Game Preview: Checkers at Oklahoma City (April 6, 2014)

Having fallen out of a playoff spot with their second loss in as many days, the Checkers can get right back in with a win in this evening’s game against Oklahoma City.

A 1-0 loss to the Barons on Saturday completed a day in which the Checkers fell from eighth to 10th in the Western Conference, with the Barons passing them based on that head-to-head victory and Rochester picking up a dramatic late victory against Toronto. With Rockford losing later that night, just a single point currently separates seventh from 10th in the race, with the Checkers having an opportunity to surge to the head of that pack today.

The Checkers, 8-2-1 in their season series with Oklahoma City that concludes today, will have just four games remaining in their regular season after today’s match-up.

Charlotte

The margin for error has become increasingly smaller as the games become more meaningful, with just one goal allowed on Saturday enough to mean the difference between being above or below the cutoff line for the time being.

That game marked just the third time that the Checkers, who scored goals with regularity in a successful month of March, have failed to find the back of the net this season. Richard Bachman’s 31 saves, most of which seemingly came in a final five minutes of regulation spent entirely in his crease, limited the Checkers to just two goals in the first two games of their road trip.

Should the Checkers lose again tonight, it would mark the first pointless three-in-three in team history and second without a victory. In 27 previous occurrences, they went 0-2-1 one time.

Tonight’s game won’t necessarily be any easier, with the Barons, who were off Friday, only playing for the second time in as many nights. Should they play as expected, today would be a four-in-four for Zach Boychuk and Chris Terry, who played in Carolina’s win over Dallas on Thursday. It would be a rare three-in-three for a goaltender if the Checkers return to John Muse, who made 34 saves on Saturday.

Though it won two shootouts against Oklahoma City just last weekend, Charlotte has come up on the wrong side of a battle between two of the AHL’s top four power plays in recent meetings. C.J. Stretch’s tally on Saturday gave them one power-play goal in each of the last three meetings (3-for-14; 21.4 percent), while the Checkers are 0-for-8.

If the Checkers, who will be relieved to stay in the same city after having to endure a nightmare bus trip between Friday and Saturday’s games, feel as though they need to provide rest for a player or two, recent college additions Phil Di Giuseppe, a forward, and Dennis Robertson, a defenseman, await their professional debuts. Forwards Greg Nemisz, Aaron Palushaj and Brendan Woods remain out due to injury.

Oklahoma City

Despite a lineup depleted by injuries and call-ups, the Barons, who picked up a pair of points in Charlotte last week, continue to find ways to have success against the Checkers when it matters most.

With Mark Arcobello (28 points in 15 games), scoring leader and captain Anton Lander, center Will Acton, winger Tyler Pitlick and rugged forward Steve Pinizzotto all out, the Barons used five players who were playing either their first or second professional games on Saturday. With that in mind, the home team did a good job of limiting Charlotte’s chances for much of the game until Bachman stole the show with 14 saves in the third period.

Given what’s at stake and how heavily the Barons have used him this season (he leads the league in saves made and ranks third in minutes played), Bachman will almost certainly make another appearance today, which would mark his 38th in the team’s last 42 games. Against the Checkers this season, he is 3-4-2 with a 2.72 goals-against average and .918 save percentage.

After losing each of the first six meetings against the Checkers this season, Oklahoma City has rebounded with points in each of the last five (2-0-3). Each of the last four were decided by one goal, including Saturday’s shutout and three overtime/shootout games that preceded it.

Checkers Notes

Against Oklahoma City

The Checkers' 12-game season series against Oklahoma City that concludes tonight ties the longest in team history (Norfolk in 2010-11). Charlotte is 8-2-1 against the Barons this season, a record that marks the most wins it has ever earned against a single opponent in a single season. The old record of seven was set when the team went 7-3-2 against Norfolk in 2010-11 and 7-0-1 against Peoria in 2012-13. Not including playoffs (Oklahoma City defeated the Checkers 3-2 in last season's first round), Charlotte holds an all-time record of 17-7-3 against the Barons.

Zach Boychuk and Aaron Palshaj lead the Checkers with 12 points against the Barons this season, with Chris Terry close behind with 11. John Muse is 5-2-0 with a 2.14 goals-againast average and .940 save percentage in the season series, while Mike Murphy is 2-1-0 with a 3.30 GAA and .895 SV%.

Checkers forwards Matt Marquardt and Philippe Cornet are both former Barons, with Cornet representing them in the 2011-12 All-Star Game. Defenseman Keegan Lowe's father, Kevin Lowe, is a member of the parent Edmonton Oilers' front-office staff, while forward Brody Sutter's father, Duane Sutter, is an Oilers scout.

Barons forwards Matthew Ford and Steve MacIntyre both played for Charlotte during its ECHL era.

Playoff Picture

A 1-0 loss to Oklahoma City on April 5, coupled with a win by Rochester, caused the Checkers to fall from eighth to 10th in the Western Conference playoff race. Heading into today's rematch with the Barons, just a single point separates seventh-place Rochester with 10th-place Charlotte.

Despite being level on points with Oklahoma City and Rockford, the Checkers are at the back of that pack due to one more game played. Charlotte holds the next tiebreaker over every other team in the race with 32 regulation/overtime wins.

With Charlotte and Oklahoma City the only teams in that pack of four playing today, a win in either regulation or overtime/shootout would bring the Checkers up to seventh place. A single point earned would put them in ninth.

Of their remaining five games, the Checkers play Oklahoma City and Rockford once each.

Busy Weeks

Having played in Carolina's 4-1 win over Dallas on Thursday, Zach Boychuk and Chris Terry would each complete the rare feat of playing four games in four nights should they suit up for today's game, with each of the first three taking place in three different cities. Including his first two NHL assists, Terry has three assists, all on the power play, during that stretch, while Boychuk scored a goal in San Antonio on Friday.

Tonight would mark the third game in three days for goalie John Muse, who accomplished that feat once with the Checkers from Feb. 17-19, 2012. Muse went 1-1-1 during that stretch, having stopped 58 of 60 shots in the first two games, including the second shutout of his career, before allowing five goals on 25 shots in game three.

In their four AHL seasons, the Checkers have started a goaltender three times in three nights on four separate occasions (once each by Justin Pogge, Justin Peters, Mike Murphy and Muse). In the third game, those goalies were a combined 1-3-0 with a 4.02 goals-against average and .866 save percentage.

Low-Scoring Shutouts

The Checkers' 1-0 loss at Oklahoma City on April 5 marked their third time shut out this season, with Richard Bachman making 31 saves. All three shutouts took place on the road, including a Jan. 31 game at Lake Erie (Calvin Pickard made 33 saves) and a March 8 game at Texas (Jack Campbell made 23 saves).

The April 5 game marked the fifth time the Checkers have lost 1-0 in their four AHL seasons, with another occuring this season on Jan. 31 and all five happening on the road. John Muse has been in goal for two of those, including Saturday's game (34 saves) and an outing against Chicago on Feb. 18, 2012 (32 saves).

Three in Threes

Tonight concludes the Checkers' fifth and final set of playing three games in three nights this season. They are 7-6-1 in such games this season, including a 3-2-0 mark in game one, a 1-3-1 record in game two and a 3-1-0 record in game three. They are 4-3-1 in games that take place on the road.

With losses in each of the first two games of their current set, the Checkers will try to avoid going pointless in a three-in-three for the first time in team history (27 previous attempts). Their lowest point total to date came when they went 0-2-1 from Dec. 28-30, 2012.

Player of the Month

Checkers forward Zach Boychuk set a team record for most points in a single month (22 in 16 games) to earn AHL Player of the Month honors for March. He began April with a goal in San Antonio to give him 11 points (5g, 6a) over the course of an active five-game streak that ended with a scoreless outing in Okahoma City on April 5.

Boychuk's goal against San Antonio on April 4 was his 33rd of the season, giving him sole possession of first in the AHL and putting him one away from the single-season team record set by Chris Terry in 2010-11. His goal total, which includes a league-leading and team-record 17 goals on the power play, has allowed him to climb to fourth in the league's scoring race with 68 points, a new team record.

Boychuk now has 10 more goals than his previous career high of 23 set last season. He has three more points than his career high of 65 set in 2010-11, which previously stood as the most in team history.

Player of the Week

Before losing his first two games of April, Checkers goalie John Muse went 9-1-0 during the month of March with a 2.05 goals-against average, .938 save percentage and one shutout. Over the course of the team's four-game win streak that ended April 4, he went 4-0-0 with a 0.87 goals-against average and .972 save percentage to earn his second AHL Player of the Week award of the season.

In the last month, Muse set a new single-season club record with 26 victories (t-3rd AHL), four more than the previous record initially set by Justin Pogge in 2010-11 and later tied by Justin Peters in 2012-13. His last victory on March 30 allowed him to tie teammate Mike Murphy for the team's all-time wins record (43).

A winner of two NCAA National Championships with Boston College and an ECHL Kelly Cup with the Florida Everblades, Muse, who rejoined the Checkers on a PTO in October before upgrading to an AHL deal, has an all-time AHL record of 44-24-3.

Terry Takes Charge

Checkers forward Chris Terry has 39 points (14g, 25a) in his last 32 games dating back to Jan. 23. That surge has given him 67 points on the season, tying him for the fifth-highest total in the AHL and breaking his previous career high and the old team record of 65 that has also been surpassed by Zach Boychuk this season.

Terry, who has been held off the score sheet in just seven of his last 32 games, ranks tied for third in the league with 35 points on the power play. He posted a nine-game point streak from March 9-26 that tied his career high set earlier this season.

Marching On

The Checkers set a team record for most wins and points earned in a single month by going 12-4-0 in March. The month was the second-best in team history in terms of percentage of possible points earned (75 percent), trailing a 10-2-2 record from November of 2010 (79 percent) that set the previous record for most wins. With 16 games, March tied the busiest month in team history (January of 2011: 7-8-1).

Over the course of March, the Checkers climbed from 14th place (nine points out of a playoff spot) to eighth (four points ahead) in the Western Conference standings.

Power Players

Both Zach Boychuk (1st AHL with 17) and Chris Terry (t-3rd with 14) have broken the franchise record for most power-play goals in a single season previously held by Jacob Micflikier (12 goals in 2010-11). Meanwhile, Mark Flood's seven power-play goals are tied for third among AHL defensemen and tied for the most ever by a Checkers blueliner in a single season (Bobby Sanguinetti in 2011-12).

The 31 total goals by Boychuk and Terry are the most of any two teammates in the league, with the 27 by Texas' Chris Mueller (14) and Colton Sceviour (13) coming in second. They are responsible for 44.3 percent of the Checkers' 70 power-play goals this season.

The Checkers currently rank second in the AHL with a 22.4 percent success rate on the power play - a mark that, if sustained for the final five games of the season, would mark the highest of their four AHL campaigns. The team has never converted at a rate lower than 19.8 percent over the course an entire season.

Quick Hits

• The Checkers' 10 overtime games are the fewest of any AHL team.
• Aaron Palushaj's 20th goal of the season on March 9 was also his sixth game winner, putting him into a 10-way tie for most in the AHL.
• Despite not finding the back of the net since Feb. 22 (19 games) Mark Flood ranks tied for fourth among AHL defensemen with 12 goals. That sets a career high and is the most ever by a Charlotte defenseman in a single season.
• The Checkers' three shorthanded goals are the fewest in the AHL. They have never scored fewer than six in a single season.
• Charlotte is 17-12-2 against fellow West Division teams this season. Today's game against Oklahoma City is their last within the division, with their final four played against teams in the Midwest (10-9-1).

Player Streaks

• None

Milestones

• Zach Boychuk is one shy of 100 Checkers goals
• Brett Sutter is one shy of 200 AHL points
• Sean Dolan is one shy of 100 professional penalty minutes
• Matt Marquardt is two shy of 150 professional points
• Brody Sutter is two shy of 50 professional points
• Chris Terry is two shy of 300 professional points
• Chris Terry is three shy of 150 Checkers assists
• Chris Terry is three shy of 300 AHL points
• Matt Corrente is three shy of 550 professional penalty minutes
• Chris Terry recorded his 250th Checkers point on April 4
• Jared Staal played his 200th professional game on April 5

Injuries

• Aaron Palushaj - missed six games starting March 25
• Greg Nemisz - missed 15 games starting March 8
• Brendan Woods - missed 21 games starting Feb. 22

Transactions

Incoming

• April 4 - (LW) Zach Boychuk reassigned to Charlotte from Carolina (NHL)
• April 4 - (LW) Chris Terry reassigned to Charlotte from Carolina (NHL)

Outgoing

• April 4 - (D) Ryan Murphy recalled to Carolina (NHL) from Charlotte