GAMEDAY: BARRACUDA VS WRANGLERS
Jan 26, 2024
SAN JOSE BARRACUDA (12-19-7-0, 29 pts.) vs. CALGARY WRANGLERS (22-12-3-0, 47 pts.)
FRI, JAN. 26 | 7:00 P.M. | Tech CU Arena | San Jose, CA
LISTEN | WATCH | GAME NOTES | MEDIA KIT
Home Cookin’: The Barracuda continue their three-game homestand on Friday with the first of back-to-back games against the Calgary Wranglers (Calgary Flames). The Barracuda are 3-1 versus the Wranglers, winning the last three games and outscoring them during that stretch 12-3. The Barracuda snapped a nine-game skid (0-7-2-0) on Wednesday with a 5-3 win over the Bakersfield Condors.
Wednesday Wrap: The Barracuda fell behind 2-0 after 20 minutes of play on Wednesday against the Bakersfield Condors but stormed back with four unanswered goals, including three in the second period en route to a 5-3 win. The Barracuda were perfect on special teams, going 2-for-2 on the power play and 3-for-3 on the penalty kill and seven different players picked up multiple points. Eetu Makiniemi allowed two goals on 12 shots in the first but would turn aside 25 of the next 26 he saw en route to his fifth win of the year.
Major Movement: The Barracuda acquired forward Jordy Bellerive from the Lehigh Valley Phantoms on Tuesday for future considerations. In addition, the Sharks assigned Scott Sabourin back to the AHL, and the Barracuda recalled defenseman Gannon Laroque from the Wichita Thunder. The team also released forwards Mitchell Fossier and Ty Pelton-Byce from their PTOs. On Thursday, the Sharks recalled defenseman Shakir Mukhamadullin for the first time since acquiring him last year from New Jersey in the Timo Meier trade. Mukhamadullin is T-6th among league defenders in points (26), assists (21) and power-play assists (9).
A Star is Born: Danil Gushchin, who extended his point streak to six games on Sunday (2+6=8), was named the Barracuda’s representative for the 2024 AHL All-Star Classic presented by Tech CU earlier this month. The two-day event will be held at Tech CU Arena in San Jose on Feb. 4-5, 2024. The second-year pro is first on the Barracuda in points (37), goals (14), assists (23), and shots (142). Among league leaders, he is fifth in scoring, T-eighth in assists, and third in shots. Gushchin joins Thomas Bordeleau, Joachim Blichfeld, Jake Middleton, Francis Perron, Josef Korenar, Barclay Goodrow, Ryan Carpenter, Troy Grosenick, Danny O’Regan, Antoine Bibeau, and Rudolfs Balcers as players to represent the Barracuda at the AHL All-Star Classic.
Sabs Sizzlin’: Barracuda forward Scott Sabourin returned back to the team on Wednesday after missing seven games while on recall with the Sharks. Sabourin scored and added an assist on Wednesday and now leads the team in game-winners (3), penalty minutes (92), majors (6), and is T-first in power-play goals (4) and is third in goals (10). Sabourin has eight goals and 12 points over his last 10 games in the AHL after notching just two goals and one assist through his first 19 outings.
Wranglers Roundup: Calgary enters Friday having dropped three in a row after a 7-3 loss at Bakersfield on Saturday. Since Dec. 10, the Wranglers have gone 6-8-2-0 after beginning the season 16-4-1-0. The Wranglers boast the league’s 31st-ranked penalty kill (15.2%) and have given up power-play goals in four straight games (11/16=68%). A year ago, Calgary boasted the AHL’s top PK (85/1%). The Flames farm club is third in the league in goals-against average at 2.70, despite giving up the sixth most shots against per game (32.16). On Sunday, the Flames assigned Gilroy native and two-time AHL goalie of the year and 2022-23 AHL MVP Dustin Wolf back to the Wranglers. The last time he faced the Barracuda on Nov. 5 at the Scotiabank Saddledome, he was dealt a 4-1 loss after giving up three goals on 17 shots. Before that, he was 11-0 against San Jose in his career.