That was the first overtime playoff goal in San Jose since…you know.
27 seconds into OT, Danil Gushchin’s power play goal led the San Jose Barracuda to a 2-1 Game Two victory over the Colorado Eagles.
DANIL GUSHCHIN WINS IT IN OVERTIME!
2-1 BARRACUDA#TEALBITESBACK pic.twitter.com/IoigyJbArm
— JD Young (@MyFryHole) May 5, 2025
It was the first overtime playoff goal in San Jose since Apr. 23, 2019, when the San Jose Sharks’ Barclay Goodrow eliminated the Vegas Golden Knights in Game Seven double OT.
It’s not the NHL, but it’s nice to have playoff hockey back in San Jose.
And Cuda wins the game as soon as OT starts! 2-1 pic.twitter.com/4U4DpvRfQP
— Nikita Sokolov (@cwnikitasokolov) May 5, 2025
Hopefully, the Barracuda can bring it back to San Jose for another round: Their second-round series is now 1-1, with the next three contests, if necessary, all in Colorado to decide the five-game set.
Game Three is at Blue Arena on Tuesday at 6 PM PT.
Yaroslav Askarov loomed large again, turning away 27-of-28 shots, and Pavol Regenda potted a pivotal short-handed goal.
Will we see them back at Tech CU Arena?
Turning Point
18 minutes into the second period, down 1-0, this looked like a game that Barracuda special teams might be responsible for losing.
They had already given up a Calle Rosen power play goal, and the Cuda power play was 0-4 up to this point, including blowing a double-minor PP to start the second period.
And they were in the midst of killing a Luca Cagnoni cross-checking penalty.
But then, Pavol Regenda made an outstanding individual play, taking the puck from ex-San Jose Sharks defenseman Jacob MacDonald, this year’s Eddie Shore Award winner for the AHL’s best blueliner.
PAVOL REGENDA SHORTY ALERT‼️@sjbarracuda | @SanJoseSharks | @LockedOnSharks#AHL #CalderCup #TealBitesBack #BarracudaHockey #TheFutureIsTeal pic.twitter.com/HbHnApudof
— FloHockey (@FloHockey) May 5, 2025
“Just tried to get a good angle. That’s what [PK coach Louis Mass] wants from us. He tried a move on me, hit my skate,” Regenda said, adding a joke.
“We were lucky that Whitey was right there, so it was 2-on-0, because my breakaways this year are not really good.”
Instead of being down 1-0 or worse headed into the final frame, it was now a tied game.
Regenda has been an under-the-radar great acquisition by Barracuda GM Joe Will, acquired from the San Diego Gulls in January for Justin Bailey. The 6-foot-4 winger, in his first pro playoff action in North America, has become a net front power play staple and handled the post-season’s greater speed and physicality with zest.
Quote of the Night
Captain Jimmy Schuldt says the Barracuda medical staff has been preparing them for the Colorado altitude: “Beet juice, get there and move around a bit.”
Key Stats from SportContract
22:48 — that’s how much Jack Ahcan, the Eagles’ No. 1 defenseman, plays a night, which is more than even Shore Award winner MacDonald.
Ahcan was helped off the ice during the first intermission, and didn’t return.
It’s not known what caused his departure, but an Ahcan injury could be a series-changer.
Also from SportContract: In Game Two, San Jose had a 16-14 Home Plate Shot Attempts edge. In Game One, Colorado thumped them in that scoring chance category, 18-11.
So Askarov still had his work cut out for him.
Finally, winger Graf led both teams with 23:48, a testament to his importance to the Barracuda in all situations.
Overtime
Barracuda head coach John McCarthy didn’t rule out Thomas Bordeleau and Andrew Poturalskil traveling to Loveland with the team tomorrow.
It could be gamesmanship, but McCarthy didn’t rule out a return for either in this series. If they travel, it could be more than gamesmanship.
Top San Jose Sharks prospect Quentin Musty impressed in his AHL playoff debut, using his size and skating to be a constant forechecking pest in his 11:29 of playing time. He was also on the second power play unit.
“He’s an important part of our organization and wanted to expose him to a playoff game,” McCarthy said. “I thought he responded really well. Used his size, has an ability to finish which was the thinking behind putting him in.”
McCarthy also had lots of praise for Walker Duehr, who stepped in for healthy scratch Ethan Cardwell.
While the power play only went 1-for-6 — they’re 2-for-18 in the playoffs so far, disappointing for the top PP in the AHL — Collin Graf saw signs of life.
“That first power play really set the tone for us. We had a lot of shots, we had a lot of chances, and it just gave us confidence,” he said.
That PP, off an early Ahcan penalty, peeled off five shots. Between Graf and Gushchin, they had eight PP shots combined.
So while they struggled at times until the Gushchin winner, their revival could be a difference-maker in this series.
Gushchin, in particular, tried to put his stamp on this game, leading both teams with 11 shot attempts and hitting a crossbar too.
Askarov was brilliant, but the Barracuda did a better job of protecting him than they did in Game One.
“Our puck play in the neutral zone, for sure,” Graf said, about how the Cuda were better. “Making sure that we didn’t give them any easy offense [with turnovers].”
Barracuda Locker Room
Collin Graf speaks with the media following a big win for the Barracuda in Round 2 of the Calder Cup Playoffs pic.twitter.com/eqYqndFKLi
— x – SJ Barracuda (@sjbarracuda) May 5, 2025
Barracuda Captain Jimmy Schuldt addresses the media following the team’s victory tonight pic.twitter.com/b9mHzxAVXP
— x – SJ Barracuda (@sjbarracuda) May 5, 2025
Pavol Regenda speaks with the media following tonight’s win over the Colorado Eagles pic.twitter.com/i5F2K8UH7h
— x – SJ Barracuda (@sjbarracuda) May 5, 2025
Head coach John McCarthy addresses the media following his team’s overtime victory to even the series at 1-1. pic.twitter.com/wqs3dwJTqV
— x – SJ Barracuda (@sjbarracuda) May 5, 2025