The Gackle Report

SAN JOSE — Sharks coach Peter DeBoer expressed disappointment in his team’s depth players inability to step up and fill the void left by injuries to Joe Thornton and Logan Couture during its 3-1 win over the Vancouver Canucks Tuesday night. He didn’t name names, but it doesn’t take a stretch of the imagination to […]

SAN JOSE — At this point, Buddy Robinson almost can’t remember what it feels like to lose a game. The Barracuda are an unblemished 11-0 since Robinson and forward Zack Stortini made their debuts with the club on Jan. 27 after coming over in a trade with the Ottawa Senators organization for Tommy Wingels on […]

SAN JOSE — Barracuda coach Roy Sommer offered alternate captain Ryan Carpenter some sound advice before his team snagged its 12-straight win by knocking off the Texas Stars at the SAP Center Monday afternoon. He warned Carpenter about the dangers of sitting next to captain John McCarthy when he’s, “heating up.” “Your pants will catch […]

STOCKTON — Double digit winning streaks require teams to win games in a variety of different ways. The Barracuda’s 5-4 win over the Stockton Heat at the Stockton Arena on Friday won’t be found in the Louvre anytime soon, but the not-so-pretty victory allowed them to extend their franchise-record winning streak to 10 games. “Sometimes […]

SAN JOSE — As Kevin Labanc, Timo Meier, Ryan Carpenter, Danny O’Regan, Barclay Goodrow, Marcus Sorensen, Mirco Mueller, Tim Heed and Joakim Ryan all received opportunities to strut their stuff in the NHL with the Sharks, Nikolay Goldobin sat back and patiently waited for his turn. Apparently, good things do come to those who wait. […]

SAN JOSE — The wins just keep getting more and more impressive. Over the last two-plus weeks, the Barracuda have stormed into the upper-Midwest and snagged road victories over two of the Central Division’s top-three teams. They’ve picked up back-to-back wins in front raucous crowds in one of the world’s most-rabid hockey towns in Winnipeg. […]

SAN JOSE — Kevin Labanc’s marching orders from Sharks coach Peter DeBoer are clear: develop a “heavier, harder” game in the AHL. After spending 40 games in the NHL with the Sharks, Labanc returned to the Barracuda (25-11-4) on Monday, where he first made a name for himself during the opening month of the season, […]

SAN JOSE — No one needed to say anything. Everyone understood. It couldn’t happen again. The last time the Barracuda (25-11-4) received an opportunity to secure first place on home ice, they laid an egg against the Ontario Reign, surrendering two first period goals in a 3-2 loss. With the scorching-hot San Diego Gulls (24-13-4) […]

WINNIPEG — When Barracuda coach Roy Sommer took a glance at his team’s schedule after it completed a stretch of games in which they hosted 14 of 16 contests at the SAP Center on Jan.16, he thought, “man, this could be trouble.” The Barracuda (23-11-4) opened a seven-game road trip with games in Southern California […]

WINNIPEG — A question about the Barracuda power play’s ability to absorb defenseman Tim Heed’s absence produced a snarl from head coach Roy Sommer three weeks ago. On Friday, he responded to the same query with a toothy smile. After going 2-for-18 in four games without Heed in January, the Barracuda’s sixth-ranked power play stepped […]

SAN JOSE — Using the word, “rollercoaster” to describe the first two-and-a-half seasons of defenseman Mirco Mueller’s professional hockey career might be an understatement. After splashing into the NHL as a 19-year-old rookie with the Sharks in 2014-15, Mueller’s development took as step backward last season as he was reassigned to the AHL Barracuda, and […]