GAMEDAY: BARRACUDA VS FIREBIRDS
Oct 30, 2024SAN JOSE BARRACUDA (5-1-0-0) vs COACHELLA VALLEY FIREBIRDS (2-2-0-0)
WED, OCT. 30 | 7:00 P.M. | TECH CU ARENA | SAN JOSE, CA
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Fired Up: After back-to-back wins in Henderson last week, the Barracuda return home on Wednesday to host the Coachella Valley Firebirds for the first of eight on the season series. The Barracuda are riding a four-game winning streak for the first time since they began the 2022-23 season 4-0 and are off to their best six-game start since 2018-19, when they began the year 5-0-0-1. The last time the Barracuda won five in row was Nov. 27, 2018, to Dec. 9, 2018.
Tale of the Tape: A year ago the Barracuda went 1-5-1-1 versus the Coachella Valley Firebirds and 0-2-1-1 at home. Since the Firebirds joined the AHL in 2022-23, the Barracuda are just 1-10-2-3 against the Seattle Kraken affiliate and 0-6-1-1 at home. The Barracuda’s only win all time against Coachella Valley occurred on Nov. 29, 2023 (5-3 W) at Acrisure Arena. This summer, the Sharks signed former Firebirds Andrew Poturalski and Jimmy Schuldt who helped CV reach the Calder Cup Finals the last two seasons.
Home is Henderson: The Barracuda made it back-to-back wins at Henderson for the first time ever this past week, claiming a 5-2 win on Wednesday and a 5-3 win on Friday. A year ago, the Barracuda did not win consecutive games on the road at any point. On Friday, Yaroslav Askarov improved to 4-0 by making 29 saves and Jimmy Schuldt, Andrew Poturalski, Anthony Vincent, Ethan Cardwell and Filip Bystedt (EN) all scored. Cardwell finished with a game-high three points (1+2=3).
Calling Card: Barracuda 2023-24 Rookie of the Year Ethan Cardwell made his NHL debut on Tuesday in a 4-2 Sharks win over the LA Kings. The 22-year-old finished with a +1 rating in 11:57 of ice time (15 shifts). On Friday, Cardwell notched his third career three-point game (1+2-3) in the AHL and before the recall had points (1+4=5) in his last three games with the Barracuda after being held off the scoresheet in his first three games of the year. A year ago, he led the team with 23 goals.
Barracuda Ballin’: The Barracuda have outscored the opposition 30-9 to begin the year and 20-8 during five-on-five play. Additionally, they have trailed for just a combined two minutes and 25 seconds through their first six games and have scored 5+ goals in five of their first six outings. The Barracuda are T-first in the league in goals-for (5.00) and sixth in goals-against (2.00). Before giving up a five-on-three goal in the third period on Friday, the Barracuda had begun the year 25-for-25 on the penalty kill. The Barracuda rank second in the AHL on the penalty kill (96.3%) and T-10th on the power play (20%).
Fil the Thrill: Rookie center Filip Bystedt extended his point streak to seven games (dating back to last season) on Friday when he scored a shorthanded empty-netter. The first-rounder from 2022 (27th overall), has points in 11 of his first 14 AHL games (7+7=14) and now ranks T-second on the team in points (7), goals (3), assists (4) and points-per-game (1.17).
Calling Collin: Rookie forward Collin Graf collected five assists in two games at Henderson last week and now has points in his first six games in the AHL. The undrafted free-agent signee of the Sharks is leading the Barracuda in points (9), assists (7), and plus/minus (+8). Among league-leaders, he is T-third in points and assists and T-second in plus/minus. 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 collected an assist on Friday to extend his point streak to four games (4+2=6). Cagnoni leads all league defenders in points (7) and goals (4) and has collected a point in five of his first six pro games. A year ago, the native of Burnaby, BC, 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 4-0 on Friday, turning aside 29/32 to pick up a 5-3 victory over the Henderson Silver Knights. 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. Askarov’s only action versus the Firebirds came during the 2023 Western Conference Finals where he went 0-2 with a 4.14 goals-against average and a .873 save percentage.