Following a 2-0 sweep of the Ontario Reign in the first round of the Calder Cup Playoffs, the San Jose Barracuda didn’t have to wait long to find out their opponent.
San Jose will take on the top seed in the Pacific Division, the Colorado Eagles. The Barracuda went 3-4 against the American Hockey League affiliate of the Colorado Avalanche this season.
San Jose Sharks fans will see playoff hockey in San Jose for the first time since 2019. That season, the Sharks’ playoff run to the Western Conference Final was the last time a playoff game at the NHL or AHL level was played at home.
Game one of the best-of-five second-round series against the Eagles will begin on Friday, May 2nd at 7 p.m. PT at Tech CU Arena. Game two will be on Sunday, May 4th at 6 p.m. PT at Tech CU Arena.
Due to the nature of the Calder Cup Playoffs, the second round will begin in San Jose despite the Barracuda being the higher seed. The series’ final three games will take place at Blue FCU Arena in Loveland, Colorado. Games three and four will start at 7:05 p.m. MT on May 6th and 7th. Game five will be May 11th with a 3:05 p.m. MT start.
“I’m happy for our group, that’s a lively locker room in there, they should be really proud of themselves,” San Jose Barracuda Head Coach John McCarthy said postgame.
Saturday night’s series win for the Barracuda was the first since 2017. McCarthy was still playing at the time and was the team captain. That season, the Barracuda made it to the Western Conference Finals but lost to the Grand Rapids Griffins in five games.
Top Sharks goalie prospect Yaroslav Askarov allowed one goal on 47 shots against the Reign. He stopped 17 shots in game one for a shutout win.
“Askarov was great, I thought he won the game for us,” McCarthy said.
Due to injuries, the San Jose Barracuda are without AHL MVP Andrew Poturalski and San Jose Sharks prospect Thomas Bordeleau. The ‘Cuda are expected to practice on Tuesday, and McCarthy should provide an update then.
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