GAMEDAY: BARRACUDA AT GRIFFINS (1-27-17)
Jan 27, 2017
Game #36 – San Jose Barracuda (20-11-1-3) vs. Grand Rapids Griffins (27-11-1-2)
Friday, January 27, 2017
5:00 PM PST, Van Andel Arena, Grand Rapids, Mich.
LISTEN LIVE (Tape Delay: 7 p.m. PST) | WATCH LIVE | GAME NOTES
Tonight’s Matchup: The San Jose Barracuda and Grand Rapids Griffins meet up for the first time ever on Friday. The Barracuda are 4-3-1 against Central Division teams all-time and 0-1 this season. The Detroit Red Wings affiliate is coming off a 2-1 loss at home against the Iowa Wild on Wednesday night and are 7-3-0 in their last 10, while San Jose is coming off a 5-0 victory over the Stockton Heat on Wednesday and are 6-4-0 in their last 10. The Griffins are 15-5-0-2 at home this season while San Jose is 7-7-0-2 on the road. The Griffins are first in the Western Conference and first in the Central Division with a .695 winning percentage.
O’Regan Right Back On Track: After missing three games due to injury, Barracuda rookie Forward Danny O’Regan scored a pair of goals for San Jose in Wednesday's 5-0 win over the Stockton Heat. Among AHL rookies, O’Regan is second in points (13+23=36), first in assists, and T-fifth in goals. The former Boston University product is 11th overall in the league in points and first on the Barracuda in points and goals. O’Regan will represent the Barracuda and the Pacific Division in the AHL All-Star game on Jan. 29-30 in Lehigh Valley, PA.
Reinforcements Have Arrived: On Tuesday, the San Jose Sharks announced they had traded veteran forward Tommy Wingels to the Ottawa Senators for a draft pick and a pair of veteran forwards, Buddy Robinson and Zach Stortini. Robinson, 25, stands at 6-foot-6, 235-pounds and is in his third year as a pro after a pair of seasons at Lake Superior State (NCAA). Robinson had 13 points (7+5=12) in 33 games with the Senators AHL affiliate the Binghamton Senators and also appeared in four games for Ottawa this season. Stortini, 31, has played over 256 NHL games over his career with the Edmonton Oilers, the organization that drafted him in the third round in 2003. The 6-foot-4, 229-pound forward has been Binghamton's Captain over the last two seasons and has recorded three points (2+1=3) in 22 games this year.
Birthday Boy: Tim Heed continued his power play dominance on Wednesday with his team-leading seventh power-play goal of the season. Among defenseman, the 26-year-old, as of today, is third in the league in points (10+24=34), fourth in goals, second in assists, second in power-play goals and second in game-winning goals (3).
Oh Boy Troy: Troy Grosenick earned his tenth win of the season on Wednesday and his league-leading sixth shutout. Grosenick is third in the AHL in goals-against average (2.16) and is T-third in save percentage (.926). Grosenick will represent the Barracuda and the Pacific Division in the AHL All-Star game on Jan. 29-30 in Lehigh Valley, PA.
San Jose's Last Time Out: The San Jose Barracuda scored three first-period goals on Wednesday in Stockton and used 24 Troy Grosenick’ saves to earn a 5-0 win and a league-leading eighth shutout of the season. Rourke Chartier (9), Bryan Moore (1), and Danny O’Regan (12) each scored in the first, and Tim Heed tallied on the power play in the second. In the final frame, O’Regan (13) added another and San Jose secured their first win of their current seven-game road trip. The two teams combined for a franchise-high 132 penalty minutes including 94 in the third.
Grand Rapids’s Last Time Out: Former Shark’ and Barracuda netminder Alex Stallock made 38 saves, and the Iowa Wild stole a key road victory over the Grand Rapids Griffins at Van Andel Arena on Wednesday night, 2-1. Mario Lucia scored in the first and Jeff Hoggan in the second for the Wild to go up 2-0 before Robbie Russo made it interesting with a third-period tally, but the Wild were able to stave off a Griffin’ comeback.