GAMEDAY: BARRACUDA VS STARS
Apr 13, 2024SAN JOSE BARRACUDA (23-33-9-4, 57 pts.) vs. TEXAS STARS (32-31-4-2, 70 pts.)
SAT, APR. 13 | 3:00 P.M. | Tech CU Arena | San Jose, CA
LISTEN | WATCH | GAME NOTES | MEDIA KIT
Sparkling Finish: After a 3-1 win over Texas on Friday at home, the Barracuda close out their 36-game home schedule on Saturday against the Stars (Dallas Stars) as they go for three consecutive wins for the first time this season. The Barracuda are 2-1 versus the Stars this year after splitting a pair of games on the road in early March. Entering Saturday, the Barracuda are 15-9-1-0 all-time against Central Division foes and 3-2-1-0 this season. Against Dallas’ top affiliate, the Barracuda are 19-11-1-2 all-time and 11-4-0-1 at home.
Home Cookin’: Lucas Vanroboys, Danil Gushchin, and Filip Bystedt all scored, and Georgi Romanov made 39 saves as the Barracuda upended the Stars 3-1 on Friday night at Tech CU Arena. Vanroboys and Gushchin set a franchise record by scoring just 11 seconds apart in the first period and the Barracuda never looked back after that point.
Star Bright: The Stars have locked up a postseason berth on Sunday, the 10th in their history. Stars sophomore forward Mavrik Bourque is first in the league in scoring (73), first in shots (252), and T-second in assists. His counterpart, Matej Blumel, is T-seventh in the AHL in points (59) and T-fifth in goals (28). Stars rookie Logan Stankoven, who’s now up with Dallas in the NHL, still ranks T-eighth in the league in points (57) and first among freshmen, despite not playing with Texas since Feb. 21. He is also T-second in rookie goals (24). Among league blueliners, former Cuda defenseman Derrick Pouliot is third in scoring (44), T-second in power-play assists (19), and T-third in power-play points (19). The Stars are averaging the fewest penalty minutes per game (8.99) entering Friday and are first in the AHL on the power play (22.3%).
Fil the Thrill: Sharks 2022 first-rounder Filip Bystedt scored on Friday and now has five points (2+3=5) in his first five games with the Cuda. He collected three points (2+1=3) in his AHL debut last Wednesday at San Diego, becoming just the third player in franchise history to score three points and two goals in his AHL debut (Dylan Gambrell ’18-19, Evan Weinger ’18-19). The 20-year-old is the youngest to accomplish the feat. Before joining the Barracuda, Bystedt skated in 47 games with Linkoping of the SHL, recording 17 points (8+9=17) and a plus-six rating.
Tommy Gun: Cuda defenseman Jack Thompson picked up his third PPA in his last two games on Friday and is now second in the league in that department (22). Among AHL defenders, he is first in power-play points (24) and power-play assists (21), and T-fifth in scoring (41).
Full Deck: Ethan Cardwell scored twice on Wednesday, his first multi-goal game of his career, and in the process matched the franchise record for goals (23) in a season for a rookie. Among AHL freshmen, he is third in goals and T-eighth in points (42).
Gush Going: Danil Gushchin collected two more points (1+1=2) on Friday and now has five (2+3=5) over his last two games. The sophomore forward has collected points in 10 of 11 and 15 total during that stretch (5+10=15). Despite missing 13 games with an upper-body injury from Jan. 27 to Feb. 28, he ranks first on the team in shots (205), T-second in power-play goals (5) and assists (34), and second in points (53).
Todd’s Time: Nathan Todd potted his 50th career AHL goal on Wednesday and added a pair of assists. It was his sixth three-point game of the season and 11th of his career. The 28-year-old has set personal bests this season in goals (19), assists (35), points (54), power-play goals (6), and shots (181). Among Cuda skaters, he is first in scoring, first in assists, and T-first in power-play goals.