Game Preview: Checkers at Providence (Nov. 30, 2018)

The Checkers continue their run as the top team in the AHL as they kick off a three-in-three weekend with contests in Providence Friday and Sunday and a visit to Hartford in the middle.

1. BOUNCING BACK

The lone blemish during the last week of Charlotte’s home stand was a tough loss to Belleville on Tuesday, which featured a performance that the coaching staff made abundantly clear wasn’t up to par. Things could have gone one of two ways from that point, but the Checkers answered their coach’s challenge and tore off three straight wins from there.

“I think we responded good,” said head coach Mike Vellucci. “We came back from a long road trip and that first one back is really difficult. My frustration was that I told them and warned them and it still happened. But that’s the way it goes. It’s about how you respond to that and I think we responded well.”

So far the Checkers have done an admirable job at shrugging off defeats, as the team has not lost consecutive games in regulation this season.

2. REIGNITING THE OFFENSE

Charlotte’s offense roared out of the gates this season but has come down to Earth a bit as of late. More specifically, the Checkers have registered three or fewer goals in six of their last eight contests.

Despite that slight downturn, the Checkers still boast the 13th ranked offense in the AHL and the coaching staff believes they are poised to trend upwards once again.

“We just played 10 games in 17 days, those last game were right at the end of a long grind,” said Vellucci. “That’s part of it. That Sunday at 1:00 with a game the night before is always going to be a tight checking game, not a lot of offense. The schedule dictates a lot of it, but we’ve got some rest now and we’re ready to go.”

3. ON THE ROAD AGAIN

The Checkers’ road-heavy start to the season has seen them play 13 of their first 21 games away from home, the second-highest mark in the AHL thus far. The good news for Charlotte is that it has been great on the road so far, logging a 10-2-1 mark to nearly double any other team in the league’s road wins.

“Our special teams have been really good on the road, probably better than they have been at home,” said Vellucci. “I can’t explain it other than I know we play a good, solid road hockey game. We’re above the puck all over the ice, we’re smarter and we play a solid game.”

4. BIG ADDITIONS

The Checkers will have to wait until noon to find out for sure, but there is a chance two significant pieces make it to their roster before tonight’s puck drop, as forward Valentin Zykov and netminder Scott Darling were placed on waivers yesterday with the intent of sending them to Charlotte.

Zykov, who spent the last six games with the Checkers on a conditioning stint, would bring some instant offense, as he’s only a year removed from leading the AHL in goals. Darling would bring a veteran presence to the goalie rotation that still figures to continue featuring Alex Nedeljkovic heavily.

5. GEEKIE EARNS HIS SPOT

It’s no secret that the Checkers have an abundance of talent up front, which leads to some tough lineup decisions come game time. Rookie Morgan Geekie, who has gone scoreless in eight straight games after starting the season with eight in his first 10, served as a healthy extra for all three of last week’s games.

“Geeks was on fire early and he earned his opportunity to play and then he fell off a little bit,” said Vellucci said after Wednesday’s practice. “Cliff Pu early on struggled but now he’s playing hard and he’s earned his ice time. Cliff outplayed him and got his opportunity in the lineup. Geeks will be back in now. He’s in the lineup, now he’s got to earn his ice time.”

6. LAST TIME

The Checkers and Bruins have squared off twice already this season, with Boston’s affiliate visiting Charlotte earlier this month. The home side pulled off a 4-3 win in the first meeting thanks to a special teams outburst that saw them notch two power-play goals and a shorthanded one as well. The Checkers notched another one-goal victory the next night as well, propelled by 26 stops by Alex Nedeljkovic between the pipes.

The Checkers have not yet faced Hartford this season.

7. KNOW YOUR ENEMY

Despite sitting near the bottom of the Atlantic Division standings, the Bruins have been on the upswing as of late, having earned at least a point in each of their last four games. Providence ranks near the middle in most categories thus far this season, with the exception of their penalty kill, which stands as the best in the AHL. The Bruins’ offense has been largely propelled by the tandem of Ryan Fitzgerald, who has notched three consecutive multi-point games, and rookie Cameron Hughes, who leads the way with eight goals thus far. Dan Vladar and Zane McIntyre have split the majority of the crease time up to this point, with the latter having earned his team a point in the standings in each of his last five appearances.

Hartford currently checks in at fourth place in the Atlantic but, like Providence, has been trending upward with a three-game winning streak and points in eight of its last 10 contests. The Wolf Pack’s biggest weapons thus far have been the offensively minded duo of forward Peter Holland and blue liner John Gilmour, while veterans Marek Mazanec and Dustin Tokarski have patrolled the net.

8. TUNE IN

You can tune in to this weekend's broadcasts with a subscription to the league’s new streaming platform AHLTV. Sign up here and catch the action on the road.

As always, the radio broadcast will be available via the Checkers app or this link, so tune in and tweet Jason Shaya to let him know you’re listening!