GAMEDAY: BARRACUDA VS CONDORS
Dec 21, 2024SAN JOSE BARRACUDA (16-8-0-2) vs BAKERSFIELD CONDORS (10-10-3-1)
SAT, DEC. 21 | 6:00 P.M. | TECH CU ARENA | SAN JOSE, CA
LISTEN | WATCH | GAME NOTES | MEDIA KIT
Home for the Holidays: After a five-game road trip that spanned nine days, the Barracuda return home on Saturday to face the Bakersfield Condors for the second game of a road and home. On Friday, the Barracuda were dealt a 2-0 loss in Bakersfield.
No Fun Friday: In the team’s five-game road trip finale in Bakersfield on Friday, the Barracuda were dealt a 2-0 loss versus the Condors. The shutout defeat was the Barracuda’s second shutout loss of the year and the first since Nov. 23 at Toronto (0-3 L). In the loss, Goergi Romanov was outstanding, making multiple grade-A denials before the Condors beat him twice in the third period on seven shots. Matvey Petrov extended his goal streak to four games with the game’s first tally at 2:10 of the third period and then Alex Kannok Leipert sealed it at the 16-minute mark of the third.
Home Cooking: The Barracuda boast the Western Conference’s best home-winning percentage (.808) and are 5-0-0-1 over their last six games at Tech CU Arena. In addition, the Barracuda have the AHL’s second-best home power play (25.5%) and third-best home penalty kill (89.1%).
Sparkling Special Teams: The Cuda rank second in the league on the power play (23.1%) and third on the penalty kill (88.9%). Before Friday, the club had collected multiple power-play goals in three of its last four games. Friday was the first time this season in which the Barracuda did not go onto the PK and just the 13th time ever.
Great Graf: Barracuda rookie Collin Graf collected a pair of points (1+1=2) on Wednesday in Coachella Valley and is now second among AHL rookies in points (24) and is first in helpers (18). Among all league skaters, he is T-seventh in points and T-fourth in assists.
Hot Pot: Andrew Poturalksi skated in his 500th pro game on Friday in Bakersfield and is now just six games shy of 500 in the AHL. The veteran forward collected a season-high three points (1+2=3) on Wednesday in Coachella Valley and now has six points (3+3=6) in five games versus his former. Wednesday was his ninth game this season that the nine-year vet has collected multiple points. The New Hampshire alumni is T-fourth in the AHL in power-play goals (5), T-fifth in scoring (26), and T-seventh in goals (10).
Calling Card: Ethan Cardwell collected a goal and an assist on Wednesday, his seventh and eighth points over the last four games (2+6=8). Last Thursday versus the Firebirds, Cardwell set a franchise record with 10 shots in a 4-3 shootout win. In addition to the 18 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.
Blueline Bolster: Prior to Friday, Barracuda defenseman Lucas Carlsson had collected points in his last six games (3+3=6) and a goal in his last two. Since being held off the scoresheet, in his first two games with the Cuda, the veteran defender has collected points in eight of his last 10 (3+5=8). The Sharks signed the rearguard to a two-way, two-year contract on July 1. A year ago, Carlsson finished third among AHL defenders in goals (15) and represented the Charlotte Checkers at the 2024 AHL All-Star Classic in San Jose.
Ask & You Shall Receive: The Sharks recalled prized goalie prospect Yaroslav Askarov on Wednesday after Vitek Vanecek suffered an injury while serving as the backup during Tuesday’s game versus Winnipeg. Askarov ranks T-first in the AHL in shutouts (3), second in save percentage (.938), third in goals-against average (2.00), and fourth in wins (9). 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.