GAMEDAY: BARRACUDA AT FIREBIRDS
Dec 17, 2024SAN JOSE BARRACUDA (15-7-0-2) vs COACHELLA VALLEY FIREBIRDS (13-8-1-3)
WED, DEC. 18 | 7:00 P.M. | ACRISURE ARENA | PALM DESERT, CA
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Fired Up: On Wednesday, the Barracuda continue their five-game road trip in Coachella Valley against the Firebirds. The Cuda are 4-0 versus the Kraken affiliate, winning the last three games by a goal, including a 4-3 shootout win last Thursday at Acrisure Arena. Entering Wednesday, the Barracuda have dropped their last two games (0-1-0-1) but have points in eight on nine (7-1-0-1). The Firebirds swept the first-place Calgary Wranglers at home this past weekend and have points in their last three (2-0-0-1).
Sunday Reign: The Barracuda made it points in eight of their last nine games on Sunday at the Toyota Arena, but failed to earn the second point as they were upended 5-4 by the Ontario Reign in a shootout. The Barracuda entered the third period on Sunday with a two-goal lead and are now 10-1-0-1 when leading after 40 minutes this season while the Reign improved to 9-0 when scoring first. Danil Gushchin and Lucas Carlsson potted power-play goals, while Thomas Bordeleau and Ethan Cardwell also chipped in with goals. Georgi Romanov made 42 saves, the second most of his career.
Six Days Ago: After jumping out to a 2-0 lead early in the second period last Thursday at Acrisure Arena in Coachella Valley, the Barracuda needed an extra-attacker goal from former Firebird Andrew Poturalski with under two minutes left in regulation to tie the score at 3-3 and force overtime. After no goals were scored in OT, Poturalski would win it in the second round of the shootout. The Barracuda finished the game with a season-high 54 shots and outshot the Firebirds 26-5 in the second period. Ethan Cardwell set a franchise record with 10 shots in the game.
Row the Boat: Lucas Vanroboys notched his sixth goal of the season on Saturday and now ranks first on the team in penalty minutes (45) and plus/minus (+8) and third in goals. Among AHL rookies, the Thamesville, Ontario native is second in PIM’s, T-fourth in plus/minus, and T-sixth in goals. During his five-year college career, the 25-year-old rookie never scored more than five goals. He's now has six goals in 24 games this year and seven AHL goals in 29 career games.
Calling Card: Ethan Cardwell collected a goal and two assists on Sunday and now has six points (1+5=6) in his last three games, including 20 shots. Last Thursday versus the Firebirds, Cardwell set a franchise record with 10 shots in a 4-3 shootout win. In addition to the 16 games he has played with the Barracuda this season, the second-year pro has also appeared in six games with the Sharks, scoring his first goal on Nov. 29 vs. Seattle. Cardwell led the Barracuda with 23 goals last year and was named the team’s rookie of the year.
Ask & You Shall Receive: Despite Saturday’s loss, Yaroslav Askarov still ranks T-first in shutouts (3), second in save percentage (.938), third in goals-against average (2.00) and fourth in wins (9). Askarov was named the AHL’s Goalie of the Month in October after going 5-0 with a pair of shutouts. The former 11th overall pick by the Nashville Predators was traded to the Sharks on August 23, 2024, in exchange for forward David Edstrom, a 2025 conditional first-round pick, and goaltender Magnus Chrona. Askarov is 3-0-0 against the Firebirds this season with a 1.30 GAA and a .961 SV%.
Hot Pot: Last Thursday, former Firebird Andrew Poturalksi, in his first game back in Palm Desert, scored the game-tying goal with under two minutes to go and the shootout game winner. The veteran is first on the Barracuda in points (23), goals (9), and power-play goals (4). In 98 games over two seasons with Coachella Valley from 2022-24, Poturalski notched 26 goals and 67 assists, along with a plus-22 rating, 12 power-play goals, and five game-winning goals. During 29 playoff games, he scored five times and added 17 assists.