cool off Heat 4-2

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Photo credit: @sjbarracuda

By Marko Ukalovic

SAN JOSE, Calif. — The San Jose Barracuda scored four unanswered goals, including three in the second period, to come back from a two-goal deficit to defeat their Nor Cal rival the Stockton Heat 4-2 at SAP Center on Tuesday afternoon.

It was San Jose’s fourth victory over Stockton this season. It snapped their two-game losing streak and they have at least one point in their last four games. They regained the top spot in the Pacific Division.

Stockton (10-10-1-0) turned up the heat on San Jose just 46 seconds into the game. Alan Quine drew first blood when he scored his sixth goal of the season when his shot went past Cuda goalie Josef Korenar (7-1-1) . Dalton Prout and Kerby Rychel received assists.

Rychel made it a two-goal lead for Stockton on the power play early in the second period. With Manny Weiderer in the sin bin for holding, Rychel wristed a shot past Kornear for his 10th goal on the season at the 2:35 mark. Glenn Gaudin and Curtis Lazar received assists on the goal.

San Jose (11-3-1-2) answered back 22 seconds later to start a rally of four unanswered goals. Jon Martin was set up by Francis Perron and snapped a wrist shot past Heat goalie Jon Gillies (4-7-1) for his first goal on the season at the 2:57 mark.

Defenseman Jacob Middleton tied the game less than three minutes after Martin’s goal. Middleton received a pass from Thomas Gregiore and his shot from the left point snuck past Gillies for his second goal of the season at the 5:47 mark. Perron received the secondary assit for a two-point game.

Nick DeSimone gave the Cuda their first lead of the game when he received a cross ice pass from Rourke Chartier. DeSimone skated in a few feet from the blue line and blistered a shot past Gillies inside the left post. Dylan Gambrell received the secondary assist.

Despite being out shot 27-12 through two periods, San Jose was happy trading quality over quantity with three goals on just 12 shots.

Korenar made a great glove save on a point blank chance by Buddy Robinson with 2:25 left play in the game that prevented Stockton from getting the equalizer. 

Keaton Middleton, brother of Jacob, iced the game with an unassisted empty net goal with 17 seconds left in the game for his second goal of the season.

Korenar played a solid game, making 30 saves on 32 shots for his seventh victory. Gillies made 15 saves on 18 shots in suffering the loss.

GAME NOTES: San Jose was 0/4 on the power play. Stockton was 1/2.

The game’s faceoff started at 11am. The early start was due to the 2nd annual Cuda Classroom Day where kids from the area were treated to the hockey game.

The announced attendance was 4,353.

UP NEXT: The Barracuda travel up to Stockton take on the Heat on Saturday, Dec. 1 at 6:00 pm PT at Stockton Arena.

Thornton Passes Lemieux, but Sharks Fall in OT 4-3 in Hitchcock’s Oilers Debut

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Photo credit: @SanJoseSharks

By Matthew Harrington

SAN JOSE, Calif. — The San Jose Sharks expected to see a familiar face behind the Edmonton Oilers’ bench Tuesday night, but an early morning firing led to a shakeup in leadership for the visiting team. Todd McLellan, Sharks coach from 2008 to 2015, was relieved of his duties as coach of the oilers, giving way to an unretiring Ken Hitchcock. The change paid immediate dividends, with Edmonton  (10-10-1) erasing three deficits for a 4-3 overtime win over San Jose.

Joe Thorton picked up career assist 1033, tying Mario Lemieux for 11th all-time. Joonas Donskoi and Marcus Sorensen scored for San Jose (11-7-4), Logan Couture scored for the first time in 11 games and Martin Jones made 19 saves for the Sharks. Oilers superstar Connor McDavid picked up three points while Leon Draisaitl scored the game-winner, though not at first blush.

Draisaitl took a pass from McDavid on the goal line that was deflected up, turning his skate while directing the puck past an out-of-position Jones. The referees huddled for a brief reviewing, ultimately ruling the Oilers 4-3 winners 51 seconds into overtime.

McDavid played a monstrous game for his new coach, seeing 23:57 off ice time. He also picked up the primary assist on the game-tying goal. Tomas Hertl, returning to the lineup for his game since November 13th, turned the puck over in the neutral zone, allowing Draisaitl to break into the offensive zone on a a 3-on-2. He pass cross ice to McDavid, who feathered a pass to Drake Caggiula for the easy strike and a 3-3 tie game 3:32 into the third.

The Sharks entered the final period in full control after erasing the Oilers momentum. Ryan Nugent-Hopkins scored as an Oilers penalty expired on a 2-on-1 that Brent Burns played indecisively 1:46 into the second period to tie the game at 2.

Logan Couture’s slump-buster with 56 seconds left in the period put San Jose back on top though, and what a goal it was. Couture carried the puck on his forehand on the left wing before pulling it to his backhand, deking Adam Larsson in the process. He then beat Oilers goalie Mikko Koskinen for his seventh goal of the year.

Joonas Donskoi put the Sharks up 1-0 45 seconds into the game on a backhand of a rebound in the crease. McDavid turned on the burners 8:09 into the frame to beat Jones for his 13th goal of the season. Marcus Sorensen took a perfect feed from Joe Thornton at the 10:32 mark and beat Koskinen for his 4th goal of the year. Thornton is now just seven points away from breaking into the top ten in career assists behind Marcel Dionne and is 16 behind Gordie Howe for 9th place.

The Sharks continue a season-high six-game homestand Friday night at 6:00 pm PT against the Vancouver Canucks before a five-game road swing that sees San Jose head to Las Vegas before departing for a four-stop east coast trip.

Kapanen’s Pair of Goals Caps 5-3 Leafs Win Over Sharks

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Photo credit: @SanJoseSharks

By Matthew Harrington

SAN JOSE–Concerns about the San Jose Sharks team defense weren’t alleviated Thursday night with the Sharks dropping a 5-3 contest to the Toronto Maple Leafs (13-6-0) at SAP Center on Thursday night. San Jose offseason target John Tavares scored, Kasperi Kapananen netted a pair and Frederik Andersen made 42 saves to seal a Maple Leafs win. Erik Karlsson picked up a pair of assists while Kevin Labanc, Joe Pavelski and Marc-Edouard Vlasic scored for San Jose (10-7-3).

Just like in Tuesday’s game, the Sharks had the lead after a strong 1st period, but unlike the comeback win against Nashville Tuesday, the Sharks couldn’t finish the job Thursday. Toronto scored three unanswered goals in the second and third periods for the win.

Practically every goal could be linked back to a lapse in decision making that made the Sharks vulnerable defensively. The game-tying goal 2:31 into the second came with two Sharks below the Maple Leafs’ goal line and another two along the faceoff dots. That left only Joakim Ryan back as the defender of a 2-on-1 when Brent Burns’ pass was picked off by Tyler Ennis. Ennis fed Josh Leivo, who ripped a shot over Sharks goalie Martin Jones’ blocker for his second of the year.

The game-winning goal proved another egregious play, amplified by the Sharks being on the power play. Pavelski chose a soft backhand chip up the boards from the blue line that Mitch Marner read and picked off easily. His co-winger Kapanen knew his teammate had it and fled the defensive zone, leading to an academic pass and breakaway goal with 7:54 left in the second. The game-winning goal was Kapanen’s 8th of  the year and second of the game.

Mitch Marner tacked on the dagger goal with 6:06 left in the third, taking a stretch pass from his goalie Andersen right at San Jose’s blue line. From there Marner curled to the outside, wrongfooting Jones before firing a shot few in the NHL could save. The Sharks fired a salvo on Andersen, especially with their net empty, but none of their 15 third period shots could tickle the twine.

The goal outage for San Jose was strange after their ability to score at will in the first. The two teams combined for 28 shots and five goals in the first, with the goals coming in all varieties.

First came Tavares’ goal 2:10 into the game. The Sharks aggressively pursued Tavares in the offseason before he inked his seven-year, $77 million deal with Toronto, which led to a chorus of boos every time he touched the puck Thursday. A even louder boo erupted from the crowd after Tavares banked a puck from behind the net off Vlasic’s skate and into the Sharks net for a 1-0 Maple Leafs lead.

The puck luck evened out for the Sharks after Labanc scored 5:28 into the game. Andersen misplayed a dump-in, thinking the puck would carom out the opposite side of the dump instead of following the puck as it came back on the same side. It came right to Labanc for the tap-in and a tie game.

Kapanen’s first goal came on another case of puck mismanagement after Evander Kane tried to peel back while entering the Toronto zone but lost the puck instead, flinging it back after a Johnny Dermott pokecheck. Patrick Marleau picked up the puck and fed Kapanen for the one-time finish and a 2-1 Leafs lead with 8:13 left in the first.

Pavelski scored the Sharks’ lone power play goal in three opportunities after Burns’ shot-fake pass hit the captain on the far post for the soft-touch redirect. Marc-Edouard Vlasic added a one-timer for his first goal of the year with 1:39 left in a highly entertaining first period.

The Sharks continue the homestand, welcoming the St. Louis Blues to the Shark Tank Saturday. They’ll hope to be with Tomas Hertl in the lineup again after he sat out Thursday’s game due to an injury sustained in the the Tuesday tilt with Nashville.

Thornton Joins Elite Company, Scores Game-Winner 5-4 Over Nashville

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Photo credit: @Sharkfan20

By Jerry Feitelberg

The San Jose Sharks won a seesaw tilt Tuesday night at the SAP Center, seeing a 3-0 lead dissolve into a 4-3 deficit before rallying for a pair goals and 5-4 win. Joe Thornton scored his 400th goal, Joe Pavelski scored twice, Marcus Sorensen had a three point night. Erik Karlsson and Tomas Hertl also notched milestone assists for San Jose’s second win in as many games at home.

The game-winning flurry began with just under seven minutes left oimregulation and the Sharks trailing 4-3. Joe Pavelski netted his second goal of the game and 10th of the year to pull the game even, then Joe Thornton netted the game-winner just 13 seconds later, his 400th NHL goal.

“Jumbo” became just the seventh player to record 400 goals, 1,000 assists and appear in 1,500 games, accomplishing the third feat earlier this season. He joins Jaromir Jagr, Mark Messier, Gordie Howe, Ray Bourque, Ron Francis and Steve Yzerman as the only players to do so. Six of those players are in the Hockey Hall of Fame, with number 19 set to join them when he hangs up his skates.

San Jose led 3-0 after a first period they dominated, out-shooting the Predators 18-5, but the roles were reversed in the second.

Craig Smith scored on a deflection off his skate 4:43 into the period, then a turnover spring Filip Forsberg for a breakaway that he buried just 40 seconds later. Forsberg would beat Jones five-hole with 2:08 left in the period to tie the game heading into the final frame. Nashville pulled closer in the shot differential category after outpacing the Sharks 18-6.

Rocco Grimaldi scored 2:43 into the third period, challenging Joakim Ryan for a Puck at the Predators blue line. The forward picked the puck up and worked Ryan off his back, finishing the play with a back-hand fore-hand deke and his first goal of the year after getting called up in late October to give the Preds a 4-3 edge over a then-lifeless Sharks side.

It looked like San Jose would continue their strong home at and early in the contest after beating the Calgary Flames Sunday. Marcus Sorensen scored 5:09 into the game, outwaiting Predators goalie Juuse Saros, who committed to the butterfly with the forward in the crease. Sorensen was able slide to the side for an open net and his third goal of the year.

Joe Pavelski scored his ninth goal of the year on a power play tip 7:05 into the first, but the assists were the real milestones. Erik Karlsson picked up his 400th career assist, the fifth-most by an active defenseman, and Tomas Hertl’s secondary helper marked his 100th of his career in his second game back from an injury.

Antti Suomela netted his fourth goal on some puck luck thanks to a gaffe from Forsberg. Forsberg went to pass the Puck to a teammate in the defensive end but his rocket hit the boards and bounced dead-center in the slot. Suomela was waiting for it on the forecheck, ripping it over Saros’ glove for a 3-0 edge with just over three minutes left in the first.

The Sharks had their opportunities often, going on five power plays, but only scoring on the one try. Martin Jones made 31 saves in the game. The Sharks continue the homestand Thursday against old friend Patrick Marleau, new enemy John Tavares and the Toronto Maple Leafs.

Barracuda cool down the Heat with 5-2 win

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Photo credit: @sjbarracuda

By Marko Ukalovic

SAN JOSE, Calif. — There’s something about the second period for the San Jose Barracuda (9-1-0-1). They scored three unanswered goals to defeat their NorCal rival Stockton Heat (4-6-1-0) 5-2 at SAP Center on Monday evening. It was the fourth win in a row for the Cuda.

The Heat didn’t waste much time taking advantage of Jeffery Truchon-Viel’s slashing penalty to draw first blood five minutes into the first period. Glenn Gawdin sent a pass to the net from the left slot where Kerby Rychel was camped in front of the crease. He collected his own rebound and jammed the puck past Cuda goalie Antoine Bibeau (4-1-1) into the back of the net for his sixth goal of the season at 5:01 mark.

Dylan Gambrell came a few inches of evening up the score with 20 seconds left in the frame while the Cuda were on the power play. Showcasing his speed and skill, he skated around two Heat defenders and was all alone on Heat goalie Jon Gillies (3-4-1), but his shot just sailed wide of the net.

Despite outshooting Stockton 13-7, San Jose heading into the first intermission down 1-0.

San Jose tied it up on the power play halfway through the second period. Gambrell sent over a pass to the point where Jeremy Roy rifled a shot that hit the left pad of Gillies and into the back of the net for Roy’s second goal of the season at the 9:23 mark. Vincent Praplan received the secondary assist.

The Cuda seized the lead just 17 seconds later when captain John McCarthy won a battle along the left boards and skated in on goal where his shot was stopped by Gillies. Truchon-Viel crashed the net hard and jammed home the rebound past Gillies for his second goal in two games at the 9:40 mark. Evan Weinger received the secondary assist.

“We’ve been playing together for a few games now,” said McCarthy about his gritty line. “I think we play a simple game, a straight ahead game. We get on the forecheck, that’s how we scored our goal tonight. That’s our strength.

“He brings so much, the little details,” said Truchon-Viel about his experienced linemate. “It’s so good for young guys like me and Evan (Weinger). For him to be on our line (makes it) even better.”

Matt Fonteyne completed the scoring in the second period off a nice cycle play by the Cuda. Alexander True fed Nick DeSimone, who then fed an open Fonteyne, who skated in and slammed the puck past the five-hole of Gillies for his second goal on the season at the 12:31 mark.

“We answered back with a power play goal,” said head coach Roy Sommer about his team outscoring their opponents 5-0 in the last two second periods. “Next shift Johnny Mac and Viel get their goal and then we’re kind of rolling. Kind of smelt a little blood and just kept going.”

Francis Perron would put the game away for the Cuda in the third period with the team’s second power play goal of the evening. Lukas Ridal carried the puck into the zone and dropped a back pass for Perron who wristed a shot just to the inside corner of the goal past Gillies for his team-leading sixth goal on the season at the 9:07 mark. Jayden Halbgewachs received the secondary assist.

Andrew Mangiapane cut the lead in half on an odd man rush. He skated in from the right slot and wristed a shot on Bibeau that hit off his blocker and into the back of the net for his 5th goal of the season at the 14:24 mark. Curtis Lazar received the only assist on the goal.

Keaton Middleton immediately pushed down Mangipane after the goal and then exchanged fisticuffs with the Heat’s Anthony Peluso, who defended his teammate, in a long-spirited fight that sent both players to the showers for the night.

DeSimone closed out the scoring with an unassisted, empty-net goal with 56 seconds left for his third goal of the season.

Bibeau had another stellar outing in the net with 17 saves on 19 shots to earn the win. Gillies suffered the tough luck loss, making 33 saves on 37 shots.

“He made key saves at the right moment,” said Perron about his goaltender. “Every time we need him, we know he’s back there, he’s always (plays) huge for us.”

GAME NOTES: San Jose was 2/9 on the power play. Stockton was 1/4.

San Jose is currently 3-1 against Stockton on the season. Overall they are 26-11-2-1, including 13-6-0-0 at SAP Center.

Dynamic duo! Bibeau and Josef Kornear are number one and two in the AHL goals against average and third and fourth in save percentage.

San Jose is is ranked first in the AHL in goal differential with a +22.

The announced attendance was 1,894.

UP NEXT: The Cuda travel out to the Arizona desert to start a two-game series with the defending Pacific Division champion Tucson Roadrunners on Friday, November 9 at 6:05 pm PT.

Sharks Sink Flyers in Overtime 4-3

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Photo credit: @SanJoseSharks

By Mary Walsh

SAN JOSE, Calif. — The San Jose Sharks defeated the Philadelphia Flyers 4-3 in overtime Saturday. In the process, Timo Meier scored two goals, breaking Patrick Marlowe’s team record by scoring 11 goals in the first 14 games of the season. Goalie Martin Jones played his 200th game with the Sharks, the third goaltender to do so. He made 23 saves for the win. Joe Pavelski and Joe Thornton also scored for the Sharks. For the Flyers, Nolan Patrick, Jordan Weal and Jakub Voracek scored, while their goalie Calvin Pickard stopped 31 shots.

For the first time in 10 games, the Sharks gave up the first goal just 37 seconds in. Philadelphia’s Nolan Patrick carried the puck through the neutral zone, passed it to Oskar Lindblom on his left, who passed it back across behind Patrick to Travis Konecny on the right wing. Konecny found Patrick at the edge of the blue paint, and Patrick pulled the puck across in front of Jones, putting it under Jones as Jones moved left. Assists went to Konecny and Lindblom.

Meier tied the game at 3:15. Vlasic sent the puck in around the boards, where Hertl caught it behind the net. He carried it back over the goal line and made a pass almost behind him. Meier met the puck right in front of the blue paint and took the shot before Pickard could get across. Assists went to Hertl and Vlasic.

The Flyers took the lead again at 16:40 of the period with a goal from Jordan Weal. Wayne Simmonds brought the puck out from behind the net and centered it for Weal. Weal turned and took the shot quickly, with Dale Weise screening the goalie.

The Sharks started the second period with eleven seconds of penalty yet to kill. They had a second penalty to kill at 2:47. Midway through the kill, Brenden Dillon started an impressive short-handed attack with Couture and Burns. They created some good chances but did not score during the Flyers power play.

The Sharks tied the game at 10:35 of the second, on the power play. Kevin Labanc made a pass that looked enough like a shot for the goalie to commit to stopping it. Pavelski, below the faceoff circle across the ice from Labanc, caught the pass and took the shot too quickly for Pickard to get across. Assists went to Labanc and Burns.

A few minutes later, Hertl took a hit from Christian Folin and looked shaken up. Folin and Hertl appeared to have bumped helmets. There was was no call on the play and Hertl did not return to the game. Melker Karlsson took Hertl’s spot with Meier and Couture.

Jakub Voracek gave the Flyers another lead with just 30 seconds left in the second. Brent Burns had just taken a penalty and the Flyers were playing with delayed penalty time. Lindblom sent the puck up from below the goal line to Voracek high in the slot. Voracek took a quick shot and beat Jones glove side. Assists went to Lindblom and Ivan Provorov.

The Sharks had a power play early in the third period. The Sharks showed some urgency but the Flyers penalty killers were very aggressive and made it hard for the Sharks to come through the neutral zone or do much in the offensive zone. The Sharks made amends for that power play a few minutes later with an impressive shift in the Flyers’ zone. They kept the Flyers scrambling for what seemed like minutes. They got credit for two shots in that spell.

It ended with a too many men on the ice call as the Sharks slipped up trying to change. The Sharks made another short-handed attempt right at the start of that penalty kill, keeping the Flyers busy in their own zone for nearly a minute. They finished the kill off in a more traditional manner.

Thornton tied the game again with a strong shot from above the faceoff cirle, his first goal since January. An assist went to Labanc, who had carried the puck across the blue line and into the slot. His path blocked, he made the pass across to Thornton for the shot. The second assist went to Dillon.

At the end of regulation, the Sharks led in shots 34-25, though the big difference there came in the first period. In the second and third, the Flyers had just one less shot than the Sharks.

Meier ended the game just 13 seconds into overtime. Logan Couture bulled his way by Voracek to bring the puck into the offensive zone where he found Meier skating down the slot. Meier took the pass and the shot without hesitation.

Sharks head coach Peter DeBoer made some line adjustments prior to Saturday’s game. The successful trio of Couture, Meier and Hertl was reunited. Antti Suomela sat out while Rourke Chartier came in on the third line with Labanc and Joonas Donskoi. On defense, Erik Karlsson started with Dillon while Vlasic was paired with his partner of many seasons, Justin Braun.

The Sharks next play on Tuesday at 7:30 PM PT, hosting the Minnesota Wild.

Barracuda remain hot, topple Rampage 3-1

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Photo credit: @sjbarracuda

By Marko Ukalovic

SAN JOSE, Calif. — It was a night made for debuts. A goal for a pair of San Jose Barracuda (8-1-0-1) forwards. The goaltending was stellar and three unanswered goals were enough for the Cuda to send the visiting the San Antonio Rampage (2-9-0-0) to their ninth loss in 10 games in a 3-1 victory at SAP Center on Friday evening. It was San Jose’s third win a row.

The first period ended scoreless with both teams registering nine shots on goal. The best chance for both teams came seconds apart with six and half minutes remaining in the period. The Rampage had a 2-on-1 chance that failed to get a shot on Cuda goalie Josef Korenar (5-0-0). San Jose countered immediately as Evan Weinger was sent in with a breakaway attempt at San Antonio blue line and his shot was stoned by Rampage goalie Ville Husso (1-7-0).

Lukas Radil would draw first blood for the Cuda early in the second period. Nick DeSimone sent cross ice over to the left point to rebound Keaton Middleton where he fired a shot on net that was blocked out in front of the crease by Husso. Radil pounced on the rebound and went forehand to backhand to score his 1st goal of the season and first goal as a member of the Barracuda at the 1:03 mark.

Evan Weinger was credited with his fourth goal of the season after a wraparound attempt by Maxim Letunov was stopped. The rebound trickled out to the slot, where Weinger was able to deflect the puck off a Rampage defender past Husso for a 2-0 lead. Jeffery Truchon-Viel received the secondary assist on the goal at the 8:25 mark of the second period.

“Hey you win a lot of hockey games in the second period”, said Cuda head coach Roy Sommer. “Because most of the time if you have the lead going into the third (period) you’re in pretty good shape. We found a way to that this year.”

Truchon-Viel gave the Cuda a little insurance early in the third period. Jacob Middleton sent in a shot from the point that deflected off a body in front of the crease. Truchon-Viel was able to collect the rebound and in a 360 degree motion swooped the puck through traffic as it trickled past Husso for his first goal as a Barracuda at the 2:57 mark.

“All the guys are pushing together,” said Truchon-Viel. “We had 10 forwards (after the first period) and (yet) we found a way to win the game.”

Samuel Bias would spoil the shutout bid for Korenar when he skated in all alone on a rush and flipped a pretty backhander top-shelf past Korenar for his first goal of the season at the 15:23 mark.

“It’s really fun playing with these guys,” said Weinger. “If you’re having fun, good things will happen.”

Korenar remained unbeaten making 22 saves on 23 shots saves for the victory. Husso suffered the loss making 30 saves on 33 shots.

GAME NOTES: San Jose was 0/2 on the power play. San Antonio was also 0/2.

Dylan Gambrell was back in the lineup for San Jose after being reassigned from the San Jose Sharks.

Cuda goalie Antoine Bibeau was named CCM/AHL goaltender of the month for October after allowing just nine goals on 149 shots with a 3-1-1 record . He ranks first goals-against average 1.75 and save percentage .940.

San Antonio have only five players who were a holdover from last season’s squad.

The announced attendance was 3,156.

UP NEXT: The Barracuda host their Nor Cal rival the Stockton Heat on Monday, November 5 at SAP Center at 7:00 pm PT.

Bigger than AHL hockey: Barracuda fight for the City of San Jose

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Photo credit: @sjbarracuda

By: Ana Kieu

SAN JOSE, Calif. — The San Jose Barracuda didn’t just skate onto the ice at SAP Center on Friday night. Sure, the Barracuda were ready to wrap up their two-game season series versus the San Antonio Rampage after San Jose topped San Antonio 2-1 at AT&T Center last Friday, but this team was more than high-caliber goaltending and red-hot rookies who took the ice by storm. The Barracuda were ready to honor not only the cancer fighters and survivors in their lives, but also anyone else who has been coping with the disheartening disease in the City of San Jose.

The Barracuda wore custom decals that said “Hockey Fights Cancer.” The decals were easy on the eyes, as they were in a shade of lavender, and they definitely served a purpose. And, while the Barracuda players may not hail from California or even the West Coast, they all had one thing on their mind–Barracuda can bite cancer.

As usual, the Barracuda players prepared for the game versus the Rampage with their exercise bikes and soccer drills on the first floor of the SAP Center. The Barracuda were all smiles as they did those two things, which was a good thing as it’s important to stretch before a game to avoid potentially painful injuries.

Barracuda fans in attendance enjoyed the team’s happy hour featuring $2 beers and $1 hot dogs, which were unusual prices to see in today’s hockey games at arenas across the country. But they enjoyed those very low prices and that’s all that matters.

The Barracuda prepared to beat the Rampage again. San Jose is 11-5-2-1 all-time against San Antonio and 6-2-1-0 at SAP Center. Hopefully, San Jose’s hard work will pay off.

Sharks Lose to Blue Jackets 4-1

Published on by M WalshLeave a comment

Photo credit: @SanJoseSharks

By Mary Walsh

SAN JOSE, Calif. — The San Jose Sharks fell to the visiting Columbus Blue Jackets Thursday by a score of 4-1. Despite outshooting Columbus 45-27, beating them soundly in the faceoff circle and taking the early lead with a goal from Kevin Labanc, San Jose could not beat the Blue Jackets’ defense or goalie again. Columbus goals came from Anthony Duclair, Seth Jones, Nick Foligno and Josh Anderson. Columbus goaltender Sergei Bobrovsky stopped 44 shots for the win. Sharks goaltender Aaron Dell made 23 saves for San Jose. The special teams were all penalty killers: the Sharks’ power play had three tries and did not score, and the Blue Jackets also failed to score with their power play.

After the game, Sharks captain Joe Pavelski said:

You look up at the end of the night and we have those shots. Didn’t probably feel like a 45 shot night. You know… the energy level was just a little bit off for us. But throughout that game we were right there at times, we just never found that spark we needed.

Logan Couture was asked about the ice, as the puck was bouncing a lot. He did not consider that a valid explanation: “Can’t blame the ice. Both teams play on it. It’s simple: we just didn’t play well enough. There’s no excuse of the ice being bad. We weren’t very good.”

When asked to elaborate, Couture said: “We weren’t good. We didn’t pass well, we didn’t play hard enough. We didn’t spend enough time in their end, we didn’t forecheck, we turned pucks over. I mean, you go down the list, we did a lot of things wrong tonight and we got what we deserved.”

The first period was balanced in scoring and shots. The Sharks spent a spell in the Columbus zone before finally scoring first at 11:50 of the first period. Couture was in front of the net, trying to get a shot off but the puck slipped away from him. Labanc was right on the spot to catch it and take the shot. Assists went to Couture and Marc-Edouard Vlasic. It was Labanc’s second goal of the season.

The Blue Jackets tied it up at 16:30 with a goal from Anthony Duclair. The goal came after a lot of pressure from the Blue Jackets all around the Sharks’ zone. Ryan Murray sent the puck down from the blue line to bounce off the back boards where Duclair picked it up and took it behind the net for a wraparound. Assists went to Murray and Alexander Wennberg.

Columbus scored twice in the second period, the first at 9:15. Duclair, near the goal line, moved the puck out in front of the net where it went off the skate of Seth Jones as Jones was stopping in front of the blue paint. Assists went to Duclair and Lukas Sedlak.

Foligno gave the Blue Jackets a two goal lead at 18:40 of the period. Erik Karlsson’s pass to Vlasic along the blue line missed and went off the boards to Markus Nutivaara. He made a quick pass up to a fast-moving Foligno in the neutral zone. Foligno skated in and beat Aaron Dell on the left side.

The only goal of the third period came with just 1:01 left in the game, a short-handed, empty-net goal from Josh Anderson.

The Sharks ended the game with a 5-on-3 power play, but it only lasted 22 seconds before they ran out of time.

The Sharks will host the Philadelphia Flyers for their next game on Saturday at 7:30 PM PT.