Game Preview: Checkers at Norfolk (Jan. 21, 2015)

The Checkers kick off their second and final three-in-three of the season tonight as they visit their geographic rival, the Norfolk Admirals.

Having earned points in five of their last seven games, the Checkers enter tonight’s contest looking to keep that momentum rolling and chip away at the deficit in the standings. In their way will be a Norfolk team that, despite losing three of their last four and finding themselves at the bottom of the Eastern Conference, has given Charlotte trouble this year, earning points in three of the four meetings so far.

Following tonight’s game, the Checkers will return home to host the division-leading Oklahoma City Barons tomorrow and Friday.

Charlotte

The Checkers are coming off a huge win last week, avenging a loss the night before by throttling the Marlies 4-1. The victory halted Toronto’s red-hot point streak, which had extended to 10 games by that point, as well as gave the Checkers some momentum heading into the second half of the season. They have earned at least one point in the standings in five of their last seven contests and seem to finally have some momentum.

Tonight’s road contest is the first game away from home since the Checkers enjoyed one of their best road trips of the season. They have struggled incredibly on the road this season, but their last trip saw them trek through the Midwest Division and earn points in three of the four games, including wins over two of the Western Conference’s top-eight teams in Grand Rapids and Rockford. They will try to carry that play over into Norfolk, where they have not had success this season, losing the two games played there so far by a combined score of 7-1.

The Checkers still find themselves near the bottom of the barrel offensively (with Norfolk being the only team with a worse goals per game average), but the addition of some new faces and some line shuffling seems to have given them a boost. The biggest move has been getting Zach Boychuk back. Aside from picking up right where he left of in terms of scoring (2g, 2a in last 4 games), the reigning AHL goals champ is a constant threat any time he is on the ice, drawing the attention of the opponents and hopefully freeing up his line mates for some chances. The line that Boychuk has been inserted in, with the newly healthy Brody Sutter centering Boychuk and current goals leader Justin Shugg, has been lethal in the two games that they’ve been together, contributing three of the five goals in that stretch.

On defense, Michal Jordan has entered the lineup and shored up the blue line. The captain logs a lot of ice time, taking the weight off young players like Dennis Robertson, who had been playing many more minutes than he normally would or should, something that head coach Jeff Daniels wanted to fix. The Checkers will also benefit from the addition of Ryan Murphy to their defensive corps, but Daniels was unsure whether the recently assigned defenseman would play in Norfolk.

In net, Daniels has continued to lean on veteran Drew MacIntyre, who has started five of the last seven games for Charlotte. MacIntyre has impressed in those starts, earning a point in six of seven games. John Muse, who was mired in a winless streak across his last five starts heading into Friday’s contest, looked stellar against Toronto, making 36 saves and snagging his third win of the season, thanks to finally getting some offensive support.

Norfolk

The Admirals have had a rough go of it lately, having gone winless in eight of their last 11 games to slide into last place in the Eastern Conference.

Norfolk has experienced many of the same issues that have plagued the Checkers this season, including a floundering offense. The Admirals rank last in the AHL in terms of goals per game and have been shut out or held to just one goal 10 times this season.

Not helping is the fact that their top scorers are stuck in an inconsistent slump. Brendan Bell, whose 20 points is tied for the team lead alongside rookie Nic Kerdiles, has stayed relatively hot, with four assists in his last seven games, while Kerdiles has been unable to produce, putting up just two points in his last 10 games. Leading goal scorers Louis Leblanc and Chris Wagner each have just a single goal in their last nine and ten games, respectively. Their saving grace could be Emerson Etem, who has nine points (5g, 4a) in the seven games since he was reassigned to Norfolk from Anaheim.

The Admirals goalie situation continues to be a revolving door, with a league-most six netminders making appearances so far this season. Currently, there are three goalies on the Norfolk roster. Jason LaBarbera has seen the most action this season, logging 14 starts. John Gibson has spent most of his season with the Ducks, but has looked solid in his time with the Admirals, going 2-2-2 in his six starts and recording a team-best 0.928 save percentage. The other goalie on the roster is Igor Bobkov, who was recently recalled from his stint with the Utah Grizzlies of the ECHL. Bobkov has struggled in his appearnaces with Norfolk this season, putting up a goals against average north of four and a save percentage south of 0.900 in his seven games.

Checkers Notes

Against Norfolk

Tonight marks the fourth of eight meetings against Norfolk - the only Eastern Conference team the Checkers play this season. Including a 1-2-1 record this season, the Checkers have an all-time mark of 21-15-4 against their former East Division rival. They are 1-5-0 in their last six trips to Norfolk, including losses in each of their last three, yet they retain an all-time mark of 10-8-2 at Norfolk Scope.

Charlotte has won the season series in three of their four previous AHL seasons, with the exception coming in Norfolk's Calder Cup campaign in 2011-12.

Of active Checkers, Brendan Woods leads the team with three points (2g, 1a) against Norfolk this season. John Muse has started three of the four match-ups, going 1-1-1 with a 2.57 goals-against average and .922 save percentage, while Drew MacIntyre stopped 25 of 28 shots in his only appearance agains the Admirals this season - a 4-1 loss at Norfolk on Nov. 26.

Nic Kerdiles leads the Admirals in scoring against the Checkers this season with five points (2g, 3a) in four games. With the since-released Yann Danis playing all four previous match-ups, none of the four goaltenders on Norfolk's current roster - Jason LaBarbera, Etienne Marcoux, Igor Bobkov and John Gibson - have faced the Checkers this season. LaBarbera played 48 games for the ECHL Checkers from 2000-02.

Boychuk's Goals

With an empty-net goal to seal the Checkers' win over Toronto on Jan. 16, Zach Boychuk became the franchise's all-time goals leader with 105, surpassing longtime teammate Chris Terry.

The reigning Willie Marshall award winner as the AHL's top goal scorer with 36 last season, Boychuk also led the league with 18 power-play goals and took home Second-Team All Star honors. One of five players to appear in at least one Checkers game in all five of the team's AHL seasons (Michal Jordan, Rasmus Rissanen, Jared Staal and Terry), he ranks second on the team's all-time list in points (231) and assists (126) and is fifth in games played (249). He is currently two shy of 300 professional points.

In five games since returning from an extended NHL stint with Carolina on Jan. 8, Boychuk has four points (2g, 2a), all of which have come in his last two outings.

Murphy's Helping Hand

Despite not playing for the Checkers since beginning a recently-completed NHL stint on Dec. 30, defenseman Ryan Murphy still leads the Checkers with 17 assists, at least six more than any other player. Murphy, who is set to represent the Checkers at the upcoming AHL All-Star Classic, also still leads the Checkers in power-play assists and points (7) and ranks fourth on the team in scoring even though he has yet to score his first goal of the season.

Murphy, a 21-year-old who the Hurricanes drafted 12th overall in 2011, now has 41 points (3g, 38a) in 48 career AHL games. Last season, he posted a 12-game assist/point streak that marked the longest in franchise history and was the longest by an AHL defenseman since the 2008-09 campaign. He has recorded assists in each of his last five home games (8a), tying the longest active streak in the league (Syracuse's Jonathan Marchessault).

LaRose Takes Over

With an assist on Jan. 15 and the game-winning goal on Jan. 16, Chad LaRose has taken sole posession of the team scoring lead with 21 points (10g, 11a). The alternate captain has put up 10 of those points in his last 13 games (6g, 4a). In addition to being the team's overall points leader, he also leads the team in shorthanded points (three - t-3rd AHL), is tied for second in power-play points (five) and leads the team in shots on goal (95).

LaRose, a 32-year-old veteran of 508 NHL games with Carolina, is playing in the AHL for the first time since 2005-06 after taking last year away from hockey. He now has 105 points (51g, 54a) in 167 career AHL games with Lowell and Charlotte.

MacIntyre Cracks Top 10

Since becoming the 12th goaltender in the AHL's 78-year history to reach 200 wins on Dec. 13, Checkers goalie Drew MacIntyre, who has picked up 12 of the Checkers' 14 wins this season, has picked up four more victories to take sole possession of 10th on the league's all-time wins list.

MacIntyre, a 31-year-old veteran now playing his 12th professional season with his eighth AHL club, is just 28 wins away from tying Frederic Cassivi for fifth on the all-time list. He has a 204-127-24 record, 2.43 goals-against average, .936 save percentage and 16 shutouts in 378 career AHL games dating back to the 2004-05 season. He currently ranks fourth in the league with 722 saves this season.

The Checkers have earned points in six of MacIntyre's last seven starts dating back to Dec. 19 (4-1-2). Including a perfect 3-for-3 performance in Rockford on Jan. 13, he has stopped 13 of 14 shootout attempts this season, helping the Checkers to a 2-1 record despite just two total goals of support.

Road Woes

With a 5-12-3 record on the road this season, the Checkers' 13 points earned away from home this season tie Norfolk for the second-fewest in the AHL behind Rochester (nine). Rochester is the only team with fewer road victories (four).

Despite their relatively poor record for the season, the Checkers have earned points in four of their last six road games (2-2-2) dating back to Dec. 28.

Three-in-Threes

Tonight's game begins the second and final time that the Checkers will play three games in three nights this season. They went 1-2-0 in their other set, a road trip through Milwaukee and Chicago to begin the season on Oct. 10-12. In four previous AHL campaigns, the Checkers had never played fewer than five three-in-three sets over the course of a single season.

The Checkers have an all-time record of 47-31-9 in games that are part of a three-in-three set, including a 16-10-3 mark in game one, a 16-8-5 record in game two and a 15-13-1 showing game three.

Powering Up?

The Checkers went 2-for-3 on the power play in their last game against Toronto, marking the first time they have scored multiple power-play goals in a single game this season. Including that game, they are now 3-for-44 on the power play (6.8 percent) over their last 12 games dating back to Dec. 21 and still rank 30th in the AHL with a season-long percentage of 9.4.

In their previous four AHL seasons, the Checkers never finished lower than fifth in the league in terms of power-play percentage. Their lowest-ever percentage to finish a season was 19.8 percent. The lowest recorded power-play percentage for a season in AHL history is 10.4, set by the Rochester Americans in 2001-02.

Stalled Offense

For the season, the Checkers rank second to last in the AHL with 2.23 goals per game. Excluding goals awarded for shootout victories, they have scored two goals or fewer in 26 of their 40 games this season (5-16-5 record in those games), including nine of their last 11 (3-4-3).

The Checkers are one of just three teams with only a single player over 20 points (LaRose-21) and have the league's lowest combined point total from their top-three scorers (LaRose-21, Shugg-19, Woods-18).

The Checkers have never finished lower than 18th in the league in terms of goals per game. Their lowest-ever average to finish a season was 2.75. The lowest-ever point total for the team's scoring leader at the end of the season was 59 points (Chris Terry - 2011-12).

Streaks

• Zach Boychuk has goals and points in each of his last two games (Jan. 15-16: 2g, 2a)
• Chad LaRose has points in each of his last two games (Jan. 15-16: 1g, 1a)

Ranks

• Kyle Hagel leads the AHL in major penalties (13)
• Chad LaRose is tied for the AHL lead in shorthanded assists (3) and is tied for third in shorthanded points (3)
• Drew MacIntyre ranks fourth in the AHL in saves (722) and is tied for 12th in wins (12)

Injuries

• Gabriel Desjardins - missed seven game starting 1/4
• Beau Schmitz - missed 18 games starting 12/10
• Greg Nemisz - missed 19 games starting 12/8 (out for season)

Milestones

• Alex Aleardi is one shy of 100 professional games
• Brody Sutter is one shy of 150 professional games
• Zach Boychuk is two shy of 300 professional points
• Keegan Lowe is two shy of 100 AHL/professional games
• Ryan Murphy is two shy of 50 AHL games
• John Muse is two shy of 50 AHL wins
• Zach Boychuk became the franchise's all-time goals leader on 1/16
• Justin Shugg recorded his 50th AHL assist on 1/16

Transactions

Incoming

• Jan. 20 - (D) Ryan Murphy reassigned to Charlotte from Carolina (NHL)

Outgoing

• Jan. 16 - (D) Austin Levi assigned to Stockton (ECHL) from Charlotte (AHL)
• Jan. 15 - (LW) Andrew Rowe released from PTO to South Carolina (ECHL)
• Jan. 14 - (C) Andrej Nestrasil recalled to Carolina (NHL) from conditioning stint with Charlotte (AHL)