Game Preview: Checkers at Springfield (Feb. 15, 2019)

The Checkers are back on the road for a packed weekend as they look to get back to their winning ways. Here's everything you need to know before tonight’s puck drop.

1. ON THE SKIDS

The Checkers are currently mired in their first real slump of the season. They are winless in three straight and have just two regulation wins in their last 10 games. In fact, the Checkers have the third-fewest points in the Eastern Conference standings over the last 10 games.

The positive take on Charlotte’s skid is that the team has managed to collect at least collect a point in half of those losses, giving them a point in six of their last 10 games.

Despite the recent downturn the Checkers’ early success has kept them afloat in the standings. They lead the Atlantic Division by nine points, have eight more points than any other team in the league and boast the best points percentage in the AHL.

2. THOUGHT IT WAS A DROUGHT

Charlotte’s offense has had a hard time finding the back of the net as of late. The Checkers have scored more than two goals just once over the last six games, accumulating a total of eight goals over that 1-2-2-1 stretch. The one outlier – a three-goal effort against Cleveland on Tuesday night – was also the lone win for Charlotte during that run.

The Checkers have recorded at least three goals in nearly two-thirds of their games this season, but have struggled when they don’t hit that mark. In fact, Charlotte is 4-10-4 when scoring two or fewer goals this season.

Charlotte’s top six goal scorers this season – Andrew Poturalski, Aleksi Saarela, Nicolas Roy, Morgan Geekie, Julien Gauthier and Janne Kuokkanen – have a total of four goals over the last six games.

3. TIGHTENING UP

It’s been overshadowed by the struggles on offense, but the Checkers have had success holding their opponents in check as of late.

Following a stretch where they allowed at least four goals in four straight games, the Checkers have allowed more than two in just two of their last seven games.

That’s carried over to the penalty kill as well, as the Checkers have surrendered three goals in their last 23 penalty kills over the last seven games.

4. NED STANDS TALL

Despite taking his first regulation in over two months on Sunday, Alex Nedeljkovic has been lights out for the Checkers as of late. The AHL’s wins leader has pushed his way into the top 10 best goals-against averages in the league by virtue of a three-game week that saw him post a 1.64 mark with a .936 save percentage.

Nedeljkovic has held opponents to two or fewer goals through regulation in each of his last five appearances.

5. BUSY WEEKEND

This weekend the Checkers are embarking on their fourth and final three-in-three set of the season, having logged a 5-4-0 record in those siutations. After dropping two of three in each of the first two series, the Checkers pulled off a perfect three-in-three for the fourth time in franchise history in their most recent opportunity, beating Belleville twice and Toronto once.

6. SCOUTING THE OPPONENTS

For the second time this season, the Checkers will face three different teams on three consecutive nights, starting Friday in Springfield before going to Providence on Saturday and closing in Bridgeport on Sunday. All three of their opponents will also be in the midst of three-in-three weekends, with Providence playing all three at home and Bridgeport starting on the road Friday before a pair at home.

Bridgeport and Providence sit in second and third place in the Atlantic Division while trailing Charlotte by nine and 12 points, respectively. Both squads are trending in the right direction, especially the Bruins who are 8-1-1 in their last 10 games. Springfield is currently in seventh place in the division but are just five points out of the final Atlantic playoff spot, though the enter the weekend having lost four straight.

All three teams have been strikingly better on home ice this season despite posting losing records on the road, especially Providence, who has the fewest home regulation losses in the AHL going into the weekend.

7. 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!

Since Shaya will be calling the Hurricanes’ home game on Saturday against Dallas, Mark Bailey will filling in on the broadcast for the game against Providence, while Bridgeport’s Alan Fuehring will be covering the call for both teams on Sunday.