Barracuda improve playoff position with weekend sweep

SAN JOSE — The San Jose Barracuda are gearing up for the playoffs as the regular season winds down.

They scored three special team goals in a 6-3 route of the Bakersfield Condors on Sunday afternoon at Tech CU Arena.

San Jose swept the weekend home-and-home series with Condors and has won three games in a row. Bakersfield has lost three games in a row. The Barracuda moved up to fifth place in the Pacific Division one point ahead of the Calgary Wranglers with 72 points. With 11 games remaining, it's conceivable the Cuda could play their way up to the second seed and host a first-round playoff series

San Jose (32-21-4-4-72 points) drew first blood late in the first period on the man advantage. Andrew Poturalski fed a pass back up to the point over to Jack Thompson. The Cuda defenseman waited before whipping a wrist shot past Condor’s goalie Olivier Rodrigue for his third goal of the season at the 17:13 mark.

The AHL’s number one power play has scored a power play goal in nine straight games that tied a franchise record.

Bakersfield (26-25-6-3-61 points) registered 14 shots in the opening frame but could not get a puck past Cuda goalie Gabriel Carriere who looked sharped throughout the period. Carriere robbed Darren Brady with a glove save out of midair with Brady attempting to score into an open net with 35 second remaining in the period.

San Jose doubled its lead 25 seconds to start the second power with its second power play goal of the contest. Poturalski found Rem Pitlick down low in the slot. Pitlick laid a backhand pass over to Danil Gushchin who buried a shot past Rodrigue to the far side for his 25th goal of the season. Gushchin has scored a goal in four straight games.

Walker Duehr scored the first of his two goals to give the Cuda its third unanswered goal of the game just over three minutes later. Ethan Cardwell’s shot deflected off of Cam Dineen. Duehr collected the puck, spun around and fired a shot that beat Rodrigue to the short side for his 15th goal of the season at the 13:50 mark of the period.

Bakersfield responded 25 seconds later to get on the scoreboard. Darren Brady’s shot from the left slot was cleaned up by Ethan Keppan for his first in a Condors uniform and second of the season at the 14:15 mark.

Duehr extended San Jose’s back to a three-goal lead with his second goal of the game while the Cuda were on the penalty kill to start the third period. Duehr intercepted a pass by Kyle Mayhew a the blueline that led to a breakaway. Duehr beat Rodrigue with a backhander for a short-handed goal, his 16th goal of the season. San Jose has scored nine short-handed goals this season.

Pavol Regenda put the game away with 10th goal of the season at the 5:42 mark. Jimmy Schuldt sent an outlet pass out Regenda who skated in and beat Rodrigue with a wrist shot below the arm to the far side of the net.

Matthew Savoie scored his 17th goal of the season just past the halfway mark of the final frame. Savoie beat Carriere with a forehand to backhand move in front of the crease after taking a cross-ice pass from Drake Caggiula at the 10:16 mark.

San Jose regained its four-goal advantage Schuldt joined the scoring party. Thomas Bordeleau drove toward the net but fanned on his shot attempt. The Cuda captain pinched in from the point and beat Rodrigue top-shelf for his sixth goal of the season at the 13:53 mark.

Dineen completed the scoring with a power play goal with four seconds left in the game. Dineen’s shot from got through a sea of traffic in front of the crease for his eighth goal of the season.

Carriere (7-5-2-2) finished the game stopping 33 of the 36 shots to earn his seventh victory of the season. Rodrigue (18-14-6-1) made 38 saves on 44 shots in the losing effort.

GAME NOTES: San Jose finished 2-for-5 on the power play. Bakersfield went 1-for-5.

Bakersfield has given up 10 short-handed goals on the season.

The Three Stars of the Game: 1) Duehr (2G, 0A) 2) Poturalski (0G, 2A) 3 Regenda (1G, 0A).

The Barracuda conclude its season series with the San Diego Gulls on Wednesday March 26 at Pechanga Arena of San Diego.