GAMEDAY: BARRACUDA VS SILVER KNIGHTS
Apr 8, 2022
SAN JOSE BARRACUDA (20-36-3-2) vs HENDERSON SILVER KNIGHTS (27-28-3-1)
SAT., APR. 9 | 6:00 P.M. | SAP CENTER | SAN JOSE, CA
LISTEN | WATCH | MEDIA KIT | GAME NOTES
Henderson Head-to-Head: On Saturday, the Barracuda kick off a two-game set with the Henderson Silver Knights, marking the first of four games over the team’s final seven against the Vegas Golden Knights affiliate. The Barracuda did earn a point in its last game, falling 3-2 in overtime at Bakersfield on Wednesday morning, but have lost franchise-record eight-straight games (0-7-1-0), with its last win coming on Mar. 16 at Tucson (5-2 W). Over the eight-game stretch, the Barracuda has scored one or fewer goals five times and have given up a power-play goal in seven straight games (13/22=60%). Against the Silver Knights, the Barracuda are 1-3 on the year and 1-1 at home. The ‘Cuda dropped the last two meetings in Henderson on Feb. 5 (3-5 L) and Feb. 6 (3-6 L). The Barracuda are 0-6-1-0 in its last seven games at home and will have just three games left at home after Saturday (two at the SAP Center).
Knight and Day: The Henderson Silver Knights have gone just 14-21-1-0 since Jan. 1, falling from the third spot in the Pacific Division to the seventh and final playoff spot. Since mid-February, the Knights are 5-15-1-0 over its last 16 games, and in its last 11 outings, Henderson has been held to one or fewer goals seven times and has been shut out twice. After this weekend, the Knights will play its final seven games on home ice at the brand new Dollar Loan Center that opened earlier this month. The Silver Knights are 9-3 all-time against San Jose, with its only defeats coming in the Bay Area.
Silver Lining: In the four games against the Silver Knights, the Barracuda have scored the first goal in three of the four outings but are just 3-for-22 (13.6%) on the man-advantage and 9-for-13 (69.2%) on the penalty-kill. At the SAP Center, the Barracuda are 1-for-10 (10%) on the PP and 4-for-6 on the PK (66%) against Henderson. The Barracuda have outshot the Silver Knights twice and tied them in shots twice in the four games and in three of the four matchups a fight has broken out. Sasha Chmelevski, who is currently up with the Sharks, leads both clubs with seven points (4+3=7) in four games. The Barracuda (5th) and Silver Knights (4th) are two of four Pacific Division clubs that rank in the top five in penalty minutes per game. Against the Barracuda, the Knights have averaged 17.25 penalty minutes per game while the Barracuda have averaged 15.25 per game against Henderson.
Blistering Blichy: Barracuda forward Joachim Blichfeld has 23 goals on the year and 12 of them on the power-play. Blichfeld who set a single-season franchise record for power-play goals on Wednesday is now just two goals shy of Barclay Goodrow’s single-season franchise record for total goals (25), set in the 2016-17 season. Blichfeld is just one of five players in franchise history to score 23+ goals in a year and just the 10th player in franchise history to reach 20+ goals in a season. The Denmark native is t-third in the AHL in PPG, and among Barracuda skaters he is first in goals, points (41), shots (177), and shootout goals (3). Blichfeld is eight shots shy of matching Joakim Ryan’s single-season season franchise record of 185, set in 2016-17.
Montana Tough: Rookie d-man Montana Onyebuchi has dropped the gloves 11 times this season, the most among all rookies. Onyebuchi is 7 PIMS shy of matching Alex Gallant’s (122) rookie record which was set in the team's inaugural season (2015-16). Due to league rules, Onyebuchi must serve a one-game suspension for all subsequent fights this season after eclipsing 10 fighting majors.
Sommer Time: On Jan. 8, 2022, head coach Roy Sommer picked up AHL victory #800 with a 6-3 win over the Henderson Silver Knights. The Oakland, Calif., native has been behind the bench for 1,736 games in the AHL, going 808-715-51-162 (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, notching a 4-2 victory on Feb. 10, 2016, over Ontario. Sommer collected his 700th win on Dec. 3, 2017, at Bakersfield (2-1 W).