The San Jose Barracuda had a solid duo of games this weekend against the Bakersfield Condors, coming out of it with a 3-2 OT loss in Bakersfield, and then a 4-2 victory at home. Hat trick hero Nathan Todd was the MVP of the weekend as the Barracuda improve to 2-1-1 in the month of February.
The Barracuda
The Barracuda were without some key pieces this weekend, as Leon Gawanke cleared waivers and had his contract terminated, Thomas Bordeleau and Eetu Makiniemi were under the weather and missed Friday’s game, and Danil Gushchin continues to work his way back from the pre-All Star injury. Bordeleau returned for Saturday’s win, taking the place of Kyle Rau, but Georgie Romanov ended up starting both games for the Barracuda, making 46 of 51 saves.
The Opponent
Bakersfield was 3-2 against the Barracuda this season, including a weekend sweep mid January. They came into the weekend on a two game win streak, having won both games against a very good Texas Stars team before the All Star Break. Bakersfield entered Friday’s game currently in 7th place in the Pacific, with a 21-13-2-2 record. The player to watch for the Condors was All Star Raphael Lavoie, who was riding a three game point streak.
Friday
This was the first game back from the AHL All Star Break for both teams, and the first period was definitely a little rusty. The two teams combined for only 14 shots in the first (8-6 Condors), and though the Condors opened the scoring by way of Lavoie on the PP, the Barracuda answered back: Oskar Lindblom with his sixth of the season, assisted by Brandon Coe and Nikolai Knyzhov, both players making up for earlier penalties with an assist each.
Another round of trading goals (Adam Erne for the Condors, Artem Guryev for the Barracuda), and the game goes to overtime, which is not good news for the Barracuda. They’re 0-7 on the year past regulation, and this game was no different. Lavoie gets his second of the game, the Barracuda fall to 0-8 in extra time this season, and they head back to San Jose for the next day rematch.
Saturday
It was Cuda Country Night at Tech CU, complete with trucker cap giveaway, and the Barracuda certainly put on a show, led by Nathan Todd, who in addition to his hat trick, led everyone on the ice in shots with 8, and finished the weekend with four points in total (including an assist on Friday night in Bakersfield). Jacob Peterson opened the scoring for the Barracuda with his sixth, but it was all Todd after that, increasing the lead to 2-0 in the second period. The Condors fought back, with goals from Seth Griffith and Ty Tulio, but Todd scored the game winner with less than 4 minutes left in regulation, added an empty netter for good measure, and watched the hats rain down.
Also having a good night was Scott Sabourin, who had two assists and stayed out of the penalty box, and Georgi Romanov, who made 31 of 33 saves in his second start of the weekend.
Stat Corner
The Barracuda’s PK was strong on Saturday, and overall decent on the weekend, killing 5 of 7 penalties, including all three on Saturday night. They still sit dead last in the Pacific, but there are visible improvements in the structure of the PK units. On the flip side, the PP was unsuccessful all weekend, but is currently 7th in the Pacific and 21st in the league; also an improvement on last months numbers.
Big Fish In A Small Pond
Honesty time: On December 20th, I questioned Scott Sabourin’s effectiveness on this team. Since then, he’s scored 7 goals and collected 13 points in his last 15 games, including a 2 assist effort on Saturday night. He still takes a few too many penalties for my liking (notably had 12 PIMS in the final game before the ASC break against Abbotsford), but Sabourin has developed into a shockingly dependable player for San Jose. Consider my words eaten.
Next Up
The Barracuda are back in action on Wednesday night against the San Diego Gulls in San Diego. The game starts at 7pm PT, and is a chance for San Jose to take some points from the team directly above them in the standings.
