Colorado Wins Third Straight with 4-3 Shootout Victory
Nov 24, 2018
LOVELAND, CO. – Eagles forward Martin Kaut scored the game-tying goal with 5:19 remaining in regulation and would net the deciding goal in a shootout, as Colorado defeated the San Jose Barracuda, 4-3 on Saturday. The win was the Eagles third consecutive victory and now improves Colorado’s home record to 6-2-2 on the season. Goaltender Pavel Francouz earned his third-straight win in net, stopping 38 of the 41 shots he faced in the contest. The victory was Colorado’s first shootout win in the AHL.
San Jose would strike first in the contest when forward Jeffrey Viel collected a pass in the low-slot and snapped a shot past Francouz to give the Barracuda a 1-0 edge just 4:37 into the first period.
Colorado would find an equalizer late in the opening frame when Michael Joly dished a pass across the top of the crease and fellow forward Ty Lewis stuffed the puck into the back of the net to tie the game at 1-1 with only six seconds left in the period.
San Jose would jump back on top early in the second period when defenseman Zach Frye skated through the left circle and snapped a shot over the shoulder of Francouz to give the Barracuda the 2-1 advantage at the 1:15 mark of the period.
Eagles defenseman Justin Falk would net his first goal as an Eagle and level the score at 2-2 when he skated to a loose puck at the blue line before stepping into a slapshot that would beat San Jose goaltender Josef Korenar with 9:40 remaining in the middle frame.
Still deadlocked after 40 minutes of play, the Barracuda would again claim the lead when forward John McCarthy picked up a rebound in the slot on the power play and shoveled the puck into the net to give San Jose a 3-2 lead at the 6:36 mark of the third period.
In desperate need of an answer, Colorado would find one when Kaut raced through the left circle before unfurling a heavy shot that would light the lamp and tie the game at 3-3 with 5:09 remaining in regulation.
Both teams would generate a bevy of chances in overtime, with Colorado firing five shots on net and San Jose answering with four shots to their credit. However, Francouz and Korenar would not be beaten and the contest would head to a shootout.
In the shootout, Joly and Kaut would both bury their opportunities, while Francouz denied the efforts of both Dylan Gambrell and Manuel Wiederer to secure the Eagles 4-3 victory.
Colorado finished the night going 0-for-3 on the power play, while the Barracuda converted on one of their three opportunities on the man-advantage.
The Eagles return to action when they play host to the Iowa Wild on Friday, November 30th at 7:05pm at the Budweiser Events Center.
Single-game tickets for the 2018-19 season are on-sale now and start at just $18 per seat. Purchase your seats today by visiting the Budweiser Events Center box office, online at ColoradoEagles.com or by calling the Eagles ticketing department at 970-686-SHOT (7468).
