While the San Jose Sharks have really struggled of late, it’s been the complete opposite for the San Jose Barracuda who have been on quite the roll of late. The Barracuda have won four straight games and six of their last seven to surge up the Pacific Division standings in the American Hockey League (AHL).
As it stands right now, San Jose sits in second place with a 15-10-2-3 record, good for 35 points and a points percentage of .583 percent. It’s been quite the rise for the Barracuda who have found themselves at towards the bottom of the standings for much of the season.
Last week, San Jose continued their winning streak with a pair of big victories, first a 5-1 victory over the Texas Stars, top affiliate of the Dallas Stars, behind a big performance from a former number one draft pick. Nikolay Goldobin recorded his first hat trick in teal as his four-point night powered the Barracuda to a big division victory.
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Alex Stalock received the first of two starts in the AHL while the Sharks had some time off and he was sharp in stopping 21 of 22 shots faced. Gus Young, three assists, and Chris Tierney, two assists, were the other Barracuda players with multi-point games as San Jose controlled the contest from the onset.
Three nights later, San Jose hit the road to take on the Stockton Heat, top affiliate of the Calgary Flames, and it appeared as if the winning streak might come to an end as the Barracuda faced a series of multi-goal deficits throughout the game.
However, goals from John McCarthy, Tierney and recently named All-Star Barclay Goodrow would send the game into overtime where Goldobin would score his 10th goal of the season, and fourth in two games, to lift San Jose to a 4-3 victory.
Stalock would man the pipes again for his second start in the AHL on a conditioning assignment and he would make 32 saves on the night. Overall, Stalock posted a 2-0 record with 1.96 goals-against-average and a .930 save percentage. It’s exactly what the organization wanted to see from Stalock when they sent him down to get some game action in.
Another sight that should have Sharks fans smiling is the continued development of Goldobin who seems to be settling in with the Barracuda and is starting to find the back of the net on a more consistent basis. While he still has plenty to work on, Goldobin ranks second on the team with 10 goals behind Goodrow.
Next: Sharks News & Notes: Tierney, Stalock Recalled
The Barracuda return to action over the next two days as they host the San Antonio Rampage, top affiliate of the Colorado Avalanche, tonight following the Sharks contest against the Toronto Maple Leafs before taking on the Rampage again on Sunday afternoon.