GAMEDAY: BARRACUDA VS EAGLES
Jan 15, 2020SAN JOSE BARRACUDA (12-20-0-2) vs COLORADO EAGLES (19-11-3-1)
WEDNESDAY, JAN. 15 | 7:00 P.M. | SAP CENTER | SAN JOSE, CA
LISTEN | WATCH | GAME NOTES | BIOS
Wild Wednesday: On Wednesday, the Barracuda wrap up their four-game homestand with a matchup against the Colorado Eagles (Colorado Avalanche). The Barracuda are 2-2 against the Eagles this season, 1-1 at the SAP Center and are coming off a 6-2 win in the last meeting on November 23, 2019, at the Tank. Before a 4-2 loss to the Roadrunners on Saturday at home, the Eagles had picked up points in (9-0-2-1) in 12-straight games. During the point streak, the Eagles outscored their opponents 50-to-33.
Last Time Out: The Barracuda jumped out to a 1-0 lead in the first period against the Stockton Heat on Sunday after Trevor Carrick lit the lamp at 11:57 and held onto that lead until 7:44 of the second when Austin Czarnik tied the score. And then, Czarnik scored again at 16:12 on the power-play to give the Heat a 2-1 lead they’d hold onto to earn their eighth win over the Barracuda this season. Josef Korenar suffered the loss after allowing two goals on 19 shots while Artom Zagidulin stopped 26-of-28 to earn his second straight victory.
Soaring Eagles: The Eagles enter Wednesday tilt riding a five-game point streak on visiting ice (3-0-2-0) and are third in the AHL when scoring the game’s first goal (17-2-2-0 = .857%). In addition, Colorado boasts the AHL’s third-best first-period goal differential (+11) and are tied for fifth in the AHL in third-period goal differential (+9). The Eagles (3.29) and Barracuda (3.24) rank eighth and ninth respectively in goals-per-game.
A Career Capped: Before the Barracuda’s game on Dec. 29, captain John McCarthy, 33, announced he was going call it a career after 11 seasons due to health reasons. McCarthy suffered an Ischemic stroke on December 10th and has since made a full recovery. He joined the Barracuda’s coaching staff immediately after the announcement. McCarthy will go down as the San Jose’s Sharks all-time AHL leader in games played (552) [Worcester, San Jose], goals (125), assists (164), and points (289) and the Barracuda’s all-time leader in games played (275), goals (62), assists (76), points (138), power-play goals (17), and shorthanded goals (5). Also, McCarthy skated in 88 NHL games with Sharks between 2009-2016, accumulating six points (three goals, three assists) and 22 penalty minutes. The Boston native also captained the 2009 Boston University Terriers to a National Championship and skated for Team USA at the 2018 Winter Olympics in Pyeongchang, South Korea.
Hey Now, You’re an All-Star: Joachim Blichfeld was named to the 2020 AHL All-Star game earlier this month, joining Jake Middleton, Francis Perron, Josef Korenar, Barclay Goodrow, Ryan Carpenter, Troy Grosenick, Danny O'Regan, Antoine Bibeau, and Rudolfs Balcers as players to represent the Barracuda at the AHL All-Star Classic. Blichfeld, 21, has appeared in 27 games with the Barracuda this season and currently leads the team in goals (13), is second in points (25) and is first in power-play goals (4). A season ago, Blichfeld led the WHL in scoring (53 goals, 61 assists) and was named the WHL Player of the Year.
Carrick Cooking: Trevor Carrick lit the lamp for the second time over the last three games on Sunday and now ranks tied for third among AHL d-men in goals (7). On December 11, Carrick scored the first hat-trick in franchise history by a blueliner in a 6-2 win over the Bakersfield Condors. A season ago, Carrick finished sixth among AHL defensemen in scoring (47), fourth in assists (38) and 15th in penalty minutes (86) and helped lead the Charlotte Checkers to a Calder Cup Championship. The Sharks acquired Carrick in an offseason trade that sent Kyle Wood to the Carolina Hurricanes.
Maxed Out: Sophomore forward Max Letunov recorded his second three-point-game (one goal, two assists) of the season last Wednesday and the fourth of his career. The former Connecticut Huskie now leads the team in points (26) and assists (18). Letunov has already surpassed his assist totals from his rookie season in 25 fewer games. The Sharks originally acquired Letunov from the Arizona Coyotes in a draft-day trade in 2016.
Youth Movement: The Barracuda are the AHL’s youngest roster with an average age of 22.48-years-old. No other team in the league is under 23-years-old. In fact, seven players on the 'Cuda roster are 21-years-old or younger, including two players under 21 (Sasha Chmelevski [20] and Ivan Chekhovich [20]).