Moose look for win over Barracuda

The Manitoba Moose (18-21-3-2) close out a quick two-game home stand tonight as they finish back-to-back series with the San Jose Barracuda (23-11-1-3) at 7 p.m. CT.

Last Game
Manitoba entered Friday’s contest against San Jose looking for their second straight win. After the Barracuda made it 1-0 midway through the first, Manitoba struck shortly after with a goal of their own as Quinton Howden tipped a Patrice Cormier point shot for his 10^th goal of the season. The second frame featured plenty of Moose chances, but it was San Jose who found the score sheet. The Barracuda scored three powerplay goals to close the game, giving the California club a 4-1 win.

First Time Foes
Last night marked the inaugural matchup between these two clubs. The Moose have faired well this against teams making their first trek to Winnipeg. Earlier this season the San Diego Gulls fell victim to the Moose two nights in a row, as Manitoba picked up 3-2 and 5-4 wins. This is San Jose's second season in the AHL, however this weekend is the first time they visited the MTS Centre in their franchise history. The Barracuda are the only other AHL team to share their home arena with their NHL affiliate.

Bouncing Back at Home
Manitoba has a habit of bouncing back at MTS Centre. In three instances, the Moose have rebounded from a loss of three or more on home ice to collect at least a point with a 2-0-0-1 record. Manitoba collected these splits against Bakersfield (Oct. 18/20), Texas (Dec. 3/4) and Cleveland (Dec. 9/10).

San Jose’s Story
The Barracuda come into tonight’s matchup on a four-game win streak and in second place in the AHL’s Pacific Division. San Jose is enjoying a productive season at both ends of the ice. They sit ninth in goals for across the league with 131 and are first in goals against – only allowing 95 goals in 38 contests. They’re also a disciplined team, taking the fourth fewest penalty minutes in the league (501). First year forward, Daniel O’Reagan leads San Jose’s offense with 37 points (13G, 24A) in 35 games. Barracuda netminder, Troy Grosenick has some of best numbers in the league as he’s tied for the top GAA at 2.05 and the top save percentage at 0.930 per cent. Grosenick has 12 wins this season.

Autograph Alley
Fans will want to stick around after tonight’s game for another Manitoba Moose Autograph Alley. Select Moose players will be in the concourse signing autographs following the game. Stay tuned to the Manitoba Moose on social media to find out who is scheduled to take part this evening. This is the second last signing of the season, the final Autograph Alley is set for Feb. 26.

What’s Next?
The Moose head back out on the road following tonight’s game. The Winnipeg Jets’ affiliate will play six games over 11 days with stops in Grand Rapids, Cleveland and Toronto. Manitoba’s first game of the road trip is on Wednesday night (Feb. 8 @ 6 p.m. CT) when they storm into Van Andel Arena to take on the Grand Rapids Griffins. You can listen to all Manitoba Moose road games on moosehockey.com/listenlive. Make sure to tune in 15 minutes before puck drop for the pre-game show with Mitch Peacock for all the latest Moose news.