Game Preview: Checkers at Rochester (Dec. 6, 2019)

The Checkers head into Rochester for the first time this season to face the red-hot Amerks and try to string together and winning streak of their own.

1. BACK ON TRACK

The Checkers snapped a two-game losing skid on Wednesday when they went into Syracuse and throttled the Crunch 5-1. Julien Gauthier’s two first period-goals kickstarted the offense, while Jake Bean’s three helpers paced all skaters in the game.

2. ROAD WARRIORS

Through the first chunk of the season the Checkers have registered a slightly better record on the road than at home. That is especially true as of late, with the Checkers having won two road contests in a row and picked up point in three straight games away from home. They’ll have their work cut out for them, however, against a Rochester team that is 7-1-3 on home ice this season.

3. SCOUTING THE AMERKS

Rochester sits in second place in the North Division but boasts the best points percentage in the Eastern Conference and the third best in the AHL overall. In fact, the red-hot Americans are currently riding an 11-game point streak, registering a 9-0-2 record over that stretch.

The Amerks are strong on both fronts. They rank eighth in the AHL offensively, led by a mix of veterans like Kevin Porter and Zach Redmond and young talent like Andrew Ogelvie and Brett Murray. Their biggest asset, however, has been on the other side of things, as they are tied for second in the league in terms of goals-allowed per game. A big part of that is the stellar play of their goaltending tandem of Jonas Johansson and Andrew Hammond, who both rank in the top 13 in the league in goals-against average. In fact, the Amerks have allowed just seven goals over their last five games.

4. SHINKARUK SHINES

After recording two points in his first 11 games as a Checkers, Hunter Shinkaruk has come alive as of late. With another goal in Wednesday’s win, the forward now has five points in his last five games. Shinkaruk currently sits at seven points through 16 games with the Checkers, nearly reaching his 54-game total of 10 points from last season with Laval.

5. SHOT SUPPRESSORS

The Checkers have pushed their way into the league’s top 10 stingiest defenses in terms of shots allowed with some impressive showings as of late. The Checkers have surrendered 22 or fewer shots in five of their last eight games, including a season-low 18 Wednesday in Syracuse. They won three games over that stretch, and all three victories came in those low-shot contests. In fact, seven of Charlotte’s nine wins this season have come in games in which it outshot the opponent.

6. KILLING IT

Charlotte’s penalty kill continues to reign atop the AHL, leading every other team but at least five percentage points. The Checkers have gone perfect on the penalty kill 12 times over the last 14 games and have successfully killed each of their last 12 times shorthanded.

7. TUNE IN

You can tune in to every broadcast this season with a subscription to the league’s streaming platform AHLTV.

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!