Game Preview: Checkers vs Syracuse (Dec. 13, 2019)

The Checkers are back at home to kick off a critical home stand before the holiday break. Here's everything you need to know before puck drop.

1. GAINING STEAM

The Checkers come into this weekend’s series against the Crunch after pulling off their best road trip of the season. They took two of three contests against the North Division last week, outscoring their opponents 8-2 in those victories. The Checkers will have the chance Friday to earn consecutive wins for just the second time this season and the first since Oct. 19 and 25.

“It’s a crucial part of our season with these six at home,” said head coach Ryan Warsofsky. “We’ve got to build off what we did last weekend. This week gave us a chance to catch our breath and tighten up on some things at practice and dial in. It starts with a good first shift on Friday night.”

2. START STRONG

A common theme in both of the Checkers’ wins this week was their strong starts. On both Wednesday in Syracuse and Saturday in Rochester, the Checkers secured two-goal leads in the first period and paved the way for key victories. That has been a good omen for Charlotte this season, as the team is 10-3-1 when scoring the game’s first goal – accounting for each of their wins this season – and 0-8-2 when allowing the first goal.

“I think it helps our team when we score first, there’s no secret about that,” said Warsofsky. “We get into the game quicker. But whether we score first or they do, whether it’s a bad call, whether the glass breaks and there’s a delay, we just have to play. We have to play with our structure, our level of compete and our focus. It doesn’t matter what night it is or how many people are in the building, we have to be prepared to play for 60 minutes.”

3. SUCCESS IN SYRACUSE

Two of Charlotte’s best games this season have come in Syracuse. The Checkers racked up their highest goal total in a 7-3 victory on Oct. 19, then pulled off a 5-1 victory in their return to Syracuse earlier this month. The Crunch join the Springfield Thunderbirds as the two teams that Charlotte has multiple wins against this season.

“I don’t know if it’s anything in particular,” said Warsofsky. “Whether we catch them at a bad time or not, they’re still a really good hockey team that can score at will. They’re well coached, they have good structure, I know they’re going to be ready to play after those last two games against them. They obviously can’t be happy and I’m sure they want some revenge, so we have to be aware of that.”

4. SCOUTING THE CRUNCH

The Crunch come into the weekend with the 11th-ranked offense in the league, totaling 14 goals over their last three contests. They are led by two of the AHL’s top three goal scorers from last season in Alex Barre-Boulet and Chris Mueller, as well as seasoned veterans like Cameron Gaunce on the blue line and Cory Conacher.

The Crunch haven’t had as much success on the flip side, ranking 21st in terms of goals-against per game. Spencer Martin has handled the bulk of the workload as of late, starting four of the last five games and appearing in each of the last six. After a bit of a rough patch, Martin has looked solid in his last two starts, surrendering just three total goals.

5. FINDING GOALS

Charlotte’s offense has come in waves as of late. The Checkers have scored at least three goals in three of their last six games, winning all three of those contests. On the flip side, they have one total goal in the three losses over that stretch. Over the whole season the Checkers are 8-1-2 when scoring at least three goals and 2-10-1 when falling below that threshold.

“ Getting Gibby back will help, and Geekie’s starting to score,” said Warsofsky. “We need a total team effort, it can’t just be one or two guys, it has to be all 18 skaters that are ready to go.”

6. 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!