GAMEDAY: BARRACUDA VS GULLS (5-6-17)
May 6, 2017
San Jose Barracuda (0-1) vs. San Diego Gulls (1-0)
GAME 2 (Best-of-7), Pacific Division Final
Saturday, May 6, 2017 (7:00 PM) – SAP Center, San Jose, Calif.
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Tonight’s Matchup: On Saturday, the San Jose Barracuda look to even their best-of-7 series with the San Diego Gulls at 1-1 after an overtime loss on Friday night in the first game of the series. During the regular season, San Jose went 5-3-1-1 against San Diego and 5-0 at SAP Center.
Home Sweet Home: During the regular season, three of San Jose’s five wins over the Gulls at home came via the shutout and San Jose outscored San Diego 15-to-4 in those five games. The Barracuda boasted the league’s best home winning percentage (24-6-2-2 = .765) during the regular season and are 3-3 all-time at home during the playoffs.
Ryan Is A Rockstar: Barracuda forward Ryan Carpenter continues his red-hot postseason. On Friday, Carpenter netted his AHL leading fifth goal. The third-year pro is also T-first in points and plus-minus (+7). In 14 career Calder Cup playoff games, Carpenter has 13 points (7+6=13), six penalty minutes and a plus-12 rating. The former Bowling Green Falcon recorded four points (3+2=4) in seven games against San Diego during the regular season.
Shining Shorthanded: During the regular season, the Barracuda were T-first in shorthanded goals (14) and finished with the eighth-best penalty kill (83.7%). San Jose’s power play went just 1-for-22 in round one (4.5%), but netted a pair of shorthanded goals including a game winner down a man in a decisive game five overtime win on Tuesday night.
Yeah Buddy: Barracuda forward Buddy Robinson was a force in round one, totaling five points (3+2=5) in five games, two penalty minutes and a plus-four rating. After being acquired in a trade with the Ottawa Senators in January, Robison collected 19 points (10+9=19) in 33 games, 53 penalty minutes and a plus-five rating after recording just 12 points (7+5=12), 18 penalty minutes and a plus-four rating in 33 games with the Binghamton Senators. Prior to 2017, Robinson totaled zero points in 6 career Calder Cup playoff games.
Tremendous Troy: Troy Grosenick turned in a career regular season going 30-10-7 with a 2.04 goals-against average, .926 save percentage and 10 shutouts culminating in the ‘Baz Bastien Memorial Award’ as the AHL’s most outstanding goaltender. Grosenick went 5-3-1 in 10 games played against the Gulls with a 2.46 goals-against, .914 save percentage and three shutouts. In nine career Calder Cup contests, Grosenick is 4-3 with a 2.74 goals-against and a .897 save percentage.
Winner Winner: San Jose’s Zack Stortini is by far the team’s most experienced postseason player having skated in 61 Calder Cup playoff games over his 12-year career, and the veteran forward won a Calder Cup with the Hamilton Bulldogs in 2007.
About Last Night: The San Jose Barracuda outshot the San Diego Gulls 38-to-16 but fell, 3-2, in overtime in game one of their best-of-7 Pacific Division Final series on Friday night at SAP Center. Joakim Ryan (3) broke the deadlock at 9:35 on San Jose's second power play of the opening period. The second-year pro received a puck in the high slot uncovered and ripped a shot past a screened Jhonas Enroth to make it 1-0 San Jose. Despite putting just two shots on net in the first, Kalle Kossila (2) beat Troy Grosenick from just above the hashes at 17:46 on a 5-on-3 man-advantage to tie the game. After a scoreless second, Ryan Carpenter (5) recaptured San Jose's lead by collecting a loose puck in the slot and firing a shot through Enroth's five-hole at 12:08. Nate Guenin (1) played spoiler and evened the score with a seeing-eye wrister from the right point off a draw at 16:04, forcing overtime. 38 seconds into the extra session, Kevin Roy (2) netted the game-winner on a breakaway.