GAMEDAY: BARRACUDA VS REIGN
Mar 3, 2023SAN JOSE BARRACUDA (21-26-1-4) vs. ONTARIO REIGN (30-19-3-1)
FRI, MAR. 3 | 7:00 P.M. | Tech CU Arena | San Jose, CA
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Marching Along: After earning a point in its road trip finale on Monday in Coachella Valley against the Firebirds, 4-3 in overtime, the Barracuda return home on Friday to kick off a two-game homestand, beginning with the third matchup over the last six games against the Ontario Reign. The Barracuda are 3-3 against the LA Kings top affiliate, coming off a 6-1 loss at the Toyota Arena last Friday. The Barracuda are set to play 13 games in March and will close out the eight-game season series with the Reign on Wednesday in Southern California.
About Monday: The Barracuda scored just 4:33 into the first period on Monday at the Acrisure Arena in Palm Desert as Kyle Criscuolo notched a power-play goal from the low slot, giving the Cuda its first ever lead against the Firebirds. In the second, Carsen Twarynski tied the score at 1-1, before the third period saw a combined four goals. Luke Henman would score at 1:35, before Thomas Bordeleau answered back at 3:11. At 5:52, Jeff Viel made it 3-2 Barracuda, only to have Cameron Hughes tie the score three minutes later. In overtime, Kole Lind would record the only shot, beating Aaron Dell on a two-on-one. In the loss, Dell made a season-high 40 saves on 44 shots, while Chris Driedger, in his first game action since tearing his ACL at the World Championships last summer, made 30 saves on 33 shots. The Barracuda finished the four-game road trip with a 2-1-1-0 record, suffering its first overtime loss this year.
One Week Ago: The Barracuda fell behind by a pair of goals in the first period on Friday at Ontario, before Jeff Viel cut the lead in half at 2:42 of the third period. After Viel’s goal, the Reign would score the next four en-route to a 6-1 win. Strauss Mann suffered the loss, allowing five goals on 28 shots, while Matt Villalta collected his fourth consecutive victory, stopping 34 of 35. Reign defenseman Jacob Moverare collected a game-high three points (1+2=3), while Martin Chromiak, T.J. Tynan, and Sam Helenius finished with multiple assists.
Reign Train: After beating the Barracuda 6-1 last Friday, the Reign have dropped its last two (0-1-1-0). Ontario had gone 7-1-1-0 in its prior nine and enter tonight (Friday) with a 6-0-1-0 record over its last seven games on visiting ice. After Friday, the Reign will have nine more road games left on its 2022-23 schedule, including a meeting at Bakersfield on Saturday, and 18 games in total remaining. In the Pacific Division, only Henderson (188, 11.71) has been shorthanded fewer times and averages fewer penalty minutes per game than Ontario (190, 12.06). The Reign rank seventh in the AHL on the power play (22.5%), fourth on the penalty kill (84.2%), 12th in goals for (3.17) and sixth in goals against (2.77).
Cuda Chronicles: San Jose enters Monday five points behind the Tucson Roadrunners and Bakersfield Condors for the final two playoff spots in the Pacific Division. Including Friday, the Barracuda will have nine more home games left on its schedule and 20 in total. SJ is 31st in the league in goals for (2.69) and 26th in goals against (3.42). Against the Reign, the Barracuda have averaged 2.5 goals for (15 GF), being held to one goal on three separate occasions, and 3.5 goals against (21 GA). Prior to last Friday's loss, the Barracuda had won consecutive games against Ontario.
Head-to-head: The Barracuda enter Friday with a 3-3 mark against the Reign and are 2-1 at home versus Ontario. All three home games at Tech CU Arena have been decided by a goal, including a 4-3 Barracuda overtime win in the last meeting on Feb. 15.
Two-Time T.J.: Two-time defending AHL MVP T.J. Tynan ranks first in the league in helpers (57), first in power-play assists (28), T-second in points (64), and second in power-play points (30). Since Jan. 1, Tynan has 36 points (4+32=36) in 26 games, including five points (1+4=5) in three games against the Barracuda. During head-to-head play, Tynan leads all skaters in scoring (1+5=6). In his career against the Barracuda, the veteran forward has notched 26 points (5+21=26) in 17 games.