SAN JOSE BARRACUDA (20-11-1-2, 43 pts.) vs ABBOTSFORD CANUCKS (18-15-1-1, 38 pts.)

SAT, JAN. 18 | 7:00 P.M. | ABBOTSFORD CENTRE | ABBOTSFORD, B.C.

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Up in Abby: The Barracuda continue their three-game roadie in Abbotsford on Saturday and Sunday. The Cuda collected a pair of wins over the Canucks in the first two meetings on Nov. 29 (5-3 W) and Nov. 30 (7-4 W) at Tech CU Arena. San Jose enters Saturday with points in their last three (2-0-1-0) and is 3-1-1-0 in January. The Barracuda are 5-3-1-1 over their last 10 on the road.

Last Time Out: The Barracuda led 4-1 in the second period a week ago at the Mechanics Bank Arena, but the Bakersfield Condors would score the final four goals and win 5-4 in overtime. In the loss, the Barracuda gave up a season-high 51 shots but got goals from Brandon Coe, Anthony Vincent, Scott Sabourin, and Ethan Cardwell. Bakersfield’s Connor Carrick scored twice, including the overtime winner.

About Abbotsford: The Canucks enter Saturday having won four in a row, matching their longest win streak of the year. Abby has at least four goals (4.75 average) in each win and a power-play goal (4/18=22%). The Canucks, who are in the midst of a six-game homestand that will wrap up this weekend, are 8-2 over their last 10 games at the Abbotsford Centre. Prior to their last 10 home games, the Canucks were just 3-5 at home through their first eight. The Barracuda snapped the first of Abby’s three four-game winning streaks back in November.

Shak is Back: The Sharks reassigned defenseman Shakir Mukhamadullin to the Barracuda on Monday. During his recall, the former first-rounder who turned 23 on Jan. 10, skated in 10 games in the NHL, scoring his first goal on Dec. 27 vs. Vegas. A year ago, in his first full season in North America, Mukhamadullin represented the Barracuda at the 2024 AHL All-Star Classic in San Jose and was named the team’s MVP.

Hot Pot: Barracuda forward Andrew Poturalksi was selected to his third AHL All-Star Classic last Wednesday. Among league skaters, the ninth-year pro is second in points (36) and T-second in power-play goals (7), T-fifth in assists (21), and T-seventh in goals (15). Over his last 11 games, he has 15 points (6+9=15).

All-Star Asky: Current Sharks goaltender Yaroslav Askarov was named to his third AHL All-Star Classic in three years last Wednesday. In 14 games for the Barracuda this season he has gone 9-4-1, with a 2.00 goals-against average, a .938 save percentage, and three shutouts. Among AHL backstops he is first in save percentage, T-second in shutouts, and third in goals-against average. Askarov began his Barracuda career by collecting consecutive shutouts and went 5-0 with a 1.20 GAA and .959 SV% in October, earning AHL Goaltender of the Month honors. In seven games with the Sharks, the 22-year-old is 3-2-2, with a 2.30 GAA and .923 SV%.

Bords Boiling: Thomas Bordeleau enters Saturday with points in his last three (1+3=4) and seven of his previous eight (3+9=12). Since Dec. 12, the third-year pro has 13 points (4+9=13) in his last 13 games. In two games versus the Canucks this year, Bords has a pair of points (1+1=2).

Sparkling Special Teams: The Barracuda rank first in the AHL on the penalty kill (88.0%) entering Saturday and T-third in shorthanded goals. Additionally, the club boasts the league’s fourth-best power play (21.8%). Versus the Canucks in two games, the Barracuda are four-for-eight (50%) on the PP and eight-for-eight (100%) on the kill.  

Luca Lightning: Despite being held off the scoresheet in the last nine games, rookie defenseman Luca Cagnoni ranks T-fifth among AHL defenders in points (22), T-third in goals (8), power-play goals (4), and power-play assists (9), and second in power-play points (13). Cags scored twice in a 7-4 win over the Canucks on Nov. 30.