GAMEDAY: BARRACUDA VS REIGN
Nov 10, 2022
SAN JOSE BARRACUDA (4-4-0-1) vs. ONTARIO REIGN (7-2-0-0)
THURS., NOV 10 | 7:00 P.M. | Tech CU Arena | San Jose, CA
LISTEN | WATCH | GAME NOTES | MEDIA KIT
Home Sweet Home: After a two-game road trip in Calgary, the Barracuda return home on Thursday to kick off a four-game homestand, welcoming in the Ontario Reign for the second time this season. In the first meeting on Oct. 26, Phoenix Copley made 28 saves for Ontario, while Rasmus Kapari and Taylor Ward chipped in with goals en route to a 2-1 Reign win. In his only AHL action to this point, Strauss Mann took the loss, allowing two goals on 28 shots and Thomas Bordeleau scored the team’s only goal.
Rough Road: After Tuesday’s 4-0 loss in Calgary against the Wranglers, the Barracuda have now dropped its last five consecutive games (0-4-0-1) and have a -16 goal-differential during the stretch. Since scoring three or more goals in each of its first four outings, all wins, the Barracuda have scored three or more goals just once during its losing streak and now rank 31st in the AHL in goals per game (2.33). Only Henderson has scored less this season (2.27).
Reign Report: The Reign enter Thursday with the Western Conference’s best record (7-2-0-0=14 pts.) despite coming off a 7-3 loss to Colorado Eagles on Saturday in Loveland. Before Saturday, Ontario had won six in a row, tied for the longest winning streak in the AHL this season. In the loss, Phoenix Copley lasted 32:08, giving up five goals on 20 shots, before Matt Villalta went the rest of the way, allowing two goals on 15 shots. Alan Quine, Akil Thomas, and Lias Andersson Scored for Ontario but the Reign gave up six consecutive goals in the game, including four in the second period. Ontario also gave up two on the penalty kill, the first time they’ve done that this season. Ontario is in the midst of a four-game road trip that will conclude in Bakersfield on Saturday.
Numbers Game: Reign forward T.J. Tynan enters Thursday T-first in the AHL in points (14), T-first in power-play assists (7), and first in total assists (13). In addition, sophomore defenseman Jordan Spence is T-4th among d-men in scoring (10), T-first in power-play assists (7), second in power-play points (7), T-third in shots (30), and T-first in total assists (10). Matt Villalta is third in the AHL in goals-against average (1.73), second in save percentage (.945), and is 3-0 in three starts this season. In Villalta’s last start on Friday at Colorado, he made 31 saves to earn the second shutout of his career, 2-0. The Reign enter Thursday as the best second-period team in the AHL (+9) and rank ninth in goals per game (3.67) and third in goals against per game (2.33). Only Toronto, Manitoba, and Tucson are in the top 10 in both GF and GA.
Looking Back: The Barracuda went 1-5 against the Reign a year ago, collecting its only win on Mar. 9, 2022, at the Toyota Arena.
Lifetime, San Jose is 23-27-5-1 against the Kings’ top affiliate and 13-14-2-0 at home. In 2021-22, Ontario finished second in the Pacific Division, only behind Stockton, and averaged a league-best 3.89 goals per game. The Reign also boasted the AHL’s best PP (27.5%), largely due to the league’s MVP T.J. Tynan who finished with 46 assists on the man-power advantage. In six games last year, Tynan racked up 14 points (3+11=14) against the Barracuda.
Killing It: After going three-for-three on the penalty kill on Sunday the Barracuda now rank first in the AHL on the kill (92.5%). San Jose began the season a perfect 25-for-25 on the PK, the best start in franchise history, and was just three kills away from matching the team’s franchise watermark for consecutive penalties killed off. In the first matchup against Ontario, SJ went six-for-six on the kill.
Rookie Arrivals: Rookies Thomas Bordeleau (4), Tristen Robins (4), Brandon Coe (2), William Eklund (2), and Danil Gushchin (2) have accounted for 14 of the Barracuda’s 20 goals scored this year (.70%). The most among any team’s rookie class this season. Bordeleau (Rd 2, 38th Overall), Robins (Rd 2, 56th Overall), Gushchin (Rd 3, 76th Overall), and Coe (Rd 4, 98th Overall) were all part of the Sharks' historic nine-forward draft class in 2020.