Heat Host San Jose as Stockton Opens Four-Game Homestand
March 9, 2016 - American Hockey League (AHL)
Stockton Heat News Release
TONIGHT
The Stockton Heat open up a four-game homestand, as they host the San Jose Barracuda for a midweek clash at Stockton Arena.
Stockton returns home after a three-game road trip last week and are coming into tonight's tilt off the heels of a 5-4 overtime victory in San Diego last Saturday when the Heat broke their six-game losing streak on the road against the Gulls.
San Jose comes into tonight's game off a three-game homestand that saw the Barracuda take two of three games to help maintain their position in fourth in the Pacific.
LAST TIME VS. SAN JOSE
The SAP Center continued to be unkind to the Heat as the team suffered their worst loss of the season to the Barracuda to open up a three-game road trip kicking off a busy March.
San Jose's special teams was the difference as the team went 4 for 7 on the power play and scored while shorthanded during a 7-1 win over Stockton.
The lone positive for the Heat came when Hunter Shinkaruk scored his first as a member of the Heat on the power play.
WHO TO WATCH
With a team like San Jose in town, the key to the game is limiting their offensive chances and not allowing them to get into their transition offense so easily. It is a task that the Heat have admittedly struggled with when facing the Barracuda.
One of the biggest factors in slowing that transition game is winning faceoffs, so tonight we watch one of the better centermen on the Heat roster when it comes to winning draws Bill Arnold.
Arnold has struggled to get on the board since returning from his lower body injury he suffered back in January, but has continued to be a hard-nosed defensive centerman that wins draws and plays well in his own zone.
If the Heat are going to slow San Jose down tonight, Arnold will be a key factor in that effort.
Plus, Arnold can put points up at a decent clip too, but has been in a bit of a drought since the turn of the calendar. He's due for a big game.
Watch for Arnold to continue doing what he's done all season for Stockton as a tough, defensive centerman, but also watch out for a potential big game from a guy that is due for a breakout performance.
SHINKARUK & ELSON FIND CHEMISTRY
Hunter Shinkaruk and Turner Elson were put together on a line with Freddie Hamilton last week when Coach Huska shook the lines up a bit after a tough loss in San Jose.
Both Shinkaruk and Elson almost immediately fit in with one another - their styles contrasting perfectly to form a dangerous pair on the ice.
Shinkaruk earned two goals and an assist in three games last week and seemed to find some chemistry with Turner Elson, especially on Saturday when the two combined for a pair of goals and four points between them.
Elson provides Shinkaruk with a sort of Swiss-army-knife type linemate that can not only find room in the dirty areas of the ice, but can also play the puck with touch.
Their ability to find each other was best evidenced when Elson found Shinkaruk in the slot for Shinkaruk's goal Saturday night after Elson fought off a defender and got the puck to his linemate in a position to make a play.
The pairing may very well be a key component for the Heat down the stretch, especially if Shinkaruk's shifty style and Elson's 200-foot grit continue to produce together as well as they did last weekend.
HOME SWEET HOME
After a three-game road swing that saw the Heat earn two of a possible six points, Stockton returns home to the friendly confines of Stockton Arena - a building in which they've won 12 of their last 13 games.
This homestand could not have come at a better time for the Heat, as they spend for games at home before embarking on their longest road trip of the season when they spend five games away from home from March 19th to March 26th.
Earning as many points as possible in regulation is an important task for the Heat during this homestand, but it certainly won't be easy.
San Jose, a team that has seemed to have the Heat's number in many ways, is in town tonight, before the second-place Texas Stars roll into town Friday night for a weekend double-header.
With just 18 games left on the regular season schedule, every game is key for the Heat down the stretch and a good showing during this homestand will go a long way to helping them reach a playoff spot.
PLAYOFF PRIMER
With the Heat in the thick of the playoff chase, we take a look at what tonight's game against the San Jose Barracuda can do for both teams.
Starting the day the Heat are sixth in the Pacific with a .510 win-percentage while San Jose enters
Saturday in fourth in the Pacific at .557.
Starting with Stockton, if the Heat can pull the victory in regulation the team can get to .520 with the two-points tonight. In the event the Heat pick up just one point the team will remain at .510 while a regulation loss would send the team back to .500.
As for San Jose, a win would get them to .565 while an extra-time loss would drop the team at .556. A loss would put the Barracuda at .546, but they would not fall from fourth in the Pacific.
Keep an eye on the AHL's Playoff Primer updated every morning with the latest standings and magic numbers.
INTERESTING FACT
Pat Sieloff earned his first multi-point game of his AHL career last Saturday against the Gulls when the defenseman registered a pair of assists.
Wednesday, March 9, 2016
Arena: Stockton Arena
Date: March 9, 2016
Time: 7:00 p.m. PST (Doors at 6:00 p.m.)
Broadcast: AHL Live, Spreaker & iHeartRadio beginning at 6:45 p.m. PST
Leading Scorer: STOCKTON: F Kenny Agostino & F Hunter Shinkaruk with 42 points each
SAN JOSE: F Ryan Carpenter (51GP, 13-31-44)
Giveaway: First 1,000 fans receive a Kenny Agostino oversized trading card
For the live, in-game tweets, follow @AHLHeatPR. Stay tuned at the end of the game for the Chase Chevrolet Big Moment of the Game with your chance to win an autographed Brett Kulak puck.
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