Game Preview: Checkers at San Antonio (April 4, 2014)

The Checkers begin a tricky set of playing three games in three nights when they conclude their eight-game season series against the division rival San Antonio Rampage.

With seven games to play in the regular season, the eighth-seeded Checkers look to solidify their hold on a playoff spot and possibly even move up to seventh place based on tonight's game and Rockford's contest in Abbotsford. They are 5-2-0 against the Rampage this season, with the teams splitting a pair of games at Time Warner Cable Arena just two weeks ago.

Following tonight's game, the Checkers, winners of four straight, hop on a seven-hour bus ride to play a pair of games against Oklahoma City – the Western Conference's ninth-placed team which trails them by just two points in the standings.

Charlotte

As the Checkers look to extend their win streak to a season-high five games, they may have to do so without some of the players who played big parts in its creation. Zach Boychuk and Chris Terry, top-six scorers in the AHL who each broke the franchise record for points in a single season last week, are both in the NHL with Carolina. Aaron Palushaj, who rounds out the team's top three scorers, will miss the entire weekend due to an injury that also kept him out of the previous four.

Boychuk and Terry are coming off the most productive months in team history with 22 and 20 points, respectively, to help the Checkers set a record for monthly wins (12-4-0 in March). They are responsible for nearly half of the goals that Charlotte’s deadly power play had produced throughout the season.

If those two remain in Carolina (even if one or both were to join the team in time to be available for tonight's game, it's highly unlikely they would attempt to play four games in four nights, having suited up for Carolina's game against Dallas on Thursday), others will need to pick up the slack. The onus will be on the likes of Brett Sutter, the team’s active scoring leader who tallied 15 points in 16 games last month, and a secondary cast headlined by rookie center Victor Rask, who enters this game with goals in each of his last three, Justin Shugg, Philippe Cornet and Brody Sutter, among others.

With just 11 healthy forwards at their disposal, the Checkers look set to hand Phil Di Giuseppe, Carolina’s top draft choice (38th overall) in 2012, his pro debut after the 20-year-old winger elected to leave college after his junior season. Di Giuseppe, who sat out the Checkers’ previous two games against Oklahoma City as a healthy extra, scored between 24 and 28 points in each of his three seasons at the University of Michigan.

“He’s a skilled player and he’s shown that out in practices,” said coach Jeff Daniels, who had Di Giuseppe fill in for Terry on a line with Brett Sutter and Shugg on Wednesday. “He’s got good size to him, he’s strong on the puck and he seems to have a knack for being around the net. Ideally at some point we’d like to get him in there and see what he can do, but so far in practice he’s looked good.”

Faced with the deficit at forward, the Checkers can either wait for one or both of Boychuk or Terry to return, add a player from the ECHL level or dress seven defensemen – the latter of which they have done with increasing frequency of late. Rookie blueliners Keegan Lowe and Dennis Robertson, the latter of whom also recently left college and is awaiting his pro debut, sat out each of the last two games as healthy extras.

Update: The Hurricanes returned Boychuk and Terry to Charlotte on Friday morning (read more). They also recalled defenseman Ryan Murphy later that afternoon (read more).

The Checkers still have their rock and good luck charm in goalie John Muse, who has won five in a row for the fourth time this season. The reigning AHL Player of the Week is 5-0-0 with a 2.56 goals-against average and .920 save percentage against the Rampage this season.

It's perhaps unlikely that Daniels will elect to use Muse on three consecutive nights, especially since the goaltender is coming off an injury that caused him to miss the last game against the Rampage. However, Daniels played down any concerns about giving him a heavy workload down the stretch earlier this week.

San Antonio

Tonight’s match-up with the Rampage comes in the middle of an intense nine-day stretch in which the Checkers play Oklahoma City, a team right on their heels in the race for playoff positioning, four times. With that in mind, they’ve spoken of making sure their focus is on getting two points against a team that is unlikely to make the playoffs.

“With us, every game is just as important as the next,” said Boychuk just prior to his recall. “If we take care of our points we’ll be fine.”

Though the Checkers have a 5-2-0 lead in the season series, all five of the Checkers’ wins have come by a single goal, with Daniels acknowledging that San Antonio “plays us tough.” The Rampage were within striking distance of the Checkers when the teams played the first of four March meetings on the 7th, but wins in just two of their last 13 games, including an active four-game losing streak, now have them near the bottom of the conference.

San Antonio’s slide has been accelerated by the promotion of several top players to the NHL’s Florida Panthers, who are giving a host of players a long look now that their own playoff aspirations have ended. Because of that and the normal assortment of injuries, top scorer Bobby Butler, who had four points (2g, 2a) in his team’s last meeting with the Checkers, and top rookie Vincent Trochek are both currently with the Panthers, as are forward Quinton Howden, defensemen Colby Robak and Alex Petrovic and goalie Scott Clemmensen.

Mark Mancari, a former AHL All-Star, is the team’s active scoring leader with 33 points in 54 games, though he has just two assists in 10 games with San Antonio since coming over from Chicago via trade. Mancari is one of a handful of experienced players on a Rampage team that routinely has to scratch players in compliance with the league's veteran rule, with forwards Greg Rallo, Joey Crabb and Jed Ortmeyer and defensemen Mike Mottau, Ryan Whitney and Greg Zanon also holding veteran status. Those players will anchor a lineup supplemented by recent late-season additions from the college and junior ranks, similar to Di Giuseppe and Robertson in Charlotte.

Michael Houser, who has lost each of his last five starts, is expected to take over in goal with Clemmensen in the NHL. The Rampage recalled former Checker Rob Madore, a runner-up for the ECHL’s Goaltender of the Month award for March, to provide backup.

Checkers Notes

Against San Antonio

After losing their first meeting against San Antonio this season on Nov. 2, the Checkers won each of the next five, all by a single goal, before dropping the most recent meeting by a 4-2 score in Charlotte on March 23. The Checkers are 12-7-0 against the Rampage since joining the Western Conference prior to the 2011-12 season, with tonight's game concluding the eight-game series.

Aaron Palushaj (10 points), Zach Boychuk (9) and Chris Terry (9), all of whom are either injured or in the NHL with Carolina, lead the Checkers in scoring against San Antonio this season. Among active Checkers, Justin Shugg leads the way with six points (3g, 3a) in seven games.

Both teams have had success on the power play over the course of the season series, with Charlotte converting at a rate of 24.2 percent (8-for-33) and San Antonio checking in at 30.4 percent (7-for-23).

John Muse is 5-0-0 with a 2.56 goals-against average and .920 save percentage against the Rampage this season, while Mike Murphy is 0-1-0 with a 4.16 goals-against average and .867 save percentage. Michal Houser is 1-2-1 with a 3.45 goals-agianst average and .899 save percentage against the Checkers this season, while Rob Madore, a former Checker, has never played against them.

Playoff Picture

The Checkers have occupied the eighth and final spot in the Western Conference since earning a 7-0 win over Iowa on March 26. Prior to that, they had been outside of playoff position since Nov. 2, which marked the first of what became a franchise-record, seven-game losing streak.

Charlotte can move up to seventh today depending on their result against San Antonio and that of Rockford's game in Abbotsford. Charlotte and Rockford are currently tied with 75 points, though Rockford holds the tiebreaker regardless of Friday's results by way of one fewer game played. The Checkers cannot fall in the standings based on tonight's results, with Oklahoma City off until facing Charlotte on Saturday and Sunday.

With 32 regulation/overtime wins, the Checkers hold the next tiebreaker over every other team in the race. The Checkers have two games remaining against Oklahoma City, one left against Milwaukee and one left against Rockford.

Winning Ways

The Checkers' current four-game win streak, made up of two road wins in Iowa and two home shootout victories over Oklahoma City, ties three previous streaks for their longest of the season. They have not won five in a row since they set a franchise record with six consecutive wins from Jan. 4-16 of last season.

Charlotte's current streak is tied with Springfield for the second-longest in the AHL. Division rival Texas paces the league with wins in seven straight.

All He Does Is Win

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 current four-game win streak, 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 win 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 44-22-3. He has won each of his last five starts since March 21, marking his fourth winning streak of five or more games this season. His six-game win streak from Nov. 30-Dec. 19 tied the team record set by Murphy on two occasions during the 2010-11 season.

Record Seasons

Zach Boychuk (t-4th AHL with 67 points) and Chris Terry (6th AHL with 66 points) have both broken the franchise record of 65 points set by Boychuk in the 2010-11 season. That old record marked Boychuk's previous career high, while Terry's previous career high of 64 was also set in the Checkers' inaugural AHL campaign.

With 22 points (9g, 13a) in 16 games, Boychuk set a team record for most points in a single month and captured the AHL's Player of the Month honor in the process. Terry's 20 points in 16 games were the second-highest one-month total in team history.

Boychuk is tied for first in the AHL with 32 goals, nine more than his previous career high of 23 set last season and two away from the single-season mark set by Terry in 2010-11. He also ranks first in the league with 16 goals on the power play.

Terry has at least one point in 24 of his last 30 games (38 points total) dating back to Jan. 23, including a nine-game streak from March 9-26 that tied his career high set earlier this season. He leads the team and ranks fourth in the AHL with 34 power-play points.

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 16) 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 30 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 43.5 percent of the Checkers' power-play goals this season.

The Checkers currently rank second in the AHL with a 22.5 percent success rate on the power play - a mark that, if sustained for the final nine 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.

Shootout Stars

Each of the Checkers' last two games have gone to a shootout, with both resulting in victories over Oklahoma City. Those improved the Checkers to 4-2 this season, with their six shootout appearances tying Rochester for fewest in the league.

Led by Chris Terry (4-for-6) and Aaron Palushaj (3-for-4), the Checkers have the second-highest shooting percentage in the league at 41.9 percent. John Muse has stopped 16 of 20 attempts to go 4-0 in the shootout this season.

Quick Hits

• Ryan Murphy is scoreless in back-to-back games since his club-record, 12-game assist/point streak came to an end on March 29. He retains an active seven-game assist streak on the road, which is tied for the longest active streak in the AHL.
• The Checkers' 10 overtime games are the fewest of any AHL team.
• Victor Rask has goals in three conseuctive games for the second time this season, tying him with Abbotsford's Ben Street and San Antonio's Matt Gilroy for the longest active streak in the league.
• Aaron Palushaj's 20th goal of the season on March 9 was also his sixth game winner, putting him into an eight-way tie for most in the AHL.
• Mark Flood ranks 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 17-10-2 against fellow West Division teams this season. Each of their next three games will be played against divisonal opponents, with their final four played against teams in the Midwest (10-9-1).

Player Streaks

• John Muse has won each of his last five games (March 21-30)
• Zach Boychuk has assists and points in each of his last four games (March 25-30: 4g, 6a)
• Victor Rask has goals and points in each of his last three games (March 26-30: 3g, 2a)
• Matthew Pistilli has assists and points in each of his last two games (March 29-30: 0g, 2a)

Milestones

• Brett Sutter is one shy of 200 AHL points
• Sean Dolan is one shy of 100 professional penalty minutes
• Zach Boychuk is one shy of 100 Checkers goals
• Chris Terry is one shy of 250 Checkers points
• Matt Marquardt is two shy of 150 professional points
• Jared Staal is two shy of 200 professional games played
• Brody Sutter is three shy of 50 professional points
• Chris Terry is three shy of 300 professional points
• Chris Terry is four shy of 150 Checkers assists
• Chris Terry is four shy of 300 AHL points
• Matt Corrente is five shy of 550 professional penalty minutes

Injuries

• Aaron Palushaj - missed four games starting March 25
• Greg Nemisz - missed 13 games starting March 8
• Brendan Woods - missed 19 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)
• March 28 - (LW) Phil Di Giuseppe (University of Michigan) signed with Carolina (NHL) and assigned to Charlotte

Outgoing

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