Sharks prospects help San Jose Barracuda open AHL playoffs on high note

The San Jose Sharks’ AHL affiliate is one win away from advancing to the second round of the Calder Cup playoffs.

Forwards Pavol Regenda and Filip Bystedt both scored third-period goals, and goalie Yaroslav Askarov made 17 saves for his first career AHL playoff shutout as the Barracuda beat the Ontario Reign 2-0 on Friday in Game 1 of their best-of-three opening-round series at Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles.

Regenda, acquired from the San Diego Gulls in January, scored at the 7:21 mark of the third period to give the Barracuda the lead before Bystedt added some insurance with a power-play goal at the 8:39 mark. Bystedt was the Sharks’ first-round pick in 2022.

Defenseman Luca Cagnoni, who had two assists in six games with the Sharks this season, assisted on both goals Saturday. Cagnoni, in his first year as a professional, was third among all AHL defenseman with 52 points in 64 regular-season games, and was recently named to the league’s all-rookie team.

Earlier in the third period, the Barracuda killed off a double minor for high-sticking on forward Zack Ostapchuk. San Jose went 5-for-5 on the penalty kill and 1-for-7 on the power play.

The Barracuda’s two goals were enough offense for Askarov, who only had to make one third-period save in his first game since April 12. Askarov, who will likely be on the Sharks’ roster in the fall, has 13 shutouts in the AHL, but all have come during the regular season. Friday marked his 18th Calder Cup playoff game.

Game 2 is on Saturday at Crypto.com Arena, with the Barracuda having last change. Game 3, if necessary, will be on Monday at Toyota Arena in Ontario.

The Barracuda played Thursday without AHL leading scorer Andrew Poturalski and fellow top forward Thomas Bordeleau, both out with injuries. Poturalski (lower body) is considered week to week, and Bordeleau (upper body) is day to day.

The top seven teams in the AHL’s Pacific Division advanced to the playoffs. The Barracuda are the sixth seed, and the lowest remaining seed after the first round will play No. 1 Colorado in the division semifinals. The two other teams will meet in the other semifinal.

This is the first time the Barracuda have been in the postseason since 2021, when the AHL only held playoffs for Pacific Division teams.