SAN JOSE BARRACUDA (1-1-0-0) vs. TUCSON ROADRUNNERS (0-2-0-0)

FRI, OCT. 9, 2026 | 7 PM | TECH CU ARENA |  SAN JOSE, CA

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FRIDAY FUN: The Barracuda return to action Friday night, opening a two-game weekend set against the Tucson Roadrunners (Utah Mammoth) at Tech CU Arena. San Jose is coming off a thrilling 5-4 overtime win against the San Diego Gulls on Sunday, overcoming a pair of two-goal deficits to secure its first victory of the 2026-27 season. Roland McKeown scored the game-winner at 3:01 of overtime, while Filip Bystedt recorded three points (two goals, one assist) and Ethan Cardwell and Tye Felhaber each collected three assists. Matt Davis made 28 saves to earn the victory. Friday marks the first of eight meetings between the Barracuda and Roadrunners this season.

FAMILIAR FOE: The Barracuda and Roadrunners renew their Pacific Division rivalry Friday night in the first of eight meetings this season and the first of two this weekend at Tech CU Arena. San Jose went 3-5-0-0 against Tucson last season, including 2-2-0-0 at home, with two of its three wins coming in overtime. The eight meetings featured plenty of offense, as Tucson outscored San Jose 36-29, with the teams combining to average 8.1 goals per game. Jimmy Huntington led the Barracuda with nine points (four goals, five assists), followed by Filip Bystedt with eight (five goals, three assists). Austin Poganski paced Tucson with 10 points (two goals, eight assists), while Cameron Hebig added nine (six goals, three assists). Both teams found success on the power play, with San Jose converting at 31% (9-for-29) and Tucson at 28% (7-for-25).

SUNDAY FUNDAY: After going 6-2 in overtime last season, the Barracuda continued that trend Sunday, erasing a pair of two-goal deficits before claiming a 5-4 win at 3:01 of the extra session. After falling behind 2-0 in the first period, San Jose battled back to tie the game before the Gulls regained a 4-2 advantage in the second. Andre Gasseau cut the deficit to one with his first goal of the season at 17:14 of the middle frame, and Filip Bystedt tied the game just 1:30 into the third on the power play. Roland McKeown completed the comeback at 3:01 of overtime, scoring his first goal as a Barracuda.

AYE AYE, CAPTAIN: Last Thursday, the Barracuda named forward Jimmy Huntington the seventh captain in franchise history. In his first season with San Jose a year ago, the Laval, Quebec native posted a career-high 48 points (15 goals, 33 assists) in 71 games, finishing tied for second on the team in scoring and earning the Barracuda's Fan Favorite award. Huntington scored his first goal of the season in Sunday's 5-4 overtime win against San Diego, finishing with a team-best plus-three rating. He won the 2024 Calder Cup with the Hershey Bears.

FIL IT UP: Sharks' 2022 first-round pick Filip Bystedt recorded three points (two goals, one assist) in San Jose's 5-4 overtime win against San Diego on Sunday. The 22-year-old center scored his first goal of the season late in the opening period before netting the game-tying power-play goal just 1:30 into the third. With his two-goal performance, Bystedt reached the 100-point milestone in his AHL career and later added an assist on Roland McKeown's overtime winner. Bystedt led the Barracuda last season in points (60), assists (38), game-winning goals (6) and overtime goals (2), while finishing second in goals (22).

HELPING HANDS: Ethan Cardwell and Tye Felhaber each dished out three assists in Sunday's overtime victory against San Diego, combining for six assists on San Jose's five goals. Cardwell assisted on Jimmy Huntington's first-period tally, Andre Gasseau's second-period goal and Filip Bystedt's game-tying power-play marker in the third. Felhaber collected helpers on both of Bystedt's goals before setting up Roland McKeown's overtime winner, completing his first career three-assist game.

CUDA GRADUATES: The Barracuda-to-Sharks pipeline continues in 2026-27, with Igor Chernyshov, Luca Cagnoni and Nolan Allan all earning spots on the Sharks' opening roster after spending significant time with the Barracuda last season. A year ago, Chernyshov produced 33 points (13 goals, 20 assists) in 41 AHL games, while Cagnoni totaled 43 points (eight goals, 35 assists) in 67 contests. Both made an immediate impact in the Sharks' season-opening win against Vegas, with Cagnoni recording two points (one goal, one assist), including his first NHL goal in overtime. Chernyshov followed with a two-goal performance against Los Angeles on Saturday, including the overtime winner in San Jose's 5-4 victory. Zack Ostapchuk, who also spent time with the Barracuda last season, has played a significant role, centering the Sharks' fourth line.

POWERING UP: San Jose finished last season with one of the AHL's most productive power plays, converting at 24.3% (66-for-272). The Cuda were even better at Tech CU Arena, operating at 26.2% on home ice. The Barracuda have already found the back of the net on the man advantage through two games this season, with Filip Bystedt scoring a crucial power-play goal early in the third period of Sunday's overtime win against San Diego. San Jose went 1-for-3 on the power play Sunday and a perfect 2-for-2 on the penalty kill.

VETS IN NET: The Barracuda opened the season with veteran goaltenders Eric Comrie and Ilya Samsonov, who have combined for more than 300 NHL appearances. Comrie made his Barracuda debut in Saturday's season opener against San Diego, stopping 28 shots in a 5-1 loss. On Sunday, Matt Davis earned the start and picked up San Jose's first victory of the season, turning aside 28 of 32 shots in a 5-4 overtime win. Samsonov, a former first-round pick of Washington, has spent parts of seven seasons in the NHL with the Capitals, Maple Leafs and Golden Knights.

MAMMOTH PROSPECTS: The Tucson Roadrunners enter the 2026-27 season with several of Utah's top prospects, headlined by former first-round picks Tij Iginla (sixth overall, 2024) and Caleb Desnoyers (fourth overall, 2025). Iginla, the son of Hockey Hall of Famer Jarome Iginla, is coming off a 90-point season (41 goals, 49 assists) in 48 games with Kelowna (WHL), while Desnoyers recorded 78 points (22 goals, 56 assists) in 45 games with Moncton (QMJHL). Meanwhile, two of Utah's top prospects from last season, defenseman Dmitri Simashev (sixth overall, 2023) and forward Daniil But (12th overall, 2023), earned spots on the Mammoth's opening NHL roster. Simashev collected 35 points (eight goals, 27 assists) in 40 games with Tucson last season, while But produced 39 points (19 goals, 20 assists) in 41 contests.