Barracuda Weekly (12.6.16)
Dec 6, 2016Barracuda return home for seven straight after earning three points in San Antonio…
Weekly rewind…
The San Jose Barracuda wrapped up a stretch this past weekend in which the club played nine of 10 games away from SAP Center and now gear up for seven straight at home. On Saturday, the Barracuda put 44 shots on net but could only earn one point, falling 4-3 in a shootout to the San Antonio Rampage at AT&T Center. San Jose responded in a huge way on Sunday, blanking the Rampage 4-0. Mantas Armalis flipped the script and stopped 29 shots to earn his first American Hockey League shutout. Timo Meier was red-hot in both games, scoring four goals over the weekend. which extended his point streak to a career-high four games (5+3=8). Kevin Labanc jumped back into the Barracuda lineup after 12 games with the Sharks, and his presence was felt immediately. Labanc recorded three assists and now has thirteen points (4+9=13) in just eight AHL games played with a plus-eight rating. Danny O’Regan continued his impressive rookie campaign by extending his point streak to a career-high five games (2+5=7), and his 18 points is tops on both the Barracuda and among AHL rookies.
A look ahead…
The Barracuda welcome in the first place Stockton Heat (Calgary Flames) to SAP Center on Thursday night and then will battle the surging San Diego Gulls (Anaheim Ducks) on Saturday and Sunday. It will be the first matchup between San Jose and Stockton since the Barracuda opened the season in Stockton on October 15, a 3-2 loss.
Broadcaster bites…
The re-addition of forward Kevin Labanc to the Barracuda lineup over the weekend created a lethal line combination of Timo Meier, Danny O’Regan and Labanc. Head Coach Roy Sommer made that combination on the fly after Labanc began Friday’s game with Rourke Chartier and Nikolay Goldobin, but the former pairing struggled at times to find the chemistry it had at the beginning of the season. A quick switch put Adam Helewka back with Goldobin and Chartier, which has been one of San Jose’s best lines as of late. Labanc, Meier and O’Regan combined for nine points in two games (4+5=9) and a plus-four rating. There is no question San Jose will have to continue to shuffle their line combos because the movement up and down for selected players is expected to continue throughout the season. Labanc was recalled to the San Jose Sharks on Tuesday morning.
Statistical breakdown…
Record: 8-5-0-3 (4th Place, Pacific Division, 6th in Western Conference)
Home: 3-1-0-1
Away: 5-4-0-2
Last 10 Games: 5-3-0-2
Streak: 3-0-0-1
Goal Leader: Timo Meier (8)
Assist Leader: Nikolay Goldobin (12)
Points Leader: Danny O’Regan (18)
Penalty Minutes: Alex Gallant (27)
Power-Play Goals: Tim Heed (3)
Power-Play Assists: Nikolay Goldobin (5)
Power-Play Points: Nikolay Goldobin (5), Tim Heed (5), Julius Bergman (5)
Shorthanded Goals: Kevin Labanc (1)
Shorthanded Assists:
Shorthanded Points: Kevin Labanc (1)
Game-Winning Goals: Danny O’Regan (2), Timo Meier (2)
GAA: Mantas Armalis (2.40)
SPCT: Mantas Armalis (.912)
*In the NHL currently
Upcoming Schedule:
San Jose Barracuda vs. Stockton Heat (Calgary Flames)
Thursday, Dec. 8
7:00 p.m.
SAP Center, San Jose, CA
Listen Live: AM 1220 KDOW (No pregame coverage)
Watch Live: AHL LIVE
San Jose Barracuda vs. San Diego Gulls (Anaheim Ducks)
Saturday, Dec. 10
1:15 p.m.
SAP Center, San Jose, CA
Listen Live: AHL LIVE AUDIO (No KDOW coverage)
Watch Live: AHL LIVE
San Jose Barracuda vs. San Diego Gulls (Anaheim Ducks)
Sunday, Dec. 11
3:00 p.m.
SAP Center, San Jose, CA
Listen Live: AM 1220 KDOW
Watch Live: AHL LIVE