San Jose Barracuda Report: Barracuda Notch First Two Wins
It was a wild and crazy week for the San Jose Barracuda, similar to the one experienced by the San Jose Sharks. While the Barracuda weren’t hit hard by injuries like the Sharks were, the Barracuda did see a number of players sent out to join the Sharks.
San Jose picked up their first win as a franchise with a decisive 4-1 victory over the Stockton Heat on Oct. 15, top affiliate of the Calgary Flames. The Barracuda used a breakout second period to secure the victory over the Heat as Ryan Carpenter, Micheal Haley and Scott Timmins all scored to give San Jose a 3-0 lead. Nikita Jevpalovs would score his first professional goal, while Aaron Dell made 25 saves in securing the first victory in the history of the franchise.
Two nights later, San Jose continued their winning ways by picking up a 4-3 road victory over the Bakersfield Condors, top development affiliate of the Edmonton Oilers. Haley, who leads the Barracuda in scoring through the first four games, picked up his third and fourth goals of the season in this one, including the game-winner. Haley’s hot start earned himself a call up to the Sharks where he will likely suit up on San Jose’s fourth line against the Kings tonight.
More from San Jose Barracuda
- San Jose Sharks Sign Goaltender Andrew Shortridge to a One-Year Deal
- San Jose Sharks Reassign Dylan Gambrell to the Barracuda
- San Jose Sharks Recall Nick DeSimone and Dylan Gambrell
- San Jose Sharks Place Simek on IR, Recall Jacob Middleton
- End of the Season San Jose Sharks Prospect Perspective
Bryan Lerg and Trevor Parkes also scored in this one for the Barracuda, and it was Dell in net once again for the victory as the battle between Dell and Troy Grosenick will likely go on for a majority of the season. Lerg played in the Sharks 4-0 loss against the New York Rangers this past weekend, but returned to the Barracuda for last night’s game.
Speaking of that game, San Jose dropped a 3-2 shootout game at the hands of the San Diego Gulls, development affiliate of the Anaheim Ducks, leaving the Barracuda winless in their first two games at SAP Center.
The Barracuda jumped out to a 2-0 lead in the first as Lerg and Timmins scored to give San Jose the early advantage. However, San Diego would answer with two power-play goals, one late in the first and one midway through the second to knot the score at two. Grosenick would be the hard luck loser in the shooout, stopping 30 of 32 shots on the night.
One positive was the return to action of Melker Karlsson who’s been battling an undisclosed injury. The Sharks could use the forward’s talents, but he will likely need a few more games with the Barraucda to get himself into game shape. Karlsson recorded an assist on Lerg’s goal and finished as a plus-one.
Currently, the Barracuda rank sixth in the Pacific Division of the AHL with five points (2-1-1), and will look to get back on track with back-to-back games against San Diego and the Ontario Reign over the next couple of nights.
Next: Pacific Division Stock Report - Week Two