GAMEDAY: BARRACUDA AT HEAT (2-17-17)
Feb 17, 2017
Game #44 – San Jose Barracuda (28-11-1-3) at Stockton Heat (19-19-4-1)
Friday, February 17, 2017
7:30 PM PST, Stockton Arena, Stockton, California
LISTEN LIVE | WATCH LIVE | GAME NOTES
Tonight’s Matchup: Two teams trending in different directions will collide on Friday night in Stockton. The Barracuda have won nine in a row including four straight against the Heat and six in a row on the road while Stockton has just one win in their last 12 games and is 0-7-1 in their last eight. The Heat are 12-5-2-1 (.675) at Stockton Arena which ranks for the third best winning percentage at home in the Pacific Division, but San Jose has the second best road record in the Pacific at 12-7-0-2 (.619). San Jose began its nine-game winning streak with a 5-0 victory over the Heat in Stockton on January 25. The game saw a combined 168 penalty minutes. Rookies Danny O’Regan (San Jose) and Mark Jankowski (Stockton) lead their respective clubs with six points (3+3=6) during the six-game season series. After Friday, the Barracuda and Heat will play five more times.
Best of the West: For the first time in team history, the San Jose Barracuda sit atop the Pacific Division and Western Conference. San Jose is riding a franchise-long nine-game winning streak and is second in the AHL at 28-11-1-3 (.698). Before this streak, the longest winning streak (2004-present) by a Sharks affiliate came in the 2014-15 season when the Worcester Sharks won eight in a row from January 4-21, 2014.
McCarthy’s Milestone: If John McCarthy is to play on Friday, it will be game 500 of his professional career. Over 499 professional games, McCarthy has 227 total points (98+129=227). The former seventh-round pick by the San Jose Sharks (#202 overall) in the 2006 draft is just five goals shy of 100 in his AHL career. In his eighth professional season, McCarthy has 17 points (11+6=17), a plus-four rating and 12 penalty minutes.
Sorensen Streaking: Barracuda forward Marcus Sorensen is riding a seven-game point streak (3+7=10) and six-game assist streak. Over the first 20 games in the AHL, Sorensen recorded just nine points (5+4=9) and had a 10-game stretch from mid-November to mid-December where he didn’t record a single point, but in his last 20 games, Sorensen has exploded for 20 points (9+11=20) and a plus-eight rating. A former Rookie of the Year (2014-15) in the Swedish Hockey League, Sorensen is fourth in points (14+15=29) on the Barracuda, T-second in goals, sixth in assists and third in plus/minus (+4).
Dazzling Danny: Among rookies, Barracuda All-Star forward Danny O’Regan is second in points (14+26=40), first in assists, 10th in goals, and T-13th overall in the AHL in points. O'Regan is first on the Barracuda in points, T-second in goals and second in assists.
Oh Boy Troy: Barracuda All-Star netminder Troy Grosenick is riding a career high eight-game winning streak and is first in the AHL in shutouts (6), first in goals-against average (2.01), first in save percentage (.933) and fifth in wins (17).
Timmy Time: Barracuda blueliner Tim Heed ranks second among defenseman in the AHL in points (11+28=39), fourth in goals, T-first in assists, second in power play goals (7), and T-first in game-winning goals. Heed is riding a five-game point streak (2+5=7) and is second on the Barracuda in points, T-fifth goals, first in power play goals (7) and T-first in game-winning goals.
San Jose’s Last Time Out: The San Jose Barracuda made it nine in a row with a 4-1 smothering victory over the Tucson Roadrunners on Valentines Day at SAP Center. Troy Grosenick made 28 saves to earn his eighth win in a row, and San Jose scored three times on the power play. Rourke Chartier (10), Nikolay Goldobin (13), Mirco Mueller (1) and Marcus Sorensen (14) all tallied in the win.
Stockton’s Last Time Out: The Charlotte Checkers swept the two-game weekend series and handed Stockton their eighth loss in a row on Saturday night, 3-0, at Bojangles’ Arena in Charlotte, North Carolina. David Rittich suffered the loss after allowing two goals on 33 shots. Connor Brickley (5), Trevor Carrick (2) and Lucas Wallmark (16) all scored for the Checkers.