Game Preview: Checkers at Iowa (March 21, 2015)

The Checkers look to put two rough games behind them as they make their final visit to the West Division Iowa Wild tonight.

Fresh off two impressive 2-1 wins over the high-flying Grand Rapids Griffins and Oklahoma City Barons, Charlotte took a major step back in a 6-1 loss in an Oklahoma City rematch and a 9-3 loss in San Antonio on Tuesday. Those are three of the top four teams in the Western Conference, while tonight's opponent, Iowa, occupies the 15th and final spot.

Tonight's game and tomorrow's rematch will put the Checkers five games into a season-long, six-game road swing. They will briefly return home before finishing that stretch in Norfolk on Wednesday.

Charlotte

The Checkers' last two games were among their most lopsided defeats of the season. The nine goals allowed on Tuesday were a franchise record, and the 15 total goals allowed are the most they’ve given up in any two-game stretch this season.

It is no secret that the Checkers’ blue line has been ravaged as of late, and it took another hit this week. With Danny Biega earning his first recall and making his NHL debut Thursday night in Montreal, the Checkers were left with just five healthy defensemen. Mike Cornell, who is with the team on a professional tryout contract, is the most veteran member of the defensive corps, but only has 73 AHL games under his belt, while rookie Trevor Carrick has taken over as the de-facto top defenseman. Carrick has found his offensive groove here late in his rookie campaign, with nine points in his last nine games. Along with leading all team defensemen, his 23 points (6g, 17a) are the most by a Checkers rookie blue liner, breaking Ryan Murphy’s record.

Should Biega not return from Carolina in time for tonight's game, the Checkers would need another PTO signing to field a full lineup of six defensemen. Though the injured Keegan Lowe has begun skating with a yellow-contact jersey, head coach Jeff Daniels still has Lowe out for at least another week.

On the offensive side of the puck, the Checkers will without Ben Holmstrom this weekend, as he was handed a two-game suspension from the AHL as a result of the match penalty he received Tuesday in San Antonio. Without Holmstrom, the Checkers will most likely be forced to go with no healthy extras, putting both Carter Sandlak and Alex Aleardi in the lineup. They could, however, see the return of Chad LaRose. LaRose, who has missed the last 11 games after getting hurt on the team’s trip to Toronto, was a full participant at practice on Wednesday, and Daniels said they would be taking it day by day.

While the Checkers’ offense has been fairly quiet during this last stretch, recording two or fewer goals in four of their last five games, a few players have been heating up. Brendan Woods has regained some of his touch, pumping in four goals in his last five games, while rookie blue liner Dennis Robertson has put up five points in his last six. The team’s goal and points leader, Justin Shugg, has seven points in his last nine games, and Zach Boychuk has eight in his last 11.

In goal, Drew MacIntyre has been under fire as of late, losing each of his last two appearances and allowing 13 goals in the process. In the four games prior to that, however, the veteran had looked strong, going 3-1 with eight total goals allowed. His counterpart, John Muse, started the last contest against San Antonio but was pulled after giving up two goals on three shots three minutes into the game. MacIntyre has started to take the bulk of the starts again, getting the nod for four of the last six contests.

Iowa

It has been a rough season for the Wild, as they sit in last place in the AHL, six points behind the next team, Bridgeport.

The Wild have shown a bit of a spark during this last stretch, however, earning points in five of their last seven games. Tyler Graovac leads the team in scoring by a large margin and has turned it on as of late, with seven points in eight games. Michael Keranen ranks second on the team in scoring and his 25 helpers lead the Wild.

Iowa’s biggest strength in this rough season has been their power play, which ranks near the middle of the pack in the AHL. Leading the way there have been Graovac’s 15 power-play points and Jonathon Blum’s 14. Blum has also come up with four points in his last six games. 

Blum has anchored an Iowa blue line that is without some of its biggest contributors. With Matt Dumba starring for Minnesota in the NHL and Danny Syvret released from his PTO, Blum is the only one remaining on the roster of the team’s top three scoring defensemen.

Johan Gustafsson and John Curry have shared the Iowa crease this season, each appearing in 31 games. Curry has put up the better numbers, with his 11-16-1 record holding a slight edge over Gustafsson’s 8-18-1 mark and both his goals against average and save percentage eclipsing those of Gustafsson’s.

Curry has gotten the starting nod in each of the team’s last six contests, putting up a respectable 3-2-1 record.

Checkers Notes

Against The Wild

Tonight is the seventh of the eight-game series against division rivals Charlotte and Iowa that concludes with tomorrow evening's rematch. Including a 4-2-0 mark this season and a 3-1-0 record in Iowa, Charlotte has an all-time record of 6-4-0 against the Wild. All 10 meetings between the two clubs have been decided in regulation.

Of active Checkers players, Brock McGinn (4g, 1a) and Brendan Woods (2g, 3a) are tied for the team lead in scoring against Iowa with five points apiece. Chad LaRose, who is now day-to-day with an upper-body injury, has six points (4g, 2a) in six contests. Drew MacIntyre has started four games, going 3-1-0 with a 1.76 goals-against average and .941 save percentage, while John Muse is 1-1-0 with a 2.53 GAA and .921 SV% against the Wild.

Tyler Graovac leads the Wild in scoring for the season and against the Checkers with six points (1g, 5a) in six games. John Curry has gone 1-2-0 in his four starts with a goals against average of 3.85 and a save percentage of .842. Johan Gustafsson has faced the Checkers three times, going 1-1-0 with a 2.30 GAA and .930 SV%.

Home And Road

The Checkers, who are in the midst of a season-long, six-game road swing, have lost six of their last eight road games to fall to 8-20-4 away from home this season. Their 20 points earned on the road are the fewest of any AHL team. Meanwhile, the Checkers are 17-13-2 at home, including wins in six of their last eight games.

The Checkers have a -51 goal differential on the road (59 goals for, 110 against) and a -5 goal differential at home (83 goals for, 88 against). All five shutouts the Checkers have suffered this season occurred on the road.

Carrick Lights It Up

Rookie defenseman Trevor Carrick has found his scoring touch of late, recording nine points (2g, 7a) in his last nine games. He currently leads all Charlotte blueliners in goals (six) and points (23), both of which are new records for a Checkers roookie defenseman. Of his four multi-point outings this season, three have occurred during the month of March.

Carrick is currently tied for fourth on the team in points. His 17 assists are tied with Ryan Murphy for the team lead.

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).

One to Forget

A 9-3 loss in the Checkers' most recent game at San Antonio on March 17 set a new franchise record for goals allowed, breaking the old mark of eight set four times previously. The team's five goals allowed in the third period tied the franchise record for a single period set three times previously, most recently in an 8-5 loss to Oklahoma City on Feb. 7, 2014.

The six-goal loss margin tied the second-largest in team history and the largest of the season (an 8-2 loss to Texas on Nov. 8). The largest margin of defeat in team history is seven goals, set in an 8-1 loss to Hershey on Nov. 14, 2013.

Woods Heats Up

Checkers forward Brendan Woods has four goals in his last five games, including his second career two-goal performance in the team's most recent game at San Antonio on March 17. Woods fired a career-high eight shots in that game, and his two goals were the first power-play goals of his pro career.

With 25 points (13g, 12a) in 56 games, Woods, now in his second professional season, has more than tripled the eight points he recorded in 42 games last season. He currently ranks third on the team in points (25) and goals (13).

MacIntyre's Workload

Checkers goalie Drew MacIntyre ranks fourth in the AHL with 2,485 minutes played and is second with 1,233 saves. He would only need to appear in five of the team's last 12 games to tie the franchise record for games played by a goaltender in a single season (48 by Justin Pogge in 2010-11).

MacIntyre has made 40 or more saves seven times this season, including twice in his last five starts. Though he has yet to record a shutout, he has won five games by a 2-1 score. He owns a .933 save percentage in overtime games this season (42 saves on 45 shots) and has stopped 21 of 23 in the shootout. He is tied for the league lead in shootout victories this season (4-1 record).

MacIntyre, a 31-year-old veteran now playing his 12th professional season with his eighth AHL club, ranks 10th on the league's all-time wins list with 209 and is just 23 wins away from tying Frederic Cassivi for fifth. He has a 209-139-25 record, 2.48 goals-against average, .935 save percentage and 16 shutouts in 396 career AHL games dating back to the 2004-05 season.

Shugg Takes Over

By scoring 12 points (4g, 8a) in his last 16 outings, Justin Shugg has taken over the Checkers' leads in goals (17, a new career high) and points (33). He is also just one away from tying Trevor Carrick and Ryan Murphy for the team lead in assists (17).

Shugg, 23, now ranks sixth on the franchise's all-time points list with 105 points (45g, 60a) in 200 games played. He needs five more to pass Jerome Samson and move into the top five.

Powering Up

The Checkers have scored a power-play goal in nine of their last 12 games dating back to Feb. 22, going 11-for-48 (22.9 percent) during that time. As a result, their power play has risen out of the league's lowest-ranked spot it had occupied since Dec. 14 and now ranks 27th in the AHL at 12.9 percent.

Tuesday's game in San Antonio marked the fifth time the Checkers have scored multiple power-play goals in a single game this season. All five of those instances have come since Jan. 16.

Shootout Success

Charlotte's six shootout appearances and five shootout victories this season are tied for the second-highest totals in the league in both categories. Meanwhile, the Checkers are 2-5 in games decided during the seven-minute overtime period.

The Checkers have found success in the shootout by scoring seven goals on 26 attempts (.269, 12th AHL). Meanwhile, their goaltending tandem of Drew MacIntyre (21 saves on 23 attempts) and John Muse (three saves on four attempts) have given the Checkers the third-best save percentage in the league at .889 percent. In MacIntyre's only shootout loss of the season, he stopped seven of eight while receiving no goals of support.

The Checkers' top scorers in the shootout this season are rookie Brock McGinn (two goals on three attempts) and overall scoring leader Justin Shugg (two goals, both game-winners, on five attempts). Among AHL rookies, McGinn is tied for the league lead in shootout goals and ranks tied for second among AHL in shootout percentage (66.7). Shugg is tied for the AHL lead in shootout-winning goals.

Quick Hits

• After allowing two total goals in wins over Grand Rapids and Oklahoma City, the Checkers have allowed 15 total goals in their last two games - losses to Oklahoma City and San Antonio.
• The Checkers will play tonight's game without all three of their captains from the beginning of the season - Michal Jordan, Ben Holmstrom and Greg Nemisz - for the first time this season.
• Following a stretch in which they allowed just two power-play goals in 12 games (31-for-33: 93.9 percent) from Feb. 16-March 12, the Checkers have allowed six goals in their last three games since March 14 (14-for-20: 70 percent).
• Kyle Hagel is tied for second in the league with 20 major penalties.
• The Checkers are the only AHL team that has yet to record a shutout.
• Phil Di Giuseppe ranks fifth among AHL rookies with 140 shots on goal.

Streaks

• Chad LaRose has points in each of his last three games (Feb. 18-22: 2g, 2a)
• Brendan Woods has goals and points in each of his last two games (March 15-17: 3g, 0a)

Injuries

• Keegan Lowe - missed nine games starting 2/27
• Chad LaRose - missed 11 games starting 2/25
• Greg Nemisz - missed 43 games starting 12/8 (out for season)

Suspensions

• Ben Holmstrom will serve the first of a two-game suspension as a result of a match penatly for high sticking

Milestones

• Kyle Hagel is one shy of 1,000 pro PIM
• Jared Staal is three shy of 50 pro points and one shy of 100 AHL PIM
• Mike Cornell is seven shy of 200 AHL PIM
• Justin Shugg played his 200th AHL game on March 17
• Sean Dolan played his 150th AHL game on March 17
• Brendan Woods played his 100th AHL game on March 17
• Zach Boychuk recorded his 200th AHL penalty minute on March 17

Transactions

Incoming

• None

Outgoing

• March 18 - (D) Danny Biega recalled to Carolina (NHL) from Charlotte