BARRACUDA LOSE SEESAW BATTLE 6-5 IN OVERTIME
Jan 21, 2019San Jose, Ca - The San Jose Barracuda (23-8-2-3) wrapped up their five-game home stand on Monday at the SAP Center against the Bakersfield Condors (21-15-2-1) (Edmonton Oilers) and despite erasing a pair of two-goal deficits, San Jose failed to earn its third consecutive win, falling 6-5 in overtime.
The first period was uneventful through the first ten-plus minutes, but the last 6:22 of the period saw four combined goals. At the 13:38 mark of the first, David Gust(11) opened up the scoring as his pass from the right half-wall bounced off a Barracuda defender in front and in. The Condors would strike again at 17:41 on the power-play, as Josh Currie (17) buried a two-on-one top corner. The Barracuda would answer right back when Keaton Middleton (4) took a pass below the left faceoff dot and one-timed it past the Condors netminder to make it 2-1 with 1:53 remaining in the first. Just as San Jose inched back within one, Bakersfield pushed their lead back to a pair when Tyler Vesel (3) was able to slide a puck out of the reach of the right pad of Antoine Bibeau to bring the score to 3-1 with 49 seconds left.
In the second, San Jose would tie the game up with a pair of unanswered tallies. First, at 1:53, Middleton (5) would score his second goal of the game by sliding a slow-moving shot past a screened Stuart Skinner from the slot. Almost immediately after Middleton's second goal, the Barracuda would go on the power play and even the score. Cavan Fitzgerald (2) received a pass as he drifted from the right point and rocketed a wrister over the glove of Skinner, tying the game at 4:32. But as was the course for the game, Patrick Russell (8) and Ethan Bear (1) would recapture Bakersfield's two-goal lead at 16:33 and 17:29.
Entering the third, facing a two-goal deficit, San Jose outshot Bakersfield 19-to-three in the games final 20 minutes and scored twice to force the extra session. First, Jon Martin brought the puck into the o-zone and a trailing Jeremy Roy (3) snapped in a perfect shot as he collected the loose puck that Martin left after colliding into a pair of Condors. Then, Maxim Letunov (7) evened the score with just 44 seconds left in the game and San Jose's net pulled. Fitzgerald brought the puck into the offensive zone, threaded a cross-ice pass to Letunov and the rookie guided it in on the backhand to force OT.
After each team traded chances in overtime, All-Star Joe Gambardella (16) was able to drive to the net from the half-boards and beat Bibeau with a wrist shot top-shelf to earn Bakersfield the 6-5 win.
Next up for San Jose is a trip to Grand Rapids where they will face the Grand Rapids Griffins (Detroit Red Wings) for a two-games on Friday and Saturday. Follow Friday's game by listening on the Sharks App or by watching on watchtheahl.com. The game can also be heard on 1220 KDOW, with tape-delayed coverage beginning at 7 p.m. PST.
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