GAMEDAY: BARRACUDA VS REIGN
Feb 19, 2025SAN JOSE BARRACUDA (25-17-2-3, 55 pts.) vs ONTARIO REIGN (29-14-2-1, 61 pts.)
WED, FEB. 19 | 7:00 P.M. | TECH CU ARENA | SAN JOSE, CA
LISTEN | WATCH | GAME NOTES | MEDIA KIT
Going back-to-back: After a four-game road trip, the Barracuda return to Tech CU Arena on Wednesday for one game, beginning a home and home with the Ontario Reign. Wednesday marks the fourth game on the eight-game season series with the Kings’ top affiliate and the first at Tech CU Arena. After shutting out the Reign 5-0 in the season opener, the Barracuda have dropped the last two matchups and are 1-1-0-1 on the year.
Home Cooking: The Barracuda boast the AHL’s fourth-best home record (16-5-1-2, 35 pts.) and have collected points in eight of their last 10 at Tech CU Arena (6-2-1-1). The Cuda already have two more home wins than they did all of last year. At home, the Barracuda have a +18 goal differential and rank fourth in goals per game (3.67). A season ago, the Barracuda went 0-4 at home versus the Reign. All time against Ontario at home, the Barracuda are 16-17-2-0 and 3-5 since moving into Tech CU Arena.
Hot Pot: All-Star Andrew Poturalski picked up an assist on Sunday and is now up to a league-high 48 points. Additionally, he T-third in assists (29), T-fourth in power-play goals (8), T-fifth in power-play points (18), T-sixth in power-play assists (10), and T-seventh in goals (19). On Saturday, he collected a goal and an assist, his 14th multi-point game of the year. In four contests against the Reign this season, the veteran forward has four assists.
Show Bound: The Sharks recalled defenseman Jack Thompson and forward Collin Graf on Tuesday. Among AHL freshmen, Graf is T-second in assists (24) and sixth in points (31). Additionally, he is T-third in power-play assists (10). The 22-year-old has points in eight of his last nine (3+6=9) AHL outings.
Reign Report: The Reign have won three in a row entering Wednesday, including back-to-back overtime wins at first-place Calgary this past weekend. Ontario has points in its last six (5-0-1-0) and have just one regulation loss over its last 11 (8-1-2-0). Ontario boasts the AHL’s fifth-best road record (15-5-0-1, 31 pts.), having won their last five away from Toyota Arena, and are 8-2 in their previous 10 on visiting ice. Ontario also carries the third-best road penalty kill (87.95%). LA’s affiliate is two points behind Calgary for the top spot in the Pacific, with three games in hand. The Reign sit at the sixth spot in the AHL in goals for (3.39), just ahead of the Barracuda, and are 11th in goals against (2.87).
Pick of the Litter: Rem Pitlick made his Barracuda debut on Saturday, collecting an assist on Andrew Poturalski’s game-winning goal. During his five-year pro career, the native of Ottawa, Ontario, has dressed in 132 games in the NHL with the Nashville Predators, Minnesota Wild, Montreal Canadiens, and Blackhawks, collecting 54 points (21 goals, 33 assists), and 54 penalty minutes. Additionally, he has skated in 149 AHL games with the Milwaukee Admirals, Chicago Wolves, Laval Rocket, Wilkes-Barre/Scranton, Rockford, and San Jose, posting 126 points (55 goals, 71 assists), 90 penalty minutes, and a plus-25 rating. The 27-year-old was part of the multi-player, three-way trade between the Sharks, Pens, and Habs that included Erik Karlsson. In that deal, he was sent from the Canadiens to the Penguins. Pitlick was signed by the Barracuda to a one-year deal on Feb. 5.
Luca Lightning: Despite having his five-game point streak snapped on Sunday, rookie defenseman Luca Cagnoni still leads the league in power-play points (23), T-second in power-play assists (16), and T-fourth in power-play goals (8). Among league rearguards, he is second in goals (12), and T-fourth in points (34).