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The San Jose Barracuda lost Game One of their series against the Henderson Silver Knights 5-4 in overtime, despite leading 3-1 in the second period. The Barracuda are now facing elimination after failing to capitalize on key moments in the game.
HENDERSON, NV- APRIL 22: against the Silver Knights at Leeās Family Forum on April 22, 2026 in Henderson, Nevada. (Photo by Andreea Cardani/San Jose Barracuda)
HENDERSON, Nev. ā The San Jose Barracuda could have stolen Game One. But now, theyāre on the brink of elimination.
The Barracuda lost the series opener on Wednesday, 5-4 in OT to the Henderson Silver Knights at Leeās Family Forum. They failed to hold a 3-1 second period lead, off Kasper Halttunen, Jimmy Huntington, and Colin White goals, and couldnāt ride a late game-tying Igor Chernyshov power play strike to victory.
Frankly, the Silver Knights outplayed the Barracuda most of the night, outshooting them 39-22, so fairās fair.
Laurent Brossoit kept the Cuda above water for most of the contest, stopping 34-of-39 shots, many high-quality scoring chances.
San Jose must win Game Two on Friday to force a decisive Game Three on Sunday.
Hockey clichƩ, a two-goal lead is the most dangerous lead in the sport.
Itās sounds counterintuitive, but thatās exactly what the Barracudaās two-goal lead felt like.
12:50 into the middle frame, the Barracuda were up 3-1. They had scored on two of their first four shots in the period, a fortunate bounce for Huntington and a power play deflection for White.
But looking deeper, the Cuda were in the midst of a stretch where they being badly outplayed. Over the last 10 minutes, despite the two goals, they had been outshot 16-5.
Whiteās goal wouldāve been a good time to shut it down, but San Jose couldnāt, allowing a Raphael Lavoie goal a minute later. Lavoie outmuscled Luca Cagnoni to the paint.
The final score was 5-4 in favor of the Henderson Silver Knights after overtime.
The Barracuda lost due to failing to maintain a 3-1 lead and being outplayed, with the Silver Knights outshooting them 39-22.
Kasper Halttunen, Jimmy Huntington, and Colin White scored for the Barracuda in Game One.
The Barracuda need to improve their performance and avoid panic to win the next game and stay in the series.

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The Silver Knights would claim 8 of the next 11 shots, scoring three goals along the way to take a 4-3 lead.
āWe didnāt have as much composure as I would have liked with the puck on our stick,ā head coach John McCarthy noted. āI thought breaking the puck out was a struggle.ā
āTheyāre putting a lot of pressure on us,ā Brossoit said, āand guys start to panic a little bit.ā
āWe maybe could have fought the panic a little bit more,ā defenseman Luca Cagnoni admitted.
āWe just gotta keep our composure,ā Huntington said.
It was the same message from everyone post-game: The breakout has to be much better.
Itās not just on the blueliners, but all of them, from top San Jose Sharks prospect Cagnoni to the older Nolan Allan to fresh-from-NCAA Thomas Messineo, struggled to advance the puck tonight.
The Barracuda are done if they canāt play five-man connected next game.
24-7.
From the Lukas Cormier goal that made it 1-1, 17:48 into the first period, to the second Lavoie strike, that made it 4-3, 6:34 into the third period, the Silver Knights outshot the Barracuda 24-7. Thatās almost 30 minutes of game action, honestly unacceptable play at this time of year.
Brossoit did his best to stem the tide, until he couldnāt.
Iām told that defenseman Leo Sahlin Wallenius, just loaned to the San Jose Barracuda from the SHL, arrived in San Jose on Wednesday night. Weāll see when the 2024 San Jose Sharksā second-round pick is ready to suit up for the Barracuda, or if heāll even get the chance to.
The post Game 1 Takeaways: Cuda Need To Fight āPanicā, Sahlin Wallenius Update appeared first on San Jose Hockey Now.