The San Jose Barracuda are hoping to keep their win streak alive as head to Tucson to play the Roadrunners. They’ll be facing them back-to-back this weekend, hitting the ice in Arizona again on Saturday.
The Barracuda is coming off a big win, the fourth in their current streak. They beat the Stockton Heat 5-1. The Heat was leading after the first period, but the ‘Cuda bounced back and scored five unanswered goals in the second and third periods, while putting up 37 shots on net.
The Barracuda are good. Like, really good. They’re having a historic start to their season, leading the Western Conference with nine wins and one loss. Both boys between the pipes are having a heck of a season, Antoine Bibeau with a .935 save percentage and Josef Korenar at .933 save percentage so far this season. Bibeau has only one regulation loss under his belt rolling into today’s game against the Roadrunners. Francis Perron and Jayden Halbgewachs are two young guns to watch, each racking up 11 points. Nick DeSimone is close behind with 10 points. I think the Heat should give their name to the Barracuda; they’re the hottest team right now.
The Tucson Roadrunners are currently sitting right below the Barracuda in the Pacific Division. They’re 7-3-0 on the season so far. They’re coming off a 6-3 victory over the San Diego Gulls. This was the teams seventh straight win over the Anaheim Ducks’ farm team. Ten Roadrunners got at least one point in that game, proving they could be a tough customer for the Barracuda blue line. Merrick Madsen made his AHL debut between the pipes for the Roadrunners and made 19 saves on 22 shots. Not too shabby.
It’s likely we’ll see Hunter Miska in net for this game. He’s 3-3-1 with a .833 save percentage on the season. With the offensive force the Barracuda have brought all season, I think he’ll be in for a tough game.
As for skaters, the ‘Cuda will have to stand strong against Conor Garland. In ten games played, he has four goals and an assist. The closest point producer below him is former Barracuda Adam Helewka, who has eight points on the season.
The last time these teams met was mid-October. It ended in a shootout win for the Barracuda. The Barracuda handed Miska his first overtime loss when Alexander True scored the winning goal in the sixth round of the shootout. That game even included a bit of a tussle, as tensions ran high between the top two teams in the Pacific. This game will certainly be a competitive one and hopefully the fifth straight Barracuda win.
Tonight’s game is Tucsons’ cancer awareness night. The puck drops at 7:05 PT.
As many of you know, Fear the Fin is an independent site run by Sharks fans for Sharks fans. Help keep Fear the Fin independent by contributing to our