GAME PREVIEW: BARRACUDA AT CONDORS
Mar 2, 2019
San Jose Barracuda (30-15-2-4 .660) vs. Bakersfield (33-16-2-1 .663)
SAT, MAR. 2 | 7:00 PM
Rabobank Arena | Bakersfield, CA
LISTEN | WATCH | GAME NOTES
Cream of the Crop: On Saturday, the top two clubs in the AHL’s Pacific Division kick off the first of three-straight games against each other. On Friday, the Condors were shutout, 1-0, for the just the second time this season, snapping their 17-game winning streak. The second longest in AHL history. The Barracuda are 3-1-1-1 against Bakersfield this season but have lost the last two meetings.
About Last Night: The San Jose Barracuda put a franchise-high 56 shots on net on Friday but gave up eight goals for the just the fourth time ever in an 8-4 loss at Ontario. The loss was San Jose’s first in 19 games in which they scored four or more goals (18-1-0-0). San Jose’s 27 third-period shots also set a new franchise water-mark for shots in a single period and the 101 combined shots were also a franchise best.
Trade Winds: On Monday, the Sharks traded 2019 third-round pick Linus Karlsson to the Vancouver Canucks in exchange for Jonathan Dahlen. Dahlen, 21, was originally acquired by Vancouver from Ottawa in 2017 for veteran forward Alex Burrows. The 42nd overall pick in the 2016 NHL Draft, Dahlen had 29 points (14 goals, 15 assists) in 50 games with Utica and ranks third among all rookies with eight power-play goals. Dahlen made his debut with the Barracuda on Tuesday, registering zero points and two shots on net. On Friday, the rookie collected a pair of helpers in the 8-4 loss at Ontatrio. Jonathan’s dad, Ulf, played for the Sharks for parts of four seasons from 1994-to-1997, appearing in 161 games and totaling 93 points (41 goals, 52 assists). Barracuda HC Roy Sommer was an assistant for the Sharks during the 1996-97 season, Ulf’s final campaign in Teal.
D-Depth: Both Nick DeSimone (T-10th) (10+24=34) and Kyle Wood (T-14th) (4+27=31) rank within the top 15 of all AHL d-men in scoring. DeSimone’s nine goals is T-10th overall among blueliners, while Wood’s 27 helpers is T-seventh. Over his last 11 games, DeSimone has registered three goals and eight assists. On Tuesday, DeSimone converted his first shorthanded goal of his career and is now leading the Barracuda in shots on goal (116).
True That: Alex True netted his team-leading 19th and 20th goals of the season on Friday become just the seventh player in franchise history to reach the 20-goal mark. The sophomore Denmark native is first on the Barracuda in goals (20), first in points (43), third in assists (23), third in plus/minus (+14), T-first in shorthanded goals, second in points-per-game (.84), second in shots (101), and first in game-winning goals (5). True has five mult-goal games in his career now.
Gambo Good: On Tuesday, Dylan Gambrell collected his third three-point night (one goal, two assists) of the season. Gambrell now has seven multi-point games this season and now ranks 10th among all freshman in points (15+21=36). Over his eight seven games, Gambrell has 12 points (seven goals, five assists). The 2017 National Champion at Denver University is T-second on the Barracuda in goals (15), T-third in assists (23), T-second in points (36) and first in points-per-game (.97).
Joe the Wall: Barracuda rookie netminder Josef Korenar made 30 saves on 33 shots en-route to his 19th win of the season on Tuesday and his third in a row. The AHL All-Star ranks second in the AHL in goals-against average (2.32), T-fifth in save percentage (.918), T-sixth in wins (19) and T-third in shutouts.