Blades of Teal
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San Jose Barracuda Take On Ontario In Round One

By Patrick Leiva

Oct 31, 2015; Dallas, TX, USA; San Jose Sharks left wing Barclay Goodrow (89) during the game against the Dallas Stars at the American Airlines Center. The Stars defeat the Sharks 5-3. Mandatory Credit: Jerome Miron-USA TODAY Sports
Oct 31, 2015; Dallas, TX, USA; San Jose Sharks left wing Barclay Goodrow (89) during the game against the Dallas Stars at the American Airlines Center. The Stars defeat the Sharks 5-3. Mandatory Credit: Jerome Miron-USA TODAY Sports /
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Just like the Sharks, the Barracuda will take on their Southern California rivals in the Ontario Reign.

The San Jose Barracuda were able to sneak into the Calder Cup playoffs on the final day of the regular season, and their reward is a fate similar to that of the San Jose Sharks. San Jose will begin their first-ever postseason quest as a franchise by taking on the Pacific Division champion Ontario Reign, top affiliate of the Los Angeles Kings.

It won’t be easy for the Barracuda who will head into this series as heavy underdogs as the Reign won the Pacific Division in decisive fashion with 44 victories, 93 points and a .684 points percentage.

San Jose didn’t fare well against Ontario, dropping nine of the 12 contests against their division rivals this season, although, the Barracuda were able to score a 3-1 victory over the Reign in their final meeting back on March 30.

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Roy Sommer will lean on Aaron Dell between the pipes who recorded 17 victories this season to go along with a 2.42 goals-against-average (GAA) and a .922 save percentage, including a 41-save performance to clinch a playoff berth.

Up front, the Barracuda will lean on Ryan Carpenter who was named as San Jose’s Player of the Year after leading the team with 55 points (18 goals, 37 assists) and a plus-20 rating.

Other notables include 2014 first-round pick Nikolay Goldobin, Barracuda Rookie of the Year, who tied for the team-lead with 21 goals, and Barclay Goodrow who finished the year with 20 goals and 19 assists.

On defense, San Jose must rely on Matt Tennyson, Mirco Mueller and Julius Bergman who are all young players that Sharks fans should keep an eye on in this series.

For Ontario, it all starts between the pipes with former NHL goaltender Peter Budaj manning the nets for the Reign. Budaj was spectacular as he led the league with 60 games played, 42 wins, a 1.75 GAA, .932 save percentage and nine shutouts for the year.

Pretty impressive numbers and a stout challenge for the Barracuda who will have to be sharp defensively as they might not see many opportunities to score.

Michael Mersch led Ontario with 24 goals, while right wing Sean Backman paced the Reign with 55 points (21 goals, 34 assists).

Next: Barracuda Clinch Playoff Spot In Commanding Fashion

With the Sharks and Kings squaring off in the Stanley Cup playoffs, it’s only fitting that these two teams should meet in the first round of the AHL postseason.

The first two games of this best-of-five series will take place at SAP Center beginning tomorrow night at 7:30 p.m. PDT as the Barracuda look to jump out to an early series lead.

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