Game Preview: Checkers at Texas (Dec. 13, 2014)

The Checkers hope to conclude a three-game road trip better than they started as they play the second of back-to-back games against the Texas Stars tonight.

A 3-1 loss in the third of eight games between the West Division rivals on Friday extended Charlotte’s road winless streak to eight games (0-7-1), extending a team record and marking the second-longest such streak posted by any AHL team this season. They have not won away from home since Oct. 24, with tonight representing their last chance to do so until they come back from the holiday break with another game in Texas on Dec. 27.

Following tonight’s game, the Checkers return home to play four consecutive games at home starting Tuesday.

Charlotte

Justin Shugg’s goal with 2:12 remaining in regulation prevented the Checkers from suffering their second shutout in as many games as the team was coming off a 3-0 defeat in Norfolk two days earlier. From Carter Sandlak’s go-ahead goal against Iowa on Dec. 8 (a short-lived lead they would quickly give up) to Shugg’s tally, the goal drought lasted 123:52.

Despite the continued production of Shugg, who now has nine goals in just 16 games played after depositing a rebound on the power play, the Checkers fell to a 28th-place tie in league scoring with an average of 2.21 goals per game. Though it did not have a huge impact on the game, the Checkers’ goal ended a drought of 25 consecutive power plays without a goal dating back to another Shugg tally on Nov. 29.

Bright spots for the Checkers on Saturday included a 7-for-7 performance on the penalty kill that extended the team’s streak to 21 straight kills over its last five games. That included six straight minutes of Texas power plays in an ultimately scoreless first period that could have broken the game open much sooner.

Veteran Drew MacIntyre was a key part of holding the fort during that time as he kept Texas off the board until the middle portion of the second period despite Texas winning the shots battle 24-5 at that point.

The Checkers will continue to be without the services of forwards Greg Nemisz (out for season), Brody Sutter and Beau Schmitz for tonight’s game. They did not bring any extra players with them on the road trip.

Texas

Despite a power play nowhere near as dominant as last year’s Calder Cup campaign, the Stars were able to apply consistent pressure on the Checkers throughout Friday’s game before ultimately getting rewarded with a three-goal lead. Had they cashed in on earlier opportunities, the score could have easily approached the 8-2 decision they handed the Checkers back in Charlotte on Nov. 8 of this season.

The Stars surely missed reigning league MVP Travis Morin in that regard as the veteran scorer earned a recall to the parent Dallas Stars on Thursday. Moring entered Friday tied for fourth in league scoring with 24 points, more than double the total of any Checkers player, with 10 of those coming on the man advantage.

Experienced NHL goaltender Anders Lindback, who cleared waivers to join the Stars earlier this month, stopped 21 of 22 shots on Friday. He is now 3-1-0 with a 1.48 goals-against average and .950 save percentage this season, having played all four games since his assignment. He has allowed three total goals in each of his last three starts.

Meanwhile, Jack Campbell, a first-round draft pick in 2010, has been on the bench since allowing four goals on 30 shots in an overtime loss against Utica on Dec. 3. Including a loss to Charlotte on Nov. 10, he is just 2-5-3 with a 3.37 GAA and .898 SV% on the campaign.

The Stars, who endured an eight-game winless streak last month, have now won three in a row while allowing three total goals.

Checkers Notes

Against Texas

Tonight marks the fourth of eight meetings between the Checkers and the Stars, with the teams alternating victories starting with the Stars 8-2 win on Nov. 8. In 21 all-time contests between the two clubs, the Checkers hold an 8-9-4 record, including a 3-5-3 mark at Cedar Park Center in Texas.

In eight career games against the Stars, Justin Shugg has logged seven points (2g, 5a), the highest total for any active Checkers player. Derek Hulak (3g, 0a), Scott Glennie (1g, 2a) and Brendan Ranford (1g, 2a) lead active Stars in scoring against Charlotte this season.

Drew MacIntyre earned Charlotte's victory over Texas this season by stopping 28 of 29 shots on Nov. 10. Anders Lindback stopped 21 of 22 to defeat the Checkers on Dec. 12, while Jack Campbell took Texas' loss in the season series despite stopping 29 of 31 shots.

Losing Streak

The Checkers' current three-game losing streak ties their longest of the season set from Nov. 21-26. The team has not lost four in a row in regulation since setting a franchise record with seven consecutive losses from Nov. 2-19 of last season. It more recently endured a five-game winless streak (0-4-1) from Feb. 4-15 of last season.

Power Outage

Justin Shugg's goal with 2:12 remaining on Dec. 12 ended a drought of 25 consecutive power plays dating back to his last man-advantage goal on Nov. 29. Even with Shugg's goal, the Checkers are just 2-for-36 (5.6 percent) on the power play over their last nine games dating back to Nov. 22.

Charlotte currently ranks tied for in the AHL with a 9.8 percent success rate on the power play. In their previous four AHL seasons, the team never finished lower than fifth in terms of power-play percentage. Their lowest-ever percentage to finish a season was 19.8 percent.

Road Woes

The Checkers have not recorded a victory in any of their last eight road games (0-7-1), breaking the old franchise record of six set from Feb. 18-March 25, 2012 (0-2-4). Their road winless streak is the second-longest active posted by an AHL team at any point this season, trailing an active nine-game slide by Rochester.

Meanwhile, the Checkers saw their six-game point earned streak at home (5-0-1) snapped with a 4-3 loss to Iowa on Monday. It was one shy of tying the best streak in team history that was set in 2012-13.

Murphy's Helping Hand

Defenseman Ryan Murphy leads the Checkers with 11 assists on the season, at least four more than any other player. He is also tied for second on team in scoring with 11 points despite starting the season in Carolina and playing just 16 Checkers games. He leads the team in power-play assists and points (5).

Murphy, a 21-year-old who the Hurricanes drafted 12th overall in 2011, now has 34 points (3g, 31) in 40 career AHL games. Last season, he posted a 12-game assist/point streak that marked the longest in franchise history and was the longest by an AHL defenseman since the 2008-09 campaign.

Shorthanded Firepower

The Checkers' five shorthanded goals are tied for the third-most in the league and are two more than their league-low total from all of last season.

Chad LaRose leads the league in shorthanded assists and is tied for second in shorthanded points (3). Greg Nemisz and Brendan Woods are part of a 12-way tie for the league lead with two shorthanded goals each. Ben Holmstrom recorded the team's other shorthanded tally with its first penalty-shot goal since Dec. 20, 2011.

The Checkers are one of just four AHL teams that has yet to allow a shorthanded goal.

Worst Behavior

With 21.3 penalty minutes per game, the Checkers are the fifth-most penalized team in the AHL. They rank second in major penalties with 34, 10 of which are courtesy of Kyle Hagel, who leads the AHL in that category. Rasmus Rissanen has been assessed 16 minor penalties, which are the fourth most among AHL defensemen. In their four previous AHL seasons, the team never finished with an average higher than 16.5 penalty minutes per game.

The Checkers have done a better job as of late with not letting those penalties hurt them, as they are a perfect 21-for-21 on the penalty kill in their last five games. In their three games prior to that, they allowed six goals on 14 tries.

Quick Hits

• Drew MacIntyre's 10 losses are the most of any AHL goaltender
• Justin Shugg ranks seventh in the league with a shooting percentage of 25.7
• Carter Sandlak ranks fourth among AHL rookies in penalty minutes (48)
• Trevor Carrick is tied for third among AHL rookies in major penalties (4)

Streaks

• None

Injuries

• Beau Schmitz - missed two games starting 12/10
• Greg Nemisz - missed three games starting 12/8
• Brody Sutter - missed 12 games starting 11/15

Milestones

• Chad LaRose is one shy of 150 AHL games and two shy of 700 pro games
• Ryan Murphy is one shy of 100 professional games and two shy of 50 pro points
• Drew MacIntyre is one shy of 200 AHL wins
• Danny Biega is one shy of 50 AHL/pro penalty minutes
• Keegan Lowe is four shy of 150 AHL/pro penalty minutes
• Brendan Woods is five shy of 100 AHL/pro penalty minutes

Transactions

Incoming

• Dec. 7 - (G) Drew MacIntyre assigned to Charlotte from Carolina (NHL)

Outgoing

• Dec. 5 - (LW) Chris Terry recalled to Carolina (NHL) from conditioning stint in Charlotte