Game Preview: Checkers at Oklahoma City (March 15, 2015)

The Checkers look to tie their longest winning streak of the season by claiming their third consecutive victory as they face the Oklahoma City Barons tonight.

Following Charlotte’s 2-1 triumph last night, tonight’s game marks the second of a back-to-back set between the two teams and Charlotte’s last-ever visit to their division rival in Oklahoma City. The Checkers hold a 3-5-1 record against the Barons this season with two games yet to play in Charlotte next month.

The first leg of the Checkers’ season-long, six-game road swing continues when the team visits San Antonio on Tuesday.

Charlotte

The Checkers have managed to win consecutive games on a few occasions this season, but none of those have been against the kind of quality competition they’ve overcome in recent days. 

Thursday’s shootout victory was against the Western Conference’s top team, the Grand Rapids Griffins, who have since extended their point streak to 18 games. The Barons, another division leader, occupy the No. 2 seed in the West.

During the current streak, goal scoring has been more about timeliness – Justin Shugg tied Thursday’s game in the latter portion of the third period and Zach Boychuk netted the winner with 1.6 seconds left in regulation on Saturday – than quantity. A key reason for the Checkers’ ability to hold two top-five offenses to one goal on each game has been the defensive effort.

On the blue line, the Checkers are led by mainstays Danny Biega and Trevor Carrick but have had to rely on others to round out a group that has been hit by NHL recalls and injuries. Dennis Robertson and Beau Schmitz sat their share of games as healthy extras earlier in the season, while Mike Cornell and Austin Levi recently joined from the ECHL ranks.

In goal, Drew MacIntyre, tonight’s probable starter, has rediscovered his game following a tough month of February by going 3-1-0 with a 1.90 goals-against average and .947 save percentage to begin March. Meanwhile, John Muse’s 29-save effort on Saturday allowed the Checkers to put forth the kind of one-two punch they envisioned all season.

Other than changing goaltenders, the Checkers have not altered their lineup at all for the last five games since March 5. Carter Sandlak has sat as a healthy extra, while Chad LaRose and Keegan Lowe continue to miss games due to injury.

Oklahoma City

Saturday’s results widened the gap at the top of the Western Conference, with the Griffins now holding a four-point advantage over Oklahoma City. However, the Barons have two games in hand.

Those teams are experiencing varying degrees of momentum of late, with the Griffins’ point streak the longest in the AHL since Norfolk’s epic 28-0-0 run in 2011-12. Meanwhile, the Barons are just 5-5-0 in their last 10 games, a record identical to Charlotte’s during that time.

It’s been a tale of feast or famine for the Barons’ No. 5 ranked offense, with the team scoring four or more goals in each of its last three victories but mustering just one in each of its last three losses. Brad Hunt, who is tied for third among AHL defensemen with 43 points, scored the team’s lone goal on a first-period power play on Saturday. Other Barons to watch include team scoring leader Andrew Miller, who has nine points in nine games against the Checkers this season, and NHL veteran Jason Williams, who is enjoying a productive return to the AHL level.

In goal, Laurent Brossoit has started each of the team’s last 14 games with partner Richard Bachman in the NHL with Edmonton. During his streak, he has started all three games of a three-in-three and has been in net for both games of a back-to-back on two other occasions, making it entirely possible that he will play again tonight after stopping 21 of 23 in Saturday’s loss.

Backup Tyler Bunz has played a total of five AHL games, including just one this season – a relief appearance in Grand Rapids’ 7-1 victory on March 4.

Checkers Notes

Against Oklahoma City

Tonight marks the 10th of 12 meetings between the Checkers and Oklahoma City this season. Charlotte has a 3-5-1 record thus far, including wins in each of the last two games. In 36 all-time contests between the two clubs, the Checkers hold a 20-13-4 record, including an 11-7-1 mark in Oklahoma City.

Checkers scoring leader Justin Shugg (seven games) and rookie Brock McGinn (nine games) are tied for the team lead with five points (2g, 3a apiece) against the Barons this season. For Oklahoma City, Andrew Miller leads all skaters with five goals and nine points in nine games against the Checkers.

In goal, John Muse has a 2-3-1 record with a 2.35 goals-against average and .930 save percentage against the Barons this season, while Drew MacIntyre is 1-2-0 with a 3.37 GAA and .878 SV%. For Oklahoma City, Laurent Brossoit is 3-3-0 with a 1.80 GAA and .938 SV%. Barons backup Tyler Bunz has never faced the Checkers.

In terms of organizational ties, Checkers defenseman Keegan Lowe's father, Kevin Lowe, is the president of hockey operations for Oklahoma City's parent club, the Edmonton Oilers. Checkers center Brody Sutter's father, Duane Sutter, is an Edmonton scout. Oklahoma City forward Matthew Ford played 31 games for the ECHL Checkers from 2008-10 before becoming a full-time AHL player.

Road Workers

Beginning with an overtime win in Hamilton on Feb. 28 and continuing with Saturday's victory in Oklahoma City, the Checkers have won consecutive games on the road for the first time since Oct. 12-24, which is their only other road winning streak of the season. They have not won three consecutive road games since putting together a four-game streak from March 1-7 of last season.

The Checkers, who are in the midst of a season-long, six-game road swing lasting until March 25, are now 8-18-4 on the road, with their 20 points earned still marking the fewest of any AHL team.

Charlotte's current overall two-game win streak is one shy of tying its longest of the season - a three-game stretch from Feb. 16-19.

Boychuk's Back

Reigning AHL goal-scoring champion Zach Boychuk has found his scoring touch of late with seven goals and 11 points in his last 13 games. Since being held off the score sheet in 10 of 13 games following his reassignment from the NHL on Jan. 8, he has scored at least one point in 10 of his last 13.

Six of Boychuk's 11 goals this season have come on the power play, tying him with Chad LaRose for the team lead in that category and making him responsible for 20 percent of the team's total (30 goals) despite playing in only 28 games. Boychuk led the AHL with 18 power-play goals last season, with that total accounting for exactly half of his team-record 36 on the campaign.

Boychuk is the Checkers' all-time leader with 113 goals and 52 power-play goals in 270 games played.

MacIntyre's Workload

Checkers goalie Drew MacIntyre ranks fifth in the AHL with 2,368 minutes played and is second with 1,178 saves. He would only need to appear in seven of the team's last 14 games to tie the franchise record for games played by a goaltender in a single season (48 by Justin Pogge in 2010-11).

MacIntyre has made 40 or more saves seven times this season, including twice in his last four starts. Though he has yet to record a shutout, he has won five games by a 2-1 score. He owns a .933 save percentage in overtime games this season (42 saves on 45 shots) and has stopped 21 of 23 in the shootout. He is tied for the league lead in shootout victories this season (4-1 record).

MacIntyre, a 31-year-old veteran now playing his 12th professional season with his eighth AHL club, ranks 10th on the league's all-time wins list with 209 and is just 23 wins away from tying Frederic Cassivi for fifth. He has a 209-137-25 record, 2.46 goals-against average, .936 save percentage and 16 shutouts in 394 career AHL games dating back to the 2004-05 season.

Shugg Takes Over

Justin Shugg's game-tying goal in the third period of the Checkers' last game on March 12 was his 17th goal of the season, establishing a new career high, and gave him sole possession of team leads in goals and points (32). The third-year forward has 11 points (4g, 7a) in his last 14 outings, including one overtime-winning goal and not including one shootout-winning goal. His eight shots on goal on March 12 marked a new career high and tied the most taken by a Checker this season.

Shugg, 23, now ranks sixth on the franchise's all-time points list with 104 points (45g, 59a) in 198 games played. He needs six more to pass Jerome Samson and move into the top five.

Carrick Lights It Up

Rookie defenseman Trevor Carrick has found his scoring touch of late, recording seven points (2g, 5a) in his last seven games. He currently leads all Checkers defensemen in goals (six) and points (21). His goal total is a new record for a Checkers rookie defenseman while his point total is one shy of tying Ryan Murphy's record set in 2013-14.

A fourth-round pick in 2012, the 20-year-old Carrick put up 51 points in his final season of junior last year, split between Mississauga and Sudbury, and ranked second among OHL defensemen in goals (22).

Powering Up

The Checkers have scored a power-play goal in eight of their last 10 games dating back to Feb. 22, going 9-for-39 (23.1 percent) during that time. As a result, their power play has risen out of the league's lowest-ranked spot it had occupied since Dec. 14 and now ranks 27th in the AHL at 12.6 percent.

Saturday's game marked the fourth time the Checkers have scored multiple power-play goals in a single game this season. All four of those instances have come since Jan. 16.

Killing It

Since Feb. 16, the Checkers have killed 35 of 38 penalties (92.1 percent) and now rank 10th in the league with a season-long percentage of 85.7.

The Checkers are tied for seventh in the league with seven shorthanded goals, which are two behind the league lead and four more than their AHL-low total from all of last season.

Shootout Success

Charlotte's six shootout appearances and five shootout victories this season tie them for the second-most in the AHL behind Lehigh Valley (seven appearances, six wins) in both categories. Meanwhile, the Checkers are 2-5 in games decided during the seven-minute overtime period.

The Checkers have found success in the shootout by scoring seven goals on 26 attempts (.269, 14th AHL). Meanwhile, their goaltending tandem of Drew MacIntyre (21 saves on 23 attempts) and John Muse (three saves on four attempts) have given the Checkers the third-best save percentage in the league at .889 percent. In MacIntyre's only shootout loss of the season, he stopped seven of eight while receiving no goals of support.

The Checkers' top scorers in the shootout this season are rookie Brock McGinn (two goals on three attempts) and overall scoring leader Justin Shugg (two goals, both game-winners, on five attempts). McGinn ranks second among AHL rookies in shootout percentage (66.7) and Shugg is tied for the AHL lead in shootout-winning goals.

Quick Hits

• After winning consecutive games just once prior to Feb. 15, the Checkers have done so three times since.
• Though the Checkers are the only AHL team that has yet to record a shutout, they have won seven games by a 2-1 score, including each of their last two.
• Phil Di Giuseppe ranks fourth among AHL rookies with 138 shots on goal
• After scoring 10 points in his first 42 games of the season, Ben Holmstrom has eight (all assists) in his last 11
• Charlotte's two shorthanded goals allowed are tied with Manchester for the fewest in the league
• Despite playing just 25 games this season and none since Jan. 23, Ryan Murphy leads all Checkers with 17 assists
• Kyle Hagel is tied for third in the league with 19 major penalites (all fights). Of his 137 penalty minutes, only 12 are not related to fighting incidents.
• The Checkers' .638 winning percentage when scoring the game's first goal is the third-lowest in the AHL

Streaks

• None

Injuries

• Keegan Lowe - missed seven games starting 2/27
• Chad LaRose - missed nine games starting 2/25
• Greg Nemisz - missed 41 games starting 12/8 (out for season)

Milestones

• Zach Boychuk is one shy of 200 AHL PIM
• Brody Sutter is one shy of 50 AHL points
• Danny Biega is three shy of 100 AHL/pro PIM
• Kyle Hagel is eight shy of 1,000 pro PIM
• Sean Dolan is nine shy of 100 AHL pro PIM
• Justin Shugg is two shy of 200 AHL games
• John Muse played his 150th profesional game on March 14
• Brendan Woods played his 100th professional game on March 14
• Zach Boychuk played his 450th professional game on March 12

Transactions

Incoming

• None

Outgoing

• March 11 - (LW) Gabriel Desjardins released from professional tryout contract