Game Preview: Checkers at Iowa (Oct. 21, 2016)

After a tough start in Texas, the Checkers are back in action, preparing for a two-game set against their division rivals, the Iowa Wild.

Here are 11 things to watch for this weekend in Iowa.

1. STILL SEARCHING

The Checkers are still looking for their first win of the season as they head into Iowa.

This only marks the second time in their seven AHL seasons that the Checkers have begun the season with back-to-back losses, with the only other instance coming in 2014-15.

No Checkers team has ever begun the season with three consecutive losses.

2. BOUNCING BACK

Though the final scores of the first weekend of the season weren’t pretty, there has been a strong sense at practice this week that the team is prepared to brush that off and move on.

“It’s early on, we can’t get down on ourselves,” said Andrew Poturalski earlier in the week. “We need to just keep playing our game. We just need to stick to it, fix a few minor things and we’ll be fine.”

That’s just what the Checkers did this week, buckling down at practice and working out the kinks that showed up over the weekend.

“We continued to work on our team structure,” said head coach Ulf Samuelsson after Wednesday’s practice. “We were a lot better in many areas in the second game. There were a few areas in our defensive zone coverage that we worked on today. So those were the main areas we focused on.”

Samuelsson also mentioned that the team had a “pretty good run-through” of their power play units after going 0-for-7 with the man advantage on Saturday.

Heading into Iowa this weekend, there’s no shortage of optimism and confidence that the team will be able to bounce back.

”I think we’ve got a really good team,” said netminder Michael Leighton. “I think we just need to work together and start gelling together as a team. We have a lot of skill, great defense and great goaltending. I think when we start playing together as a team and really show other teams what we can do, we’ll be deadly.”

3. BETWEEN THE PIPES

Goaltender Alex Nedeljkovic was thrown right into the fire last weekend, getting tapped for the start both nights in Texas. The rookie had two tough outings, exiting Friday’s contest after the first period and surrendering seven goals on 41 shots overall.

Still, the coaching staff isn’t looking too hard at the numbers.

“I think when you take a look at the goals they scored in those particular games, there was very little help for [Nedeljkovic],” said Samuelsson. “There weren’t really any bad goals. But it’s still a matter of shaking it off. He has to control what he can.”

The key for this weekend will be moving past the Texas games mentally.

“Obviously when you get pulled like that, it’s something you have to get over,” said Samuelsson. “But that’s what goalies do. The good ones have short-term memories.”

“The biggest thing is just being myself and playing my game,” said Nedeljkovic. “When I felt calm and relaxed things came easy but when I started overthinking things and I got in my head, that’s when we ran into trouble. But you learn from it. You learn more from your failures than you do your successes. We have to put it behind us and move on to Iowa this weekend.”

4. POTURALSKI COMES OUT FIRING

Andrew Poturalski is off to a strong start in his first pro season. The 22-year-old has lit the lamp in each of the Checkers’ two games this season, giving him a share of the lead among league rookies. Poturalski is tied for fourth on the team in shots on goal, and led the team with five in the season opener against Texas.

“Everyone knows the book on him offensively,” said head coach Ulf Samuelsson earlier this week at practice. “He’s capable, he has high end skill. But I’m excited about the way he played away from the puck.”

6. BRICK(LEY) SQUAD

Connor Brickley has proved to be a lucrative acquisition for the Checkers through the first two games. The forward has notched an assist in each of the first two contests, including one on Patrick Brown’s shorthanded tally on Saturday.

He’s kept his hot streak rolling from last year, as he has a point in six straight games dating back to last season and 19 points (7g, 12a) in his last 19 games.

7. HOMESICK

The Checkers ended their 2015-16 campaign on a slump away from home, dropping three straight down the stretch to narrowly miss the postseason.

That slide has carried over into this season, as the team lost each of its first two contests in Texas to extend the losing streak to five. Dating back to last season, Charlotte is 5-11-3 in its last 19 road tilts.

8. RUNNING WILD AGAINST IOWA

The good news for the Checkers is that they’ll have the chance to get back on track with an Iowa team that they have historically enjoyed success against.

After going 5-1-2 against them last season, the Checkers now hold a 13-5-2-0 record all time against their Central Division foes. They have been particularly strong on the road against the Wild, as the Checkers have earned at least one point in the standings in eight of their 10 meetings all time in Iowa.

The combo of Derek Ryan and Brock McGinn dominated Iowa a season ago, with the former putting up eight points (2g, 6a) in eight games and the latter pumping in five goals in the same amount of games. On the other side, Jordan Schroeder went off for eight points (3g, 5a) in just five games against the Checkers, while Zach Mitchell turned in six goals in eight games and Christoph Bertschy recorded seven points in eight games, including one hat trick.

Despite the lopsided overall record, the Wild have won each of the last two meetings between the clubs and three of the last four, though two of those came in overtime.

9. FIGHT TALLY

The AHL has implemented a rule this season to limit the number of fights. Under the new rule, a player’s 10th fighting major on the season will earn him a one-game suspension, with the suspensions accumulating for each subsequent fighting major.

Through the first two games of the season, Kyle Hagel is the only Checkers player to register a fight, dropping the gloves with Texas’ Dustin Stevenson in the season opener.

10. APPROACHING MILESTONES

• Trevor Carrick – 2 shy of 150 AHL games
• Matt Tennyson – 1 shy of 50 AHL assists
• Brock McGinn – 2 shy of 150 pro games
• Mitchel Heard – 3 shy of 50 pro assists
• Connor Brickley – 3 shy of 50 pro assists
• Jake Chelios – 3 shy of 50 AHL points
• Patrick Dwyer – 2 shy of 300 AHL games

11. TUNE IN

Be sure to join Jason Shaya 15 minutes before puck drop tonight for the pregame show. Don’t forget to tweet him (@Jason_Shaya) during the game with any questions or comments!