GAMEDAY: BARRACUDA AT SILVER KNIGHTS
Oct 24, 2024SAN JOSE BARRACUDA (4-1-0-0) vs HENDERSON SILVER KNIGHTS (1-4-0-0)
FRI, OCT. 25 | 11:00 A.M. | LEE'S FAMILY FORUM | HENDERSON, NV
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Home is Henderson: After a 5-2 win over the Henderson Silver Knights on Wednesday at the Lee’s Family Forum, the Barracuda look to make it four wins in a row for the first time since they reeled off four straight to begin the 2022-23 season. After Wednesday’s win, the Barracuda are now 13-16-2-2 versus the Golden Knights affiliate all-time and 4-11-1-1 in Las Vegas/Henderson. Their three-game winning streak is the longest since February of 2023.
Barracuda Ballin’: The Barracuda have outscored the opposition 25-9 to begin the year and 16-7 during five-on-five play. Additionally, they have trailed for just a combined two minutes and 25 seconds through their first five games and have scored 5+ goals in four of their first five outings. The Barracuda are first in the league in goals-for (5.00) and T-fifth in goals-against (1.80).
Wednesday Wrap: The Barracuda got a pair of goals from rookie defenseman Luca Cagnoni and three assists from rookie forward Collin Graf en-route to a 5-2 win over the Silver Knights on Wednesday night in Henderson. Yaroslav Askarov was sharp, improving to 3-0 on the season as he made 26 stops. Brandon Coe also collected a pair of points (1+1=2) and Scott Sabourin made it goals in consecutive games.
Killin’ It: The Barracuda have begun the season a perfect 23-for-23 on the penalty kill after successfully not allowing a goal during Henderson’s four power plays on Wednesday. The franchise record for consecutive penalties killed stands at 28 which was set during the 2015-16 season (11/22/16 at Bakersfield thru 12/17/16 vs. Bakersfield). The Barracuda are also T-second in the league in shorthanded goals (2). In addition, the Barracuda have power-play goals in four of their first five games (5/20=25.7%) and in three consecutive contests. Scott Sabourin and Kasper Halttunen lead the team with two power-play goals each.
Fil the Thrill: Rookie center Filip Bystedt extended his point streak to six games (dating back to last season) on Wednesday when he collected a helper on Luca Cagnoni’s second goal. The first-rounder from 2022 (27th overall), has points in 10 of his first 13 AHL games (6+7=13) and now ranks T-second on the Barracuda in points (6), goals (2), assists (4) and points-per-game (1.20).
Calling Collin: Rookie forward Collin Graf collected three assists on Wednesday and now has points in his first five games in the AHL. The undrafted free-agent signee of the Sharks is leading the Barracuda in points (7), and assists (5), and is T-first in plus/minus (+6). Following his junior season at Quinnipiac in 2023-24, Graf signed an entry-level contract with San Jose on April 4, 2024, and would go on to play seven games with the Sharks, collecting two assists. Graf was a Hobey Baker finalist a season ago and was named the ECAC Player of the Year and the conference’s Gladiator Best Defensive Forward. In 2022-23, he helped the Bobcats capture a National Championship.
Do the Cagn Cagn: 19-year-old rookie blueliner Luca Cagnoni extended his goal streak to three games on Wednesday as he potted a pair in his team’s 5-2 win over the Silver Knights. The native of Burnaby, BC, has points in his last three games (4+1=5) and four of his first five games in the AHL. Among league rearguards, he is first in goals (4), points (6), and T-first in power-play goals (1). A year ago, Cagnoni led Western Hockey League (WHL) defensemen with 90 points and 72 assists and finished tied for third among the group with 18 goals in 65 games with the Portland Winterhawks, earning U.S. Division First All-Star Team recognition. He was the first WHL blueliner since 1993-94 to reach the 90-point threshold and finished nine points clear of the next-closest defenseman in the positional scoring race.
Barracuda Brick: Yaroslav Askarov improved to 3-0 on Wednesday, turning aside 26/28. With the win, he is now 4-0 versus the Silver Knights, allowing just three goals on 106 shots. The 22-year-old, who was selected 11th overall in 2020 by the Predators and was acquired by the Sharks from Nashville in August as part of a blockbuster trade, began the season with back-to-back shutouts and did not allow a goal until 152 minutes and 10 seconds into his tenure with the team. He is just the third goaltender in Barracuda franchise history to record back-to-back shutouts and the first since 2019 (Josef Korenar – 10/26/19 and 10/30/19). Last season, in Milwaukee with the Admirals, he finished second in the league with 30 wins, just one behind Tucson's Matt Villalta. He was also ranked second in shutouts (6) and fifth in goals-against average (2.39). Askarov won 14 games in a row at one point last year, as he and former Sharks' prospect Troy Grosenick backstopped Milwaukee to a 19-game winning streak.