GAMEDAY: BARRACUDA AT GULLS
Apr 3, 2021
SAN JOSE BARRACUDA (7-6-4-1) vs. SAN DIEGO GULLS (14-10-0-0)
SAT., APRIL 3 | 7:00 P.M. | FivePoint Arena | San Diego, CA
LISTEN | WATCH | GAME NOTES
Saturday Sizzle: On Saturday the Barracuda and Gulls (Anaheim Ducks) square off for the fourth time this season and third and final matchup in Irvine. The Barracuda are 2-0-1 in the three prior meetings and 1-0-1 at the FivePoint Arena. Entering Saturday’s game, the Gulls are riding a five-game winning streak and are coming off a 7-2 win over Ontario on Wednesday, matching a season-high with seven goals.
Tale of the Tape: The Barracuda are 23-22-6-3 (H: 13-10-3-1/R: 10-12-3-2) lifetime against the Gulls. In the last meeting on March 9 at Solar4America Ice, the Barracuda got goals from Noah Gregor, Fredrick Handemark, Jayden Halbgewachs and Jaycob Megna as well as 25 saves from Alexei Melnichuk to pick up a 4-2 win. The Gulls enter Saturday having played the most games in the AHL (24) and now sit four points behind the Henderson Silver Knights for the top spot in the Pacific Division. The Gulls are the third oldest team in the AHL, averaging 25-years-old, while the Barracuda rank as the seventh youngest team in the AHL at 23.41.
Dynamic Duo: San Diego’s Andrew Poturalski (5+18=23) and Sam Carrick (11+9=20) rank fifth and sixth in the AHL in scoring. Poturalski is first in the AHL in assists (18) and tied for first in the AHL in power-play assists (7). Carrick is tied for first in the AHL in goals (11) and is tied for first in the AHL in shots (79), along with his teammate Chase De Leo.
Road Woes: The Barracuda enter Saturday’s game having dropped its last six contests on visiting ice (0-3-2-1). The Barracuda’s last road victory came on March 5 at San Diego (5-1). Over April, the Barracuda will play a season-high 14 games, with just four of them being played away from the Bay Area.
Ready for Reedy: The Sharks announced they signed 2017 fourth round pick Scotty Reedy on Friday to a two-year, entry-level contract after he finished up his senior season at Minnesota. Reedy is expected to join the Barracuda after a three-day quartine and could make his pro debut as early as Tuesday against Henderson. His Gophers were eliminated from the NCAA Men’s Ice Hockey Tournament on March 28, 4-0 vs. Minnesota State.
Moving on Up: Following the Barracuda’s win on Tuesday against Bakersfield, 4-3, the Sharks recalled forwards Fredrick Handemark, Noah Gregor, and defenseman Christian Jaros. Handemark and Gregor each scored on Tuesday and for Handemark it extended his point streak to four games after not playing in the AHL since March 9. For Gregor, it was goals in back-to-back games.