Kinkaid Posts 21-Save Shutout in Colorado’s 8-0 Win over San Jose
Mar 21, 2023
LOVELAND, CO. – Colorado goaltender Keith Kinkaid turned aside all 21 shots he faced, while the Eagles erupted for a season-high eight goals, as Colorado blanked the San Jose Barracuda 8-0 on Tuesday. Forwards Mikhail Maltsev and Ben Meyers both generated three-point nights, as did defenseman David Farrance. Seven different Eagles found the back of the net, as Colorado finished the night 2-for-5 on the power play and a perfect 4-for-4 on the penalty kill.
An early penalty kill would see Colorado turn the tables, as a two-on-one rush set up forward Ryan Wagner to slam home a rebound from the slot and give the Eagles a 1-0 edge just 6:35 into the contest.
After killing off the remainder of the San Jose power play, Colorado would expand its lead when defenseman Riley McCourt lit the lamp from the top of the crease to put the Eagles up 2-0 at the 8:39 mark of the first period. The goal was McCourt’s first of his AHL career.
The onslaught would continue when Maltsev spun and fired a wrister from the right-wing circle that would beat Barracuda goalie Aaron Dell and extend Colorado’s advantage to 3-0 with 4:34 remaining in the opening 20 minutes of play.
As time wound down in the period, Farrance would field a pass at the bottom of the left-wing circle before slicing to the low slot and slipping a backhander into the back of the net. The tally extended Farrance’s point streak to four games and gave the Eagles a 4-0 lead with only 31 seconds left to play in the opening frame.
San Jose would replace Dell with goaltender Strauss Mann to begin the second period, but the results would stay the same. Colorado struck yet again when forward Charles Hudon hammered home a one-timer on the power play to push the Eagles advantage to 5-0 at the 4:48 mark of the second stanza.
Another Colorado power play would lead to another goal, as Maltsev camped out on top of the crease and tipped a centering feed into the back of the net, putting the Eagles up 6-0 with 5:32 remaining in the period.
The lead would jump to 7-0 less than two minutes later when forward Sampo Ranta deflected a shot along the ice past Mann at the 16:26 mark of the middle frame.
Colorado forward Alex Beaucage would round out the scoring in the period when he fired a shot on the rush that would ricochet off a Barracuda defender and into the back of the net, making it 8-0 with 55 seconds left.
The final 20 minutes of play would see San Jose outshoot Colorado 8-5, as the period was highlighted by a sprawling save from Kinkaid in the final minute to preserve the shutout.
Dell suffered the loss for the Barracuda, allowing four goals on 14 shots, while Mann ended the night with 17 saves on 21 shots.
The Eagles will be back in action when they return home to take on the San Jose Barracuda on Wednesday, March 22nd at 7:05pm MT at the Budweiser Events Center. Tickets for all regular season games are on sale now and start at just $21. You can find more information on ticket packages, theme tickets, and promotional nights, by visiting ColoradoEagles.com or by calling the ticket department at (970) 686-7468.
