Game Preview: Checkers at San Antonio (Jan. 30, 2015)

The Checkers return from the All-Star break to begin a quick Texas two-step against the San Antonio Rampage tonight.

Tonight's game is the first of a set of back-to-back road games that continues against the Texas Stars on Saturday. It's an early opportunity to gain some ground againt divisional opponents with the playoff push set to quickly heat up over the second half of the season.

Charlotte took the most recent meeting against San Antonio, improving it to 1-1-2 thus far in the eight-game season series. Tonight will be the Checkers' first game since Jan. 23, while the Rampage returned to action with an overtime victory at Texas last night.

Charlotte

As they travel to San Antonio to kick off back-to-back games in the Lone Star State, the Checkers will need to find that momentum they had prior to the All-Star break and keep it rolling in order to gain some traction in the conference standings.

A huge 3-2 victory over the AHL-leading OKC Barons to head into the break gave the Checkers points in seven of their last 10 contests, leaving them eight points out of the final playoff spot in the West. It’s not the most ideal spot to begin the home stretch of the season, but considering that the Checkers have spent much of the campaign trapped at the bottom of the standings, it’s certainly the right direction.

Although there is a tendency to look at the second part of the season as a whole, head coach Jeff Daniels stresses the need for the team to not get ahead of itself and take things step by step.

“Just chip away,” said Daniels after yesterday morning’s practice, the first since the players returned from the break.  “It’s a cliché, but the focus is on tomorrow night and finding a way to get it done. We’re doing that right now with finding ways to win games and get points. We’ve got to climb up that ladder.”

They will need that focus to top the division-rival Rampage tonight. Although the Rampage have won three of the four previous meetings this season, two of those San Antonio wins required at least overtime, giving the Checkers points in three of the four meetings.

To get over that hump and earn the two points against the Rampage, the Checkers will need to continue to get production from their high-end offensive talent. Leading scorer Chad LaRose seems to have found his stride, producing points in each of his last five games, tying the longest streak by a Checkers player this seasons. Recent addition Zach Boychuk has six points in his last five games.

The biggest catalyst of the Checkers’ success could be the reinvigoration of their power play. While the unit has been ineffective for much of the season, finding itself perpetually trapped at the bottom of the league rankings, it has seen a slight uptick in its performance as of late. With the infusion of Boychuk and Michal Jordan, as well as the move of Justin Shugg to the point, the Checkers have recorded four power-play goals in their last four games. Not surprisingly, the two games in which they tallied two powerplay goals both resulted in regulation wins.

Forward Brendan Woods, injured in the third period of the Checkers' last game, is considered day-to-day and may be available tonight despite practicing on a limited basis on Thursday. If he cannot go, Jared Staal could make the switch from the wing to the center position.

Daniels added that Kyle Hagel, who missed the last game, and Beau Schmitz, who has been out since Dec. 8, will be available tonight.

San Antonio

The Rampage, who enter tonight’s contest firmly planted in the Western Conference playoff picture, took down the Texas Stars in their first game back from the All-Star break last night. After falling into a 2-0 hole midway through the second period, San Antonio struck late in the frame and again halfway through the third to knot the game and force the game into overtime. Five minutes into the extra period, Rocco Grimaldi netted the game-winner to secure the two points for the Rampage.

Despite spending most of this season in the NHL with the Florida Panthers, Vincent Trocheck has been on fire during his time in the AHL. In the three games since rejoining the Rampage, he has put up four points, extending his AHL total to eight points in 10 games. Pacing the San Antonio offense, which ranks at the top of the league in terms of goals per game average, has been the combo of Bobby Butler and Mark Mancari. While Butler has been relatively quiet as of late, with just two points in his last six games, Mancari has stayed hot, putting up six in his last seven.
   
In net, former Checker Dan Ellis has taken the bulk of the workload and has shined in the process. Tied for second in the AHL in wins, Ellis has recorded at least a point for the team in eight of his last nine starts. Spelling him has been Michael Houser, who has struggled in his time in the crease. Houser is winless in six of his last seven games, with his goals-against average hovering north of three and his save percentage under .900 for the season.

Checkers Notes

Against San Antonio

Tonight marks the fifth of eight meetings between the Checkers and San Antonio this season. The Rampage lead the series with a record of 3-1-0, with two of those going to overtime and the Checkers winning the most recent matchup in Charlotte on Dec. 19. In 24 all-time contests between the two clubs, the Checkers hold a 13-9-2 record, including a 6-5-1 mark in San Antonio.

Checkers scoring leader Chad LaRose (2g, 3a) also leads the Checkers in scoring against San Antonio this season. Three active San Antonio skaters - Bobby Butler (1g, 2a), Rocco Grimaldi (0g, 3a) and Mark Mancari (0g, 3a) sit atop San Antonio's side of the head-to-head leaderboard. No active Rampage skater has more than one goal against Charlotte this season.

In goal, Charlotte's Drew MacIntyre played the entirety of all four matchups, posting a 2.16 goals-against average and .926 save percentage. San Antonio's Dan Ellis has a sparkling 1.60 goals-against average and .946 save percentage in three games against the Checkers this season, while Michael Houser stopped 27 of 30 to win his lone start. Ellis played 18 games for the Checkers during the NHL lockout portion of the 2012-13 season, going 8-7-2 with a 2.46 goals-against average and .922 save percentage.

San Antonio coach Tom Rowe coached the Carolina Hurricanes' AHL affiliates in Lowell and Albany prior to switching places with current Checkers coach Jeff Daniels, who was an assistant with the Hurricanes at the time, prior to the 2008-09 season.

LaRose Takes Over

With one point scored in each of his last five games (2g, 3a), Chad LaRose has taken sole posession of the team scoring lead with 24 points (11g, 13a). The alternate captain has put up 13 of those points in his last 16 games (7g, 6a). In addition to being the team's overall points leader, he also leads the team in shorthanded points (three - t-3rd AHL), is tied for second in power-play points (six) and leads the team in shots on goal (104).

LaRose's point streak is tied for the team's longest of the season, a record shared by LaRose (Dec. 18-28: 3g, 3a) and Ryan Murphy (Dec. 16-27: 0g, 6a).

LaRose, a 32-year-old veteran of 508 NHL games with Carolina, is playing in the AHL for the first time since 2005-06 after taking last season away from hockey. He now has 108 points (52g, 56a) in 170 career AHL games with Lowell and Charlotte.

Power Up

Since snapping a 1-for-41 slide on the power play lasting from Dec. 21 to Jan 15, the Checkers have scored four times on their last 12 opportunities (33.3 percent). During that four-game span that includes just the second power-play-free game in team history in Norfolk on Jan. 21, the Checkers scored two power-play goals on two separate occasions - their only two games with multiple power-play goals this season.

Despite their recent success, the Checkers still rank last in the league with a seaosn-long percentage of 10.1. In their previous four AHL seasons, the Checkers never finished lower than fifth in the league in terms of power-play percentage. Their lowest-ever percentage to finish a season was 19.8 percent and the lowest recorded power-play percentage for a season in AHL history is 10.4, set by the Rochester Americans in 2001-02.

Road Trippin'

The Checkers, who suffered a franchise-record, eight-game road winless streak (0-7-1) lasting from Oct. 25-Dec. 12, have earned points in four of their last five road games (2-1-2) dating back to Jan. 7.

Despite the recent turnaround, the Checkers' 14 points earned away from home this season still marks the third-lowest total in the AHL behind Norfolk (13) and Rochester (nine).

MacIntyre Cracks Top 10

Since becoming the 12th goaltender in the AHL's 78-year history to reach 200 wins on Dec. 13, Checkers goalie Drew MacIntyre, who has picked up 13 of the Checkers' 16 wins this season, has recorded five more victories to take sole possession of 10th on the league's all-time wins list.

MacIntyre, a 31-year-old veteran now playing his 12th professional season with his eighth AHL club, is just 27 wins away from tying Frederic Cassivi for fifth on the all-time list. He has a 205-129-25 record, 2.44 goals-against average, .936 save percentage and 16 shutouts in 382 career AHL games dating back to the 2004-05 season.

He currently ranks fourth in the league with 797 saves and fifth with 1,663 minutes played this season. The Checkers have earned points in eight of MacIntyre's last nine starts dating back to Dec. 19 (5-1-3). Including a perfect 3-for-3 performance in Rockford on Jan. 13, he has stopped 13 of 14 shootout attempts this season, helping the Checkers to a 2-1 record despite just two total goals of support.

Overtimes

Six of the Checkers' nine overtime games this season have been decided prior to the shootout. Charlotte is 1-5 in those games, tying it with Texas (2-10) for the AHL's lowest winning percentage in games decided during the seven-minute period. Meanwhile, the Checkers are 2-1 in the shootout.

Including their most recent overtime game in Norfolk on Jan. 21, the Checkers gave up the tying goal with less than 3:30 remaining in regulation in four of their last five overtime losses.

Streaks

• Chad LaRose has points in each of his last five games (Jan. 15-23: 3g, 3a)

Quick Hits

• The Checkers have an all-time record of 3-1-0 in games immediately following the All-Star break, with their lone loss coming last season.
• Charlotte has killed 16 of its last 17 penalties (94.1 percent) over its last four games dating back to Jan. 16.
• The Checkers' six shorthanded goals scored are tied for the third-highest total in the league, while their one shorthanded goal allowed is tied for the lowest total in the league.
• Kyle Hagel leads the AHL in major penalties (14).
• Chad LaRose is tied for the AHL lead in shorthanded assists (3) and is tied for third in shorthanded points (3)
• Drew MacIntyre ranks fourth in the AHL in saves (797), is tied for ninth in wins (13) and ranks fifth in minutes played (1663)

Injuries

• Gabriel Desjardins - missed 10 games starting 1/4
• Greg Nemisz - missed 22 games starting 12/8 (out for season)

Milestones

• Kyle Hagel is one shy of 950 professional penalty minutes
• Zach Boychuk is one shy of 150 AHL assists
• John Muse is two shy of 50 AHL wins
• Ben Holmstrom is four shy of 450 professional penalty minutes
• Ben Holmstrom is three shy of 300 professional games
• Drew MacIntyre is four shy of 450 professional games
• Zach Boychuk recorded his 300th pro point on 1/23
• Ryan Murphy played his 50th AHL game on 1/23

Transactions

Incoming

• None

Outgoing

• Jan. 27 - (D) Ryan Murphy recalled to Carolina (NHL) from Charlotte