The San Jose Barracuda, the American Hockey League affiliate of the San Jose Sharks, hosted the Bakersfield Condors on Sunday night for their only preseason game at TechCU Arena this season. The two teams played the previous night in Bakersfield, in a matchup that saw the Barracuda walk away victorious following a shootout.
It was a chippy affair right out of the gate, but there were very few whistles in the opening minutes, allowing for consistent end-to-end action. Anthony Vincent got a partial breakaway early on, but lost the puck as he prepared to shoot, making it easy for opposing netminder Nathanial Day. Igor Chernyshov had a nice move on a zone entry, but he ran out of space and was forced to take a low-percentage backhand shot that was saved by Day.
Lucas Vanroboys attempted to pick the top-right corner of the net from a sharp angle shortly after the midway point of the period; however, his shot went over the crossbar and out of play. Cole Clayton had a phenomenal shift at both ends of the ice about three-quarters of the way through the period, disrupting a play in the defensive zone, forechecking on a dump-and-chase at the other end, before sprawling out to disrupt a pass in the defensive zone once again.
Samuel Laberge won a puck battle at center ice, which resulted in him being all alone in front of the Condors’ net. He wasn’t able to get the puck past Day, though, and the game remained tied at zero. The deadlock would remain until the end of the first period.
The referees were truly embracing the “let them play” philosophy, as although it was a physical opening frame, neither team was penalized. The majority of the offensive chances came for the Barracuda, though, as after 20 minutes, they had 11 shots on goal compared to the Condors’ six.
The Barracuda applied heavy offensive pressure early in the second period. They were peppering Day, getting seven shots in less than four minutes, but the Bakersfield goaltender stood tall. Austin Magera would be called for hooking at 8:35 in the period, giving the Barracuda their first opportunity on the power play.
Filip Bystedt had multiple shot attempts on Day, including on an open net, but was denied by the defense. Ultimately, the Condors killed off the penalty. Moments after the penalty ended, Vincent was hit hard at the red line while out of possession of the puck. There was no call on the play, and Vincent slowly got to his feet before skating directly to the bench.
Vincent remained on the bench for the time being. The Condors changed goalies with just under seven minutes remaining in the second period, bringing in Samuel Jonsson. Day’s night ended after facing 28 shots on goal.
Oliver Wahlstrom scored his first unofficial goal as a member of the Barracuda with 3:54 remaining in the period, breaking the deadlock and making it 1-0 for the home team. Bystedt and Hache were credited with the assists. The Condors had an immediate response, as 33 seconds later, Matvey Petrov scored an unassisted equalizer.
Kasper Halttunen restored the Barracuda’s lead off of a pass from Igor Chernyshov before the end of the second period, making it 2-1 heading into the intermission. After a perfect outing for Day, Jonsson had a rough start, allowing two goals on his first six shots.
The Barracuda continued bringing heavy offensive pressure to start the third period, but Jonsson seemed to find his rhythm early in the period. San Jose seemed like they were about to get a power play around the mid-way point of the period; however, after a large scrum followed the play, both Vincent and Luke Prokop were given minor penalties instead.
Immediately after the 4-on-4 play started, Braden Hache’s stick was broken; however, he didn’t let that slow him down. He continued to play physical, defensive hockey for the remainder of his shift without a stick. John Gormley made a sliding play to take away the shooting lane, but the puck ended up in his pants, causing a whistle. He would be called for holding moments later, giving the Condors a power play.
Matt Copponi nearly scored an equalizer off a tip for the Condors; however, he was stopped by the crossbar. Eventually, the Barracuda would end up killing off the penalty. Bakersfield would take their timeout with 2:08 remaining in regulation and pulled their netminder in the process. After multiple icings, a couple of scrums, and a lot of chirping, the game finally came to a close after Samuel Laberge scored an empty-net goal with 4.2 seconds remaining in regulation.
The Barracuda’s home opener will be on Saturday against the Condors once again in a matinee affair. The Barracuda will play at 3 P.M. before the Sharks host the Anaheim Ducks at 7 P.M. in the SAP Center later that night.
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