GAMEDAY: BARRACUDA AT GULLS
Feb 22, 2020SAN JOSE BARRACUDA (16-25-3-2) vs SAN DIEGO GULLS (25-17-5-2)
SATURDAY, FEB. 22 | 7:30 P.M. | PECHANGA ARENA | SAN DIEGO, CA
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Gull Setting: On Saturday, the Barracuda hit the road and take on the San Diego Gulls for the eighth time this season and the fifth time at the Pechenga Arena. The Barracuda are 3-4-0-0 against the Ducks affiliate this year after dropping the last two matchups.
Last Time Out: The Barracuda made it back-to-back wins and points in a season-high four games with a 6-3 win over the Tucson Roadrunners on Monday night. In the win, Trevor Carrick and Jeff Viel each scored a pair to reach double-digit goals and Josef Korenar made 25 saves on 28 shots to pick up the win. In the victory, 10 different skaters recorded a point and five recorded multiple points.
Meloche Moves Up: On Tuesday, the Sharks recalled defenseman Nicolas Meloche from the Barracuda, the first NHL recall of his career and first since he was acquired from the Avalanche in September for goaltender Antoine Bibeau. So far with the Barracuda this season, the 22-year-old has appeared in 38 games, collecting six assists and 30 PIM. In addition, the organization assigned veteran blueliner Dalton Prout to the Barracuda for a two-week conditioning stint.
Carrick Cookin’: Barracuda defenseman Trevor Carrick potted a pair of goals on Monday and finished for the second-straight game with a +3 rating. Carrick now ranks second in the AHL in goals (10) among defensemen, first in game-winning goals among defensemen and first on the Barracuda in plus/minus (+13). With his two goals, Carrick reached 50 goals and 200 points in his AHL career.
Mad Max: Barracuda forward Maxim Letunov returned to the Barracuda’s lineup on Sunday in Bakersfield after his first NHL stint and helped the Barracuda snap an eight-game skid. Then, on Monday, he netted a goal and an assist in a 6-3 win over Tucson and now leads the team in points (32) and assists (11). In addition, he is tied for first in power-play goals (4).
Rookie Rising: Barracuda rookie All-Star Joachim Blichfeld picked up an assist on Monday and now ranks first on the Barracuda in points-per-game (.81), second in points (29) and tied for first in goals (15), power-play goals (4) and shots (102). Among AHL rookies, Blichfeld is 13th in points.
El Jefe: Jeff Viel collected the first two-goal, three-point game of his career on Monday and is now just one goal and one-point shy of his career-high he set last year as a rookie in 23 fewer games. Viel leads the Barracuda in penalty minutes (90) and majors (6).
Home-Sweet-Home: The San Jose City Council unanimously approved a 200,000 square-foot expansion of Solar4America Ice at San Jose on January 28th, which will add two additional recreational ice sheets to the facility, increasing the building’s total ice sheets to six. The expansion will make S4A Ice at San Jose the largest ice facility under one roof west of the Mississippi River. One of the additional ice sheets will be located inside a 4,200-seat, two-story spectator arena which will serve as the new home for the San Jose Barracuda. Construction for the facility is expected to begin in April 2020, with a targeted completion date of April 2022.
Youth Movement: The Barracuda enter Friday as the AHL’s youngest roster with an average age of 22.62-years-old. Of the team’s 21 players, 14 players have less than two years of AHL experience.