GAMEDAY: BARRACUDA AT HEAT
Dec 7, 2021
SAN JOSE BARRACUDA (6-9-1-0) vs STOCKTON HEAT (13-2-2--)
TUES, DEC. 7 | 6:30 P.M. | Stockton Arena | Stockton, CA
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Trial by Fire: On Tuesday, the Barracuda face off against the top team in the Western Conference, the Stockton Heat, who enter Tuesday’s tilt with 7-0-2-0 record on home ice. Tuesday’s game was originally scheduled for Halloween, but COVID-19 issues within the Sharks organization postponed the game. The Barracuda are 34-20-3-2 all-time against the Heat and 16-9-2-2 at the Stockton Arena. The last time the Barracuda faced Stockton at the Stockton Arena was March 10, 2020 (7-4 W), 636 days ago.
Reedy Rolling: Rookie forward Scott Reedy returned to the Barracuda lineup on Saturday after his first NHL recall. The Prior Lake, Minn. native notched a goal on Saturday and two assists on Sunday for the Barracuda, extending his point streak to five games (5+3=8). Reedy is T-first among all AHL skaters in power-play goals (5), second in shooting percentage (9/23=39.1%), and T-fourth in total goals (9). Among Barracuda skaters, Reedy leads the team in points (15) and goals.
Halbgewachs Heat Check: Jayden Halbgewachs cashed in his sixth goal of the season last Saturday and now has points in eight of his last 11 games (4+7=11). The fourth-year pro ranks second among Barracuda skaters in points (6+8=14) and has already surpassed his point and assist totals from last year. Before turning pro, Halbgewachs played five years in the WHL with the Moose Jaw Warriors, pacing the league in points (129) and goals (70) in 2017-18, his final of junior hockey.
Sommer Time: Head Coach Roy Sommer returns for his AHL-best 24th season in 2021-22 and his 26th within the Sharks organization. The Oakland, Calif. native has been behind the bench for 1,690 games, going 794-688-48-160 (W-L-T-OTL/SOL) over that span. During the 2015-16 season, the Barracuda’s first in San Jose, Sommer surpassed Fred “Bun” Cook (636 wins) for the most wins in AHL history in a 4-2 win over the Ontario Reign on Feb. 10, 2016.
Blichfeld Boiling: Joachim Blichfeld scored twice in the third period on Saturday as he notched his second-straight two-goal effort. Blichfeld also collected an assist and now has three three-point games in his career, two this season, and nine multi-goal outings in his career. Blichfeld ranks second on the team in power-play goals (4) and T-second overall in the league in that department.
Burning Flames: Heat forward Jakob Pelletier enters Tuesday with assists in consecutive games and now ranks third in the AHL in scoring (7+12=19), fifth in shots (44), first in game-winning goals (4), and first in overtime goals (2). The 2019 first-rounder has points in nine of his last 10 (5+6=11).
Killing It: The Heat enter Tuesday ranked second in the league on the penalty kill (88.7%) after going eight-for-eight on the PK in their 3-2 win over the Gulls on Saturday and sit at the ninth spot on the man-advantage (20.8%). The Barracuda on the other hand have the sixth-best power-play in the league (21.1%) despite going zero-for-four on Sunday against Abbotsford but have the league’s worst penalty kill (69.0%), giving up a PPG in four-straight games (7/15=47%).
Wolf of Wall Street: Gilroy native and Stockton Heat goaltender Dustin Wolf leads the AHL in wins (9), ranks second in save percentage (.935), and third in goals-against average (2.06). The 20-year-old played his tier hockey with the LA Jr. Kings before graduating to the WHL where he spent four seasons with the Everett Silvertips. In 2020, Wolf was named the WHL and CHL’s Top Goaltender as he led the Western League in save percentage (.935) and goals-against average (1.88).