The Tucson Roadrunners looked like a team with deep playoffs ambitions Wednesday night, beating San Jose 6-0 in Game 3 of the first round in the Calder Cup playoffs.
A similar performance Friday would push Tucson into the next round.
The Roadrunners lead the best-of-five game series 2-1 following the shutout victory Wednesday in which Tucson scored six goals from six different players.
“I don’t want to give away what we did, but I thought offensively we hung on to the puck a little more and didn’t punt as many pucks,” coach Mike Van Ryn said. “We weren’t our own enemy as much as we have been in the past.”
The six-goal advantage was the team’s largest margin of victory all season.
Defense and goaltending proved to be key differences Wednesday. Tucson goalie Adin Hill was nearly flawless, saving everything that came his way.
“It really felt like we were working as one,” forward Lawson Crouse said. “Our defense did a great job that allowed us to create turnovers in the neutral zone and attack. We were pretty fortunate we buried our chances last night.”
The Barracuda will have to decide whether to start goalie Antoine Bibeau, who allowed five goals on 15 shots Wednesday before getting pulled in the second period. Backup Stephon Williams allowed one goal over the game’s final 26 minutes. Bibeau was an AHL All-Star this season.
Dylan Strome has been the guiding force for Tucson offensively through the first three games, accounting for three goals in the first two games before providing three assists in Game 3.
Depth, of course, also played an important factor in Tucson’s dominant win. Twelve Roadrunners contributed at least one point (a goal or an assist) while four players notched multiple points.
Tucson controlled the puck in the game’s opening period, preventing San Jose from even getting off a shot over the first 16 minutes.
“That was huge, especially in front of that home crowd which was amazing,” forward Carter Camper said. “To jump early and get them into it and keep them into it throughout the game was definitely a big turning point in that game.”
San Jose outshot Tucson 18-13 over the last two periods.
The Roadrunners will host another “white out” on Friday, with every fan in attendance receiving a free t-shirt. The club drew 4,799 on Wednesday, and attendance is expected to be higher for what could be a decisive Game 4. Should San Jose win, the teams would play a winner-take-all Game 5 on Saturday night.
The Texas Stars await the winner of Tucson’s series.
“No matter who you’re playing it’s tough to close teams out,” Crouse said. “For San Jose, their season is on the line so they’re going to come ready to play. We know that we have to come back and put the best start out there and then build off of it.”
