Deep Blue Sea: Barracuda Halloween game postponed

Yesterday, the American Hockey League announced that the Halloween game between the San Jose Barracuda and Stockton Heat would be postponed due to league protocols, and will be played at a future date.

The reasoning for this was because two players on the Barracuda had been placed on the AHL’s COVID-19 protocol: forward Noah Gregor and backup goaltender Zachary Sawchenko.

Gregor, 23, was a surprise AHL player, as many pegged him to be set for the NHL after signing a one-year extension with the organization this summer. Instead, he began the season with the Barracuda and hopes to work his way back up to the big club. He currently possesses four points (2 goals, 2 assists) through four games played, and is tied for second on the team in points, trailing just Nick Merkley, who has five. This is a relatively big blow to the forward core for the ‘Cuda.

Sawchenko, 23, is in his third season with the Barracuda. Originally an undrafted player out of the Canadian college system, he signed in San Jose. He currently holds an 8-7-2 record and .922 save percentage through his career with the AHL affiliate. He’s also spent time in between with the ECHL playing for the Allen Americans, where he dominated and proved that he is worthy of AHL time. Through his one game this season, Sawchenko saved 45 of 47 shots to steal a win over the Colorado Eagles, as he looks to compete with Alexei Melnichuk for the starting role.

Along with the two players, the Barracuda have also lost goaltending coach Dany Sabourin to the protocol list.

Because of the COVID outbreak on the San Jose Sharks, the Barracuda were already shorthanded, as they had to loan John Leonard, Nick Merkley, Jaycob Megna, Ryan Merkley, and Nicolas Meloche to the Sharks for their game against the Winnipeg Jets, winning 2-1 in overtime.

The Barracuda have started the season off pretty strong, with a 2-1-1 record, so they hope that this doesn’t escalate to a bigger issue and force them to resort to players from outside of the organization for help.

The Barracuda’s next game is once again against the Heat, on Nov. 3. They’re hoping to stay fully healthy and contain any outbreak from occurring so that they continue on with their season without any complications. There’s a long season ahead, and they don’t want to start off behind everyone else.

News & Notes

• James Reimer’s remarkable start illustrates Sharks goalie depth [NBC Sports]
• COVID-19: After a memorable win, Sharks players, coaches, wait to see what's next [East Bay Times]
• NHL News: Guerin, Brunette, Hamonic, Sharks, Saad, Carter, Canadiens and Golden Knights [NHLRumors.com]

Blood in the Water

• Los Angeles Kings placed Viktor Arvidsson, Gabriel Vilardi in COVID-19 protocol [Pro Hockey Rumors]
• Ducks’ Rickard Rakell placed on injured reserve with apparent shoulder injury [The Athletic]
• Ducks’ right wing Jakob Silfverberg placed into the NHL’s COVID-19 protocol [The Orange County Register]
• Canadiens’ Mathieu Perreault could be out 2-3 weeks with eye injury [CBC]
• Flames union rep Backlund addresses accusations Fehr knew about abuse allegations [TSN]
• Getzlaf passes Selanne on Ducks’ all-time point list in win over Canadiens [Sportsnet]

Scores & Recaps

• Montreal Canadiens 2, Anaheim Ducks 4
• Buffalo Sabres 2, Los Angeles Kings 3
• Columbus Blue Jackets 4, New Jersey Devils 3 (SO)
• New York Rangers 3, Seattle Kraken 1
• Arizona Coyotes 1, Carolina Hurricanes 2

On the Schedule

• Washington Capitals at Tampa Bay Lightning, 4 p.m. PT/7 p.m. ET on NHLN, TVAS, BSSUN, NBCS-DC
• Ottawa Senators at Chicago Blackhawks, 5 p.m. PT/8 p.m. ET on SN, RDS, NBCS-CHI+, ESPN+
• Seattle Kraken at Edmonton Oilers, 6:30 p.m. PT/9:30 p.m. ET on SN1, RSNW, ESPN+