Game Preview: Checkers at Iowa (Oct. 11, 2015)

After a 4-1 win to kick their season off in style on Saturday, the Checkers look to make their opening weekend a perfect one as they play the second of back-to-back games in Iowa tonight. Here are some things to watch for:

1. BEST START … EVER?

After defeating Iowa 4-1 on Saturday, the Checkers are now 3-3-0 in regular-season openers. They’ve only been able to win their first two games on one occasion – an opening-weekend sweep in Oklahoma City in 2013-14. They have never won three in a row to start a season. Last season’s Checkers started with two consecutive regulation losses.

2. BROCK BREAKOUT?

Brock McGinn finished third on last year’s Checkers team with 15 goals, but easily could have had twice that if not for some tough luck around the net. After earning rave reviews from coach Mark Morris at the prospect tournament in Traverse City and a strong NHL training camp that saw him become one of the last cuts to Charlotte, the second-round draft pick in 2013 seemed poised to do big things this season. Two goals in Saturday’s opener was another indicator that McGinn is on the rise.

3. TOLCHINSKY KICKS THINGS OFF

Few rookies have come to Charlotte with as much fanfare as Sergey Tolchinsky, who has set YouTube and various hockey blogs ablaze with his highlight-reel skill. Seriously – watch this, this and, more recently for good measure, this.

The only question was if the 5-foot-8, 169-pound winger could do the same thing against bigger, more mature players in the professional ranks. Scoring an impressive goal five minutes into his first game of the season is a good start towards answering that question. Jaccob Slavin and Tyler Ganly assisted on that goal, making it a trio of first-year players that accounted for the Checkers’ first goal this season.

4. MORRIS CLIMBS THE LADDER

With a win today, new Checkers coach Mark Morris would tie current Anaheim Ducks head coach Bruce Boudreau for ninth all time with 340 AHL victories. Morris, who had only coached in the AHL with Manchester prior to this season, is only 23 wins from moving into sixth place, although Randy Cunneyworth (eighth with 352) is also active.

5. LEADERSHIP BY COMMITTEE

New coach Mark Morris did not name a captain for the season’s opening weekend. Instead, a handful of players will rotate as alternate captains for the time being. On Saturday, T.J. Hensick, Kyle Hagel and Keegan Lowe did the honors. Don’t be surprised if others get a crack at it tonight.

6. WHERE IS DANNY BIEGA?

We’re not really sure, but he might be on his way to Iowa and could potentially be in the lineup to make his season debut this evening. The third-year pro and expected top defenseman on this season’s Checkers team headed to Raleigh following a significant injury to James Wisniewski but did not play in the Hurricanes’ loss to Detroit on Saturday.

Speaking of injuries in Carolina, former Checkers Riley Nash and Victor Rask left Saturday’s game in Raleigh. With the Canes off until Tuesday, corresponding recalls from Charlotte, if required, may not affect today’s game in Iowa.

7. LINEUP CHANGES?

If Biega comes in, odds prior to this weekend would have had Ganly coming out of the lineup based on experience relative to returnees Lowe, Rasmus Rissanen and Trevor Carrick and the fact that fellow freshmen Brett Pesce and Slavin were among final cuts in Raleigh. Having an actual game to assess players (in addition to his assist, Ganly was plus-2 on Saturday) could change prior perceptions.

Healthy extras on Saturday who could draw in if needed or wanted are forwards Erik Karlsson and Carter Sandlak and defenseman Jake Chelios.

8. BACK TO MAC?

Back-to-back games often see teams change goalies, but after setting team records for minutes played and saves made in a single-season last campaign, Drew MacIntyre, who made 22 saves on Saturday, figures to get a heavy workload once again. With this being so early in the season and the Checkers off until beginning the second leg of their season-opening, 10-game road swing in Milwaukee on Friday, the way seems clear for MacIntyre to play ahead of rookie Rasmus Tirronen for the time being, if Morris so desires.

9. BOYCHUK ON THE CUSP

Already the franchise goals leader, Zach Boychuk needs just three points to tie Chris Terry for the Checkers’ all-time points lead. He is also 18 shy of becoming the team’s all-time leader in games played, is 14 shy in assists, is two shy in power-play points and is one game-winner away from becoming the franchise leader in those categories.

By playing Saturday, Boychuk became the only player to play in all six of the Checkers’ season openers. Along with Rissanen, who joined the inaugural 2010-11 team in the final weeks, he is one of just two players to play at least one game with the team in all six seasons.

10. IOWA SUCCESS

Charlotte has won seven of its last nine games against the Wild, including five in a row, and now owns an all-time mark of 6-1-0 in Iowa.

11. RANDOM STATS

Phil Di Giuseppe’s eight shots on goal Saturday were a career high ... McGinn now had three multi-goal games in his AHL career … Keegan Lowe is eight shy of 200 AHL penalty minutes … Justin Shugg recorded his 150th pro point with an assist on T.J. Hensick’s goal on Saturday. He is one shy of 50 AHL goals … Erik Karlsson is one shy of 100 pro games (99 of which were in Sweden).