GAMEDAY: BARRACUDA VS. EAGLES
May 4, 2025SAN JOSE BARRACUDA (36-26-5-4, 81 pts., 6th PAC) vs. COLORADO EAGLES (43-21-5-3, 94 pts., 1st PAC)
BEST-OF-FIVE DIVISIONAL SEMIFINAL (COL LEADS 1-0)
SUN, MAY 4, 2025 | 6:00 PM | TECH CU ARENA | SAN JOSE, CA
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Sunday Service: After dropping Game One of their best-of-five Divisional Semifinal series 6–3 to the Colorado Eagles on Friday, the series continues on Sunday with Game Two. During the regular season, San Jose went 3–5 against Colorado, including a 2–2 record at home. Since the Pacific Division's inception in 2015–16, a number one seed has never lost its opening-round series. While the Barracuda have never faced the Eagles in the Calder Cup Playoffs, they did eliminate Colorado 5–1 in a Pacific Division play-in game on May 19, 2021.
Colorado Cooking: Since joining the AHL in 2018-19, the Colorado Eagles have qualified for the postseason in all six seasons it has been held. The Avs affiliate earned a first-round bye this year after posting a franchise-best 94 points (43-21-5-3, .653%). The Avs affiliate led the AHL during the regular season in goals per game (3.47) and ranked fourth in goals against (2.57). Colorado also finished with the league’s best home record (26-6-2-2, .778%) and held the top goal differential at +60 at home. The Eagles have three players on their roster with Calder Cup rings (T.J. Tynan '16 - Lake Erie, Calle Rosen ' 18 - Toronto, Matt Phillips '24 - Hershey).
Familiar Face: Eagles defenseman and former Sharks/Barracuda blueliner Jacob MacDonald had a record-breaking 2024-25 campaign, scoring 31 goals—the most by a defenseman in the AHL’s 89-year history. He led all AHL defensemen in points (55), goals, power-play goals (13), and game-winning goals (5). He also ranked second in shots (197), shooting percentage (15.7%), and fourth in power-play points (23). MacDonald was named the league's Eddie Shore winner as top defenseman. MacDonald collected a pair of assists on Friday after recording eight points (5+3=8) in seven games during the regular season.
Asky Basky: Goaltender Yaroslav Askarov was stellar in the opening round, going 2-0 with a 0.50 goals-against average, a .979 save percentage, and one shutout. On Thursday, he became the first Barracuda goalie to record a Calder Cup Playoff shutout since Troy Grosenick on May 13, 2017, in San Diego. In 19 career AHL appearances, the 22-year-old is 10-9 with a 2.61 GAA and a .904 save percentage. Askarov went 0-4 versus the Eagles during the regular season but is 2-5 lifetime.
Playoff Punch: The Barracuda are back in the playoffs for the first time since the 2020–21 season and return to the Calder Cup Playoffs for the first time since 2018–19. SJB’s sweep of the Reign was the first sweep in franchise history.
Do the Cagn Cagn: Twenty-year-old defenseman Luca Cagnoni finished just three points shy of the AHL’s defenseman scoring title, tallying 52 points in 64 games. The rookie rearguard led all skaters in power-play points (24), ranked second in power-play assists (23), and tied for fourth in power-play goals (11). Among defensemen, he ranked third in both points and goals (16), and tied for fifth in assists (36). Named to the AHL’s All-Rookie Team, the Burnaby, B.C. native set new franchise records this season in goals and power-play goals by a defenseman. In addition to his time with the Barracuda, Cagnoni skated in six games with the Sharks, collecting two assists. During his three WHL seasons with the Portland Winterhawks, he notched 23 points (5+18–23) in 33 playoff games.
Hot Pot: Last Friday, Barracuda forward Andrew Poturalski was named the AHL’s Les Cunningham Award Winner as AHL MVP after leading the league in scoring during the regular season. Poturalski is just the third player in league history to pace the league in scoring three different times, joining AHL Hall of Famers Bill Sweeney (1960–63) and Peter White (1994–98). Poturalski, who also led the league in scoring in 2020–21 and 2021–22, finished the season with a league-best 73 points—including a career-high 30 goals—in just 59 games, despite missing the final nine contests. He also recorded one assist in three NHL games with the Sharks. A native of Williamsville, N.Y., Poturalski is a two-time Calder Cup winner (Charlotte 2019, Chicago 2022) and reached the Finals in both 2023 and 2024 with Coachella Valley. His 30 goals and 72 points are both Barracuda single-season records. Poturalski has been out since late March with a lower-body injury.
Dan the Man: The 2024–25 season was a breakout year for third-year pro Danil Gushchin, who set career highs in goals (28), power-play goals (14), shots (218), and shooting percentage (12.8%). From March 7 to March 28, he recorded points in nine straight games—the second-longest streak in team history. During that span, he also scored in five straight (March 16–26), tying John McCarthy’s franchise record. Gushchin is the Barracuda’s all-time leader in points (150), goals (70), and assists (80). His 14 power-play goals this season not only set a franchise record but also led the league, helping San Jose finish the regular season with the AHL’s top power play (24.0%). Gushchin missed both round one games with an illness but made his Calder Cup playoff debut on Friday.
Powering Up: The Barracuda finished the regular season with a league-best 24.0% success rate on the power play. Danil Gushchin led the AHL in power-play goals (14), while Andrew Poturalski finished tied for second (13). Luca Cagnoni led the league in power-play points (34). The Barracuda also led the league in power plays drawn (287) and total power-play goals (69)—a new single-season franchise record. During the regular season against Colorado, the Barracuda went 8-for-28 on the PP.
Bursting Pipes: The Barracuda used eight players during the 2024–25 season who were drafted by the organization, including four picks in the last two years (Luca Cagnoni, Filip Bystedt, Igor Chernyshov, and Quentin Musty). Seventeen players split time between the Sharks and Barracuda, including U23 skaters Yaroslav Askarov (G), Ethan Cardwell (F), Luca Cagnoni (D), Jack Thompson (D), and Collin Graf (F).