GAMEDAY: BARRACUDA VS. REIGN
Apr 11, 2025SAN JOSE BARRACUDA (34-25-5-4, 77 pts.) vs. ONTARIO REIGN (40-23-3-1, 84 pts.)
FRI, APR. 11 | 7:30 P.M. | TECH CU ARENA | SAN JOSE, CA
LISTEN | WATCH | GAME NOTES | MEDIA KIT
Reign Wrap: The Barracuda close out their regular season home schedule on Friday and Saturday with a two-game series against the Ontario Reign. The Barracuda are 2-3-0-1 against the Kings' affiliate this season, 0-2 at home, and are coming off a 3-2 loss in their last meeting on April 2 at Tech CU Arena.
Wednesday Whirlwind: The Barracuda got 24 saves from Yaroslav Askarov, shutting out the Coachella Valley Firebirds (36-24-2-5), 1-0, in overtime at Acrisure Arena on Wednesday. With the win, San Jose finished the season series with a 7-1 record. Filip Bystedt scored the game-winning goal just 53 seconds into the extra session. For Askarov, it was his fourth shutout of the year, second against Coachella Valley, and 13th of his career. As a team, it marked the Barracuda’s sixth shutout of the season.
Reign Report: The Reign are headed to the postseason for the fifth consecutive year in 2024-25. With five games remaining, Ontario sits one point behind the Abbotsford Canucks and four points behind the first-place Colorado Eagles. LA’s top affiliate hosts the Eagles next Wednesday and the Canucks next Saturday to close out the regular season. The first-place team in the Pacific Division will earn a first-round bye.
Playoff Punch: The Barracuda have a chance to clinch their first playoff berth since 2020-21—and their first Calder Cup Playoff appearance since 2018-19—on Friday with either: (a) a point against Ontario, or (b) a regulation loss by Bakersfield to San Diego. The last time the Barracuda played in the postseason was during the shortened COVID season in 2020-21, when only the Pacific Division held playoffs.
It's a Must(y): The Sharks assigned 2023 first-round pick Quentin Musty to the Barracuda on Monday. The 19-year-old tallied 59 points (30+29=59) in 33 games this season with the OHL’s Sudbury Wolves. A year ago, he recorded 102 points (43+59=102) in 53 games and was named an OHL First Team All-Star.
Powering Up: Despite going 0-for-6 on the power play on Wednesday, the Barracuda still rank first in the AHL with a 24.2% conversion rate. Danil Gushchin and Andrew Poturalski are tied for the league lead with 13 power-play goals each, while Luca Cagnoni leads the AHL in power-play points (32). The Barracuda also rank first in drawn power plays (269) and total power-play goals (65). One more power-play goal will set a new franchise record for PPGs in a season.
Hot Pot: The AHL named Barracuda forward Andrew Poturalski the Player of the Month for March. The nine-year veteran posted 22 points (9+13=22) in 12 games, including seven multi-point outings. Despite missing the last five games with a lower-body injury, he still leads the AHL in points (73), is tied for first in power-play goals (13), ranks second in power-play points (27), and is tied for fourth in both assists (43) and goals (30). Poturalski has recorded 21 multi-point games this season.
Dan the Man: Danil Gushchin’s 26 goals are tied for the second-most in a single season in franchise history, and his 13 power-play goals match teammate Andrew Poturalski for the most in a season. From March 7 to March 28, he recorded points in nine consecutive games—the second-longest streak in team history. During that span, he also scored in five straight games (March 16–26), tying John McCarthy’s franchise record. Last week, Gushchin was named the Howies Hockey Tape/AHL Player of the Week after posting seven points (4+3=7) in three games.
Do the Cagn Cagn: Twenty-year-old Luca Cagnoni skated in his first five NHL games last month, earning his first NHL assist on March 22 against Boston. The Burnaby, B.C. native ranks first in the AHL in power-play points (32), second in power-play assists (22), and tied for fourth in power-play goals (10). Among defensemen, he ranks third in goals and points (49), second in power-play goals, and sixth in assists (35).