Game Preview: Checkers at Grand Rapids (April 18, 2015)

The 2014-15 regular season comes to a close tonight as the Checkers play their final game of the campaign in Grand Rapids.

Beset by injuries and playing against teams in the hunt for the Midwest Division title, the Checkers have struggled to start their current three-game road trip with losses of 5-1 and 2-1 in Rockford and Grand Rapids, respectively. Meanwhile, the Griffins can wrap up that crown and potentially finish first in the Western Conference with as little as one point earned tonight.

Charlotte

After finding some success in a six-game home stand that preceded their current road trip, the final week of the season has not gone as hoped.

After suffering from a lopsided score in Rockford on Wednesday, things were much closer in last night’s loss to the Griffins, with Martin Frk breaking a 1-1 tie midway through the third period. It was a valiant effort by Drew MacIntyre (31 saves) and the Checkers defense, which has now held the AHL’s best offensive team to two or fewer goals in four of their seven meetings this season.

Instead, Saturday’s game was lost with a lack of offensive punch, as has been the case so often this season. The Checkers, who are in danger of finishing the season with the fewest goals in the league (they currently have one more than last-placed Norfolk), have scored more than two goals just once in their last seven games.

Injuries have played a role in the recent drought (Zach Boychuk, Brody Sutter and Ben Holmstrom all suffered injuries in the team’s last home game), as has a power play that has reverted to its old ways. After showing signs of life in the second half, it has produced just one goal on its last 26 chances over an active eight-game stretch.

In addition to the three aforementioned players, forward Jared Staal and defenseman Haydn Fleury, the Hurricanes’ 2014 first-round draft choice who was injured after scoring in his professional debut last week, join Greg Nemisz on the injured list. With no forward prospects joining the Checkers from the junior or college ranks for the late-season stretch run, Charlotte has had to rely on a trio of professional tryout signings in Mario Lamoureux, Thomas Frazee and Stephane Pattyn.

Speaking of late-season prospect additions, the recent releases of Carolina prospects Rasmus Tirronen, Daniel Altshuller and Alex Nedeljkovic have the Checkers down to their two rocks in goal – MacIntyre and John Muse. The team has one extra on defense in the form of ATO signing Josh Wesley, who awaits his professional debut.

Grand Rapids

In addition to wanting to enter the postseason on a high note in their attempt to win their second Calder Cup in three years, the Grand Rapids Griffins also have divisional bragging rights and an extension of home-ice advantage on the line tonight.

Depending on tonight’s results, the Griffins, currently second in the conference with 100 points, could clinch the top spot with a win (depending on what happens in Utica’s game) or fall to fourth with a loss that could allow Midwest Division rival Rockford to overtake them. All three teams will play their final game of the season tonight.

Though the Griffins have a chance to finish the season as the AHL’s best offensive team (they currently have one more goal than another high-flying Western Conference team in San Antonio), the Checkers will hope to continue to hold the likes of scoring leader Andy Miele (68 points) at bay while the next-most-dangerous skaters, Teemu Pulkkinen and Landon Ferraro, help the parent Red Wings in their first-round playoff series with Tampa Bay.

Even if they do that, the Checkers will still have to find ways to solve either Tom McCollum or Jared Coreau, each of whom have had success against the Checkers this season. McCollum is 3-0-1 with a 1.45 goals-against average and .945 save percentage against Charlotte, while Jared Coreau is 1-1-0 with a 1.52 GAA and .943 SV%.

Checkers Notes

Against Grand Rapids

Tonight's game concludes the 2014-15 regular season and the eight-game season series between Charlotte and Grand Rapids, with the Griffins winning five meetings so far. Six of the seven games have been decided by a single goal, including four that ended with scores of 2-1.

Charlotte holds an all-time record of 10-8-1 against the Griffins and a 5-3-1 mark in Grand Rapids.

Brendan Woods (2g, 1a) and Alex Aleardi (1g, 2a) lead all Checkers skaters against Grand Rapids this season with three points each in seven and six games, respectively. Andy Miele has paced the Griffins this season with five points (1g, 4a) in six games against the Checkers.

In goal, Drew MacIntyre has played all seven games for the Checkers, going 2-4-1 with a goals-against average of 2.26 and a save percentage of .935. For Grand Rapids, Tom McCollum has gone 3-0-1 with a 1.45 GAA and a .945 SV% against Charlotte, while Jared Coreau is 1-1-0 with a 1.52 GAA and .943 SV%.

Man of the Year

The American Hockey League honored Checkers forward Kyle Hagel with the Yanick Dupre Award for outstanding contributions to the community in a surprise ceremony prior to their April 11 home game against Rockford. It marked the first league award for Hagel, who has captured five team awards from five different teams (Rockford, Peoria, Hamilton, Portland) in his five AHL seasons.

Hagel leads the Checkers and ranks 21st in the AHL with 154 penalty minutes. He ranks fourth in the AHL with 22 major penalties, all of which are fighting majors. He recorded his second goal of the season with the Checkers' lone tally in Grand Rapids on Friday.

Offensive Struggles

Including two consecutive one-goal performances to begin the final week of the season, the Checkers have scored two goals or fewer in seven of their last eight games. Their 2-1 loss in Grand Rapids on Saturday marked just their fourth regulation loss of the season when allowing two goals or fewer (26-4-2).

Charlotte's 2-0 loss to Rockford exactly one week ago was their sixth shutout of the season, tying a single-season franchise record set in 2011-12. It was their first at home since April 6, 2013 (Milwaukee), with each of the team's eight shutouts since then all taking place on the road. Charlotte is the only AHL team that has yet to record a shutout of its own.

The Checkers currently rank 29th in the AHL with an average of 2.20 goals per game (165 goals) and head into their season's final day with just one more goal than 30th-place Norfolk (164 goals, 2.19 average). In their four previous AHL seasons, the Checkers' lowest ranking was 18th in the league with an average of 2.75 goals per game.

MacIntyre's Workload

Checkers goalie Drew MacIntyre, who has played in 12 of the team's last 16 games, has broken Justin Pogge's franchise record for games played by a goaltender in a single season (48 in 2010-11). He now ranks fifth in the AHL with 50 games played, his most since setting a personal record with 55 games played for Milwaukee in 2008-09, and is third in the league with a new career high of 1,425 saves.

MacIntyre's most recent victory in Norfolk on March 25 was the 211th of his career, moving him into a tie with Nick Damore for ninth in AHL history. He is now just 21 away from tying Frederic Cassivi for fifth. MacIntyre, a 31-year-old veteran now playing his 12th professional season with his eighth AHL club, has a 211-143-26 record, 2.48 goals-against average, .934 save percentage and 16 shutouts in 403 career AHL games dating back to the 2004-05 season.

Though he has yet to record a shutout, MacIntyre has won five games by a 2-1 score. He owns a .920 save percentage in overtime games this season (46 saves on 50 shots) and has stopped 21 of 23 in the shootout. He is tied for second in the league in shootout victories this season (4-1 record).

LaRose's Shorty Success

With his goal on April 3, Chad LaRose is now tied for second in the AHL lead with five shorthanded points. That also establishes a new franchise single-season record, snapping the previous mark of four, set by both Brett Sutter and Chris Terry during the 2010-11 season. Three of LaRose's shorthanded points this season have been helpers, tying him for the league lead in that category.

LaRose now ranks fourth on the Checkers all-time shorthanded points list. He has factored in on five of the team's eight shorthanded goals this season - a total that is five more than its league-low total from last season.

Carrick Lights It Up

Rookie Trevor Carrick currently leads all Charlotte defensemen in goals (seven), assists (21) and points (28), all of which are new records for a Checkers rookie defenseman. Of his five multi-point outings this season, four occurred during the month of March.

Carrick is currently tied for third on the team in scoring and leads the team in assists. Eleven of his assists have come on the power play, a total that leads the Checkers, is tied for fourth among all AHL rookies and is first among AHL rookie defensemen.

A fourth-round pick in 2012, the 20-year-old Carrick put up 51 points in his final season of junior last year, split between Mississauga and Sudbury, and ranked second among OHL defensemen in goals (22).

Eliminated

The Checkers have been mathematically eliminated from playoff contention. This will be the third time in Checkers' five seasons as an AHL franchise in which they did not qualify for the Calder Cup Playoffs and the first time that they have missed the postseason in back-to-back years.

With the potential to finish the season with no more than 69 points and no higher than 13th place in their conference by winning tonight, this season will mark the lowest point total and lowest ranking of any of the Checkers' five AHL seasons. The previous records were set last season, when the team finished with 77 points, good for 11th in the Western Conference.

Streaks

• Danny Biega has taken a penalty in each of his last four games (10 PIM)

Quick Hits

• The Checkers are 1-for-26 on the power play (3.8 percent) over their last eight games.
• The Checkers are 25-for-26 on the penalty kill (96.2 percent) over their last six games.
• Patrick Brown ranks tied for second among AHL rookies in shorthanded assists and is tied for fifth in shorthanded points (2).
• Phil Di Giuseppe leads the Checkers and is tied for third among AHL rookies in shots on goal (170).
• The Checkers' 26 points earned on the road (11-22-4) ties them with Rochester for fewest in the AHL.

Injuries

• Ben Holmstrom - missed two games starting 4/15
• Brody Sutter - missed two games starting 4/15
• Zach Boychuk - missed two games starting 4/15
• Haydn Fleury - missed two games starting 4/15
• Jared Staal - missed four games starting 4/11
• Greg Nemisz - missed 54 games starting 12/8

Milestones

• Keegan Lowe is eight shy of 200 AHL/pro PIM
• Justin Shugg is two shy of 50 AHL goals
• Brendan Woods is seven shy of 150 AHL/pro PIM

Transactions

Incoming

• April 14 - (C) Stephane Pattyn signed to amateur tryout contract from North Dakota (NCAA)
• April 14 - (C) Thomas Frazee signed to professional tryout contract from Greenville (ECHL)
• April 14 - (C) Mario Lamoureux signed to professional tryout contract from Quad City (ECHL)
• April 12 - (D) Keegan Lowe reassigned to Charlotte from Carolina (NHL)

Outgoing

• April 14 - (D) Brett Pesce released from ATO
• April 14 - (G) Rasmus Tirronen released from ATO
• April 14 - (G) Daniel Altshuller assigned to Florida (ECHL)