GAMEDAY: BARRACUDA VS REIGN
Apr 2, 2025SAN JOSE BARRACUDA (32-23-5-4, 73 pts.) vs ONTARIO REIGN (38-22-3-1, 80 pts.)
WED, APR. 2 | 7:00 P.M. | TECH CU ARENA | SAN JOSE, CA
LISTEN | WATCH | GAME NOTES | MEDIA KIT
Wednesday Night Rivalry: The Barracuda wrap up their three-game homestand on Wednesday with a visit from the Ontario Reign (LA Kings). Three of the Barracuda’s final eight games, all at home, will be against the Kings’ top affiliate. SJB is 2-2-0-1 versus the Reign this season, and are coming off a 3-1 win on the road in the last meeting on Feb. 22.
Reign Report: The Reign can clinch a playoff berth on Wednesday (a) with a win, (b) a Tucson regulation loss vs. Calgary, OR (c) an OTL/SOL at San Jose and a Tucson OTL/SOL vs. Calgary. Ontario has reached the postseason in seven of its first nine years, including the last four seasons. Under head coach Marco Sturm, the Reign have made it to the dance the last two years, winning at least one series in each. Ontario is 7-3 over its last 10 and has won its last two. The Reign are 20-10-0-1 (41 pts.) away from home, the best road winning percentage (.661) in the Pacific Division.
Sad Saturday: The Barracuda were dealt back-to-back 5-1 losses this past weekend against the Abbotsford Canucks. On Saturday, the Barracuda allowed a season-high four goals in the first period and could not recover. Pavol Regenda scored the club’s only goal in the second period on the man advantage, and for the second consecutive game, Aaron Dell had to enter the contest in the first period in relief.
Powering Up: The Barracuda’s franchise record power-play goal streak was snapped at 10 consecutive games (18/47=38%) on Friday, but they bounced back on Saturday going one-for-five. The Barracuda rank first in the AHL on the PP (24.8%). Danil Gushchin and Andrew Poturalski are T-first in the AHL with 13 power-play goals and Luca Cagnoni is pacing the league in power-play points (31).
Hot Pot: The AHL named Barracuda forward Andrew Poturalski the player of the month for March on Tuesday. The nine-year vet notched 22 points (9+13=22) in 12 games, including seven multi-point games. The 31-year-old missed Saturday’s contest but is pacing the AHL in points (73), T-first power-play goals (13), second in assists (43), and power-play points (27), and fourth in goals (30).
Dan the Man: Danil Gushchin’s career-long nine-game points streaks (7+9=16) ended on Saturday, a game shy of the franchise record. In the middle of the points streak, from Mar. 16 to Mar. 26, the 23-year-old had goals in five consecutive, matching John McCarthy’s franchise record. The third-year pro has set personal bests this season in goals (26) and power-play goals (13). He is T-first in the league, along with teammate Andrew Poturalski in advantage goals, and T-seventh in total goals. Last week he was named the Howies Hockey Tape/AHL Player of the week after collecting seven points (4+3=7) in three games.
Do the Cagn Cagn: The Sharks reassigned rookie defender Luca Cagnoni back to the Barracuda on Monday. The 20-year-old skated in his first five NHL games during the stint, collecting his first NHL assist on Mar. 22 vs. Boston. Despite missing the last six games with the Barracuda, the Burnaby, B.C., native still ranks first in the AHL in power-play points (31), second in power-play assists (22), and T-fifth in power-play goals (9). Among fellow rearguards, he is T-third in goals, fourth in points (47), and sixth in assists (34).