GAMEDAY: BARRACUDA AT CHECKERS
Jan 16, 2024SAN JOSE BARRACUDA (11-17-5-0, 27 pts.) vs. CHARLOTTE CHECKERS (18-13-4-0, 40 pts.)
TUES, JAN. 16 | 4:00 P.M. | Bojangles Coliseum | Charlotte, NC
LISTEN | WATCH | GAME NOTES | MEDIA KIT
Tuesday Tilt: The Barracuda drop the puck on a two-game series in Charlotte against the Checkers (Florida Panthers) beginning on Tuesday at the Bojangles Coliseum. The Cuda are 1-1 against the Checkers in 2023-24 and 1-1 lifetime in the Queen City.
Last Time Out: The Barracuda trailed 3-0 going into the third period on Saturday in Bakersfield and managed to score twice to cut the deficit down to one, but ultimately failed to get the equalizer and were dealt their second consecutive loss to the Condors, 3-2. In the loss, Kyle Rau notched his first goal in a Barracuda sweater and Leon Gawanke tallied. After Saturday, the Barracuda have now dropped five in a row (0-4-1-0).
A Star is Born: Danil Gushchin was named the Barracuda’s representative for the 2024 AHL All-Star Classic presented by Tech CU last Wednesday. The two-day event will be held at Tech CU Arena in San Jose on Feb. 4-5, 2024. The second-year pro is first on the Barracuda in points (30), goals (12), and shots (128), and is T-second in power-play goals (3) and T-second in assists (18). Gushchin joins Thomas Bordeleau, Joachim Blichfeld, 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.
Indoor/Outdoor: The Checkers are coming off a 5-2 win against the Rochester Americans on Saturday in the Queen City Outdoor Classic at Truist Field, home of the Triple-A baseball’s Charlotte Knights. The Checkers full-time home, Bojangles Coliseum, served as the home ice venue for hockey in Charlotte from 1956 to 1977 and again from 1993 to 2005. In 2015, the AHL Charlotte Checkers returned back to the coliseum. The Checkers played at the Time Warner Cable Arena, home of the NBA’s Charlotte Hornets, from 2010 to 2015.
Checkers Check: The Checkers are 8-6 against the Pacific Division entering Tuesday and are 1-1 against the Barracuda. Charlotte ranks 27th in the AHL on the power play (16.1 %), third on the penalty kill (86.1%), 10th in goals against (2.89), and 20th in goals for (3.00). The Checkers also rank fourth in the league in shots for (31.54) and shots against (26.91).
Checking In: Checkers defenseman Lucas Carlsson is first in the AHL in shots (141) entering Tuesday and among AHL defenders, he is T-first in goals (11) and fourth in points (27). Carlsson, who was named to his first AHL All-Star Game last week, notched a hat trick at the Barracuda on Nov. 10.
King Leon: Barracuda blueliner Leon Gawanke has 19 points (6+13=19) over his last 20 games. Among league defenders, he is T-third in goals (8), T-fifth in points (26), and T-sixth in assists (18). A season ago, as a member of the Manitoba Moose, he led all league defenders in power-play goals (7) and was T-first with Charlotte’s Lucas Carlsson in goals (20).
Love Shak: Barracuda defenseman Shakir Mukhamadullin has 17 points (4+13=17) over his last 17 outings. The former Devils first-rounder is T-seventh among league blueliners in points (24), T-fifth in power-play points (10), and T-fifth in assists (19). Among Barracuda skaters, he is T-first in assists, fourth in points (24), and T-third in power-play goals (2).