San Jose is facing elimination tonight after dropping Game 3 last night against the Ontario Reign.
The San Jose Barracuda will have their backs against the walls tonight following a 3-1 defeat at the hands of the Ontario Reign in Game 3 last night.
It was a disappointing performance from the Barracuda who were thoroughly dominated as the Reign outshot San Jose by a 43-15 margin. If not for the spectacular efforts of netminder Aaron Dell, this would’ve been a rout as Dell stopped 36 of the 39 shots he faced, including a penalty shot, before being relieved by Troy Grosenick late in the third.
Adrian Kempe scored twice for Ontario while Nic Dowd would score the eventual game-winner early in the second as the Barracuda offered little resistance on this night.
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Nikolay Goldobin scored the lone goal for San Jose, his second in as many games, as the Barracuda struggled to get many shots directed towards Peter Budaj. With Game 4 set for tonight, the Barracuda will need to ramp up their offensive effort to have any shot of extending this series to a decisive Game 5.
San Jose might have a couple of additional forwards in their lineup as the Barracuda announced that they reassigned Rourke Chartier to San Jose, while also signing Kevin Labanc to a contract.
#SJSharks reassign forward Rourke Chartier to the #SJBarracuda from the @Kelowna_Rockets.
— San Jose Barracuda (@sjbarracuda) April 29, 2016
Originally a fifth-round pick of the Sharks back in 2014, Chartier joins the Barracuda after wrapping up his season with the Kelowna Rockets of the WHL. He recorded 25 goals and 21 assists in 42 games this season after recording 82 points in 58 games last year.
Labanc led the OHL with 127 points (39 goals, 88 assists) this season as he was a dominant playmaker. The Barracuda could certainly use the offensive boost in their lineup, and this early opportunity at the AHL level should provide a good test for both players.
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Game 4 is set for 7:00 p.m. tonight, although many Sharks fans will be tuned into Game 1 of the second round series between San Jose and Nashville which will get started at 7:30 p.m. at SAP Center.
Regardless, the Barracuda will look to stave off elimination and force a Game 5 which would take place at 3:00 p.m. on Sunday. Hopefully San Jose can make Ontario work a lot harder in Game 4, otherwise it could be the end for the Barracuda in their inaugural campaign.