GAMEDAY: BARRACUDA VS. GULLS
Dec 30, 2018San Jose Barracuda (18-5-1-3 .741) vs. San Diego Gulls (13-11-1-3 .536)
SUNDAY, DECEMBER 30 | 5:00 P.M.
SAP Center at San Jose | San Jose, Calif.
LISTEN | WATCH | GAME NOTES
Tonight’s Matchup: On Sunday, the San Jose Barracuda and San Diego Gulls (Anaheim Ducks) connect for the fourth time this season and the second meeting at the SAP Center. San Jose earned a 5-2 win over the Gulls at the Tank on Dec. 3, but fell twice to San Diego in SoCal midway through the month. The Gulls enter Sunday’s tilt riding a season-long seven-game point streak.
Home Sweet Home: Prior to last Saturday, the Barracuda had won a franchise-record eight straight games on home ice and still boast the Western Conference’s best home winning percentage (10-2-0-1 = .808). In addition, the Barracuda have the second-best home goal-differential (+22) in the league and have allowed a league-low 25 goals on home ice.
Dynamic Duo: Barracuda netminders Antoine Bibeau and Josef Korenar have combined for the AHL’s best goals-against average (2.30) and best save percentage (.920) thus far this season. The 20-year-old rookie, Korenar, has won his last six games and is first in the AHL in goals-against average (1.99), second in save percentage (.926) and is T-third in wins (12). Bibeau, the CCM/AHL Goaltender of the Month in October, ranks 14th in the AHL in goals-against (2.65) average and T-ninth in save percentage (.914).
Francis on Fire: Acquired from the Ottawa Senators in the Erik Karlsson trade, Francis Perron is first on the Barracuda in points (27), goals (13), power-play goals (6), shooting percentage (21.0% 1st in the AHL), game winning goals (3) and is T-second in plus/minus (+15). After potting a power-play goal on Friday, Perron has points (7g, 9a) in 11 of his last 13 games including four multi-point games over that stretch.
True or False? After recording just one goal over his first 13 games, Alex True has eight goals over his last 14, including six over his last 10 games. On December 16, True notched his first four-point (1g, 3a) game of his career and has 15 points (8g, 8a) over his last 14. True is T-first on the Barracuda in plus/minus (+17) and is second in both points (21) and goals (9) and third in assists (12). True is riding a three-game assist streak heading into Sunday.
Gambrell Good: Rookie forward Dylan Gambrell scored last Friday and Saturday and now has goals in five of his last seven games. Gambrell has points (5g, 6a) in 10 of his last 12 and is third on the Barracuda in points-per-game (.85). Gambrell is currently on a three-game point streak (2g, 1a).
Hard Wood: Acquired in an offseason trade with the Arizona Coyotes, Kyle Wood leads the Barracuda in assists (17), T-first in plus/minus (+16) and is third in points (17). Wood, who was an AHL All-Star in 2016-17 and was named an AHL All-Rookie member after totaling 43 points (14g, 29a) with the Tucson Roadrunners, scored and added an assist on Thursday en-route to the game’s first-star.
Youth Movement: The Barracuda enter Thursday with the AHL’s second youngest roster (24.25) only behind the Tucson Roadrunners (23.71). The Barracuda are comprised of 13 AHL rookies and five sophomores. Just four players on San Jose’s AHL roster are Sharks draft picks.