Game Preview: Checkers at Lehigh Valley (April 7, 2023)

The Checkers kicked off their road trip on the right foot Wednesday, and now they’re looking to keep that momentum going with a back-to-back set against the Phantoms and Bears.

QUICK HITS

PLAYOFF PICTURE

Wednesday’s win over the Penguins was a big boost for the Checkers, moving their magic number down to three heading into the weekend.

There are three scenarios in which the Checkers could officially clinch a playoff berth on Friday night - each of which hinge on the game between the Wolf Pack and Islanders that also starts at 7 p.m.

• Charlotte beats Lehigh Valley and the Hartford-Bridgeport game ends in regulation
• Charlotte beats Lehigh Valley and Bridgeport loses to Hartford in overtime or a shootout
• Charlotte loses in overtime or a shootout to Lehigh Valley and Bridgeport loses in regulation to Hartford

The Checkers are currently tied for the number-three slot in the division with the Springfield Thunderbirds. The third and fourth place teams will earn home-ice advantage during the best-of-three opening round of the playoffs where they will play the sixth and fifth place teams, respectively.

CARLSSON CHASES HISTORY

Lucas Carlsson lit the lamp once again on Wednesday, giving him his 19th goal of the season. Having already claimed the franchise record for goals in a season by a defenseman, Carlsson needs one more tally to become just the 10th AHL defenseman to hit the 20-goal mark since 2004-05.

Carlsson is also sitting at 49 points on the year, one shy of the franchise single-season record for a blue liner - a mark originally set by now assistant coach Bobby Sanguinetti in 2011-12.

BACK ON TRACK

Charlotte’s win over Wilkes-Barre/Scranton snapped what had been a five-game winless skid - a spiral that was tied for the team’s longest of the season. Wednesday’s victory, paired with forcing Springfield to overtime in each of their last two matchups, flips the script for the Checkers and puts them on a three-game points streak. At 4-3-2-1 in their most recent stretch, the Checkers have claimed a point in the standings in seven of their last 10 contests.

The road has been kind to the Checkers this season, as they are 19-9-2-1 away from home thus far, and since Dec. 29 they are a staggering 15-3-1-0 in road contests.

AGAINST THE PHANTOMS

The Phantoms may be trailing the Checkers in the standings, but the two squads have been trading blows all season. Charlotte is 3-3-0-0 against Lehigh Valley thus far, but a scheduling quirk means that four of those six meetings came over an eight-day span in early December. After going 1-3-0-0 in that smattering of contests, the Checkers won both of their matchups against the Phantoms since - a two-game set at home in mid-February.

While the Checkers enter Friday’s contest trying to right the ship, the Phantoms come in having won four of their last five contests.

COMING IN

CLT: 1-2-2-0 in last five games

LHV: 4-1-0-0 in last five games

WHO TO WATCH

CLT

Lucas Carlsson - 22 points in last 17 games

Zac Dalpe - 4 points in last 2 games

Riley Nash - 4 points in last 4 games

LHV

Bobby Brink - 3 points in last 3 games

Artem Anisimov - 7 points in last 6 games

Tyson Foerster - 6 points in last 5 games

TUNE IN

Tonight's game starts at 7:05 p.m. You can tune in to the broadcast with a subscription to the league’s streaming platform AHLTV - home broadcast only.

The radio broadcast will be available via the Checkers app on iPhone or Android.

Additionally, our friends over at Ed's Tavern on 2200 Park Road are going to be showing the game on their TVs!