Game Preview: Checkers at Toronto (Feb. 25, 2015)

The Checkers hope to earn a series split against Toronto as the teams play each other for the final time this season this morning.

Having seen their season-best, three-game win streak come to an end in Sunday's 6-3 loss to Toronto, the Checkers will look to bounce back in what will be the earliest start time in team history. Charlotte has never earned a point in Toronto, having gone 0-3-0 at Ricoh Coliseum since the teams began play last season.

Following today's game, the Checkers will head to Hamilton for a pair of games this Friday and Saturday before returning to Charlotte to begin a five-game home stand next week.

Charlotte

After seeing their season-best winning streak come to an end in Toronto this past weekend, the Checkers will be looking to start another when they square off for a rematch this morning.

Through the first 40 minutes of Sunday’s contest, the Checkers hung tough, holding a one-goal lead heading into the final intermission. But their solid start was derailed by a brutal third period that saw the Marlies put up four unanswered goals to cruise to a 6-3 win.

After earning the de facto number one goalie role, Drew MacIntyre has been a strong presence in net for the Checkers this season, but has hit a rough patch as of late. In his last seven starts, the veteran is 1-6-0 with a goals against average of 3.68. Not all of that falls on him, however, as the Checkers as a team rank in the bottom third of the AHL in terms of goals allowed per game.

Alternately, John Muse, who struggled out of the gate with a 2-8-2 record, has shined when called upon. The franchise’s all-time wins leader has gone 4-1-0 in his last six appearances while logging a goals against average of 1.82 and a save percentage of .952. The two netminders have alternated starts in each of the Checkers’ last six contests, so there is a chance we could see Muse get the nod in today’s rematch.

On the offensive side, the Checkers have begun to heat up. Brock McGinn has been red hot, racking up six points in his last four games, as well as matching the team’s season high with a four-game goal streak. His tear has taken some of the offensive burden off of Chad LaRose, who has continued to consistently find the score sheet for Charlotte. With four points in his last three games, LaRose has extended his team-lead in both points and goals. Their recent production, combined with the emergence of Alex Aleardi (nine points in 12 games since being recalled from the ECHL) and the resurgence of Zach Boychuk (three points in his last four games), has given the team’s offense a much-needed boost, as the Checkers have scored season-best three or more goals in each of their last four games.

While their attack isn’t completely turned around, still ranking second to last in the AHL, it is certainly trending in the right direction. Depth contributors like Dennis Robertson (three points in his last four games), Ben Holmstrom (points in each of his last two games) and Keegan Lowe (three-point night last Thursday) have stepped up and pitched in offensively. If the Checkers are to make any sort of push at this point in the season, they will need for that production to continue. 

Toronto

Despite snapping a two-game skid by downing the Checkers last Sunday, the Marlies still find themselves fading away from the playoff conversation. As the schedule dwindles down, the Marlies find themselves in the same boat as the Checkers, with every game holding more and more importance.

The Marlies’ attack hasn’t fared much better than Charlotte’s this season, ranking just two spots ahead at 27th in the AHL in terms of goals per game. But their offense came to life against the Checkers on Sunday, as they pumped in four unanswered strikes in the third period en route to a 6-3 win.

Toronto is led by a dynamic pair of rookies in Connor Brown and Brendan Leipsic. Brown, who led the OHL in scoring last season with the Erie Otters, has enjoyed a strong first campaign with the Marlies, ranking third among AHL rookies in scoring, including eight points in his last seven games. Leipsic, who led the WHL in scoring two seasons ago with the Portland Winterhawks, was recently acquired from the Predators organization. He has provided a much needed spark for the Marlies, with a point in each of his three games with the club, adding to his point total that ranks fourth among AHL rookie.

In net, the Marlies have been powered by the tandem of Christopher Gibson and rookie Antoine Bibeau. Both goalies have put up comparable stats, each turning in a .500 record, with Gibson having a handful more appearances. Recently, Bibeau has struggled, going 1-3-3 in his last seven appearances while allowing at least three goals in six of those games. Gibson, on the other hand, has won four of his last six starts. The duo has alternated each of the last five starts, with Bibeau getting the victory in Sunday’s contest against the Checkers.

Checkers Notes

Against Toronto

Tonight marks the conclusion of the four-game season series between the Checkers and Toronto. Including wins in two of three games this season, the Marlies hold an all-time record of 6-1-0 against Charlotte over the last two seasons. Toronto's 6-3 victory on Sunday kept the Checkers pointless (0-3-0) in three games at Ricoh Coliseum.

Zach Boychuk leads all Checkers skaters with four points (2g, 2a) in three games against the Marlies this season, with Chad LaRose (1g, 2a) and Justin Shugg (1g, 2a) following close behind. For the Marlies, Brendan Leipsic leads the way with six points, all assists, in four games against Charlotte, three of which came while playing for the Milwaukee Admirals. Of those who have been with Toronto all season, Josh Levio leads with five points (2g, 3a) in three games.

In goal, former Marlie Drew MacIntyre has recorded both of the Checkers' losses this season while posting a 4.06 goals-against average and .869 save percentage. John Muse won his lone start by saving 36 of 37. Toronto rookie Antoine Bibeau has posted a 2.00 GAA and .930 SV% to record both of his team's victories, while Christopher Gibson stopped 18 of 21 in a losing effort on Jan. 16.

MacIntyre played 69 games for the Marlies over the last two seasons and owns three of their six all-time victories over Charlotte. The Carrick brothers (Checkers defenseman Trevor and Toronto forward Sam) faced each other for the first time as professionals on Sunday. Newly-named Marlies captain Troy Bodie played 50 games for the Carolina Hurricanes alongside current Checkers Boychuk and LaRose in 2010-11.

Home And Road

By sweeping a three-game home stand last week, the Checkers improved their record at Time Warner Cable Arena to 14-11-2 this season. Meanwhile, they are 6-16-4 on the road, with their 16 points earned away from home marking the fewest of any AHL team.

Brock's Breakout

After going 29 games without a goal (Nov. 30) and 20 games without a point (Dec. 29), Checkers rookie forward Brock McGinn has found the back of the net five times in his last four games (5g, 1a). His four-game goal streak ties Justin Shugg (Nov. 14-21: 4g: 1a) for the longest by a Checkers player this season and is the longest active streak in the AHL. No Checker has scored goals in five straight games since Chris Terry did so from March 12-21 of last season (6g, 1a).

McGinn has scored at least one goal in eight games this season, with the Checkers posting a 6-2-0 record in those contests.

McGinn, who scored 43 goals in his final junior hockey campaign with Guelph last season, has recorded two multi-goal games this season (Nov. 21 and Feb. 18). He is third on the team with 10 goals and ranks fourth with 19 points in 51 games, leading all Checkers rookies.

Muse Heats Up

Checkers goaltender John Muse has won each of his last three games, equaling his win total from his first 16 appearances of the season. He is the franchise's all-time wins leader with 50, including a single-season team record of 27 set last season.

In four February appearances, Muse is 3-0-0 with a 1.70 goals-against average and .956 save percentage. During that time, he has lowered his GAA for the season from 2.87 to 2.65 and raised his SV% from .910 to .920, overtaking Drew MacIntyre in both categories.

LaRose Takes Over

During a current stretch that has seen him score 20 points (12g, 8a) in his last 26 games, Chad LaRose has taken sole possession of the team's scoring lead with 31 points (16g, 15a). In addition to being the team's overall points leader, he also leads the team in goals, power-play goals (six), shorthanded points (four - t-1st AHL), shots on goal (142) and game-winning goals (three).

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 115 points (57g, 58a) in 179 career AHL games with Lowell and Charlotte.

Offense Comes To Life

After scoring just eight total goals in a six-game stretch from Jan. 30-Feb. 12, the Checkers have found the back of the net 14 times in their last four outings (excluding a goal awarded for Monday's shootout win over Norfolk). They have scored at least three goals in each of their last four games, their longest such streak of the season.

The Checkers now rank 29th in the league with an average of 2.23 goals per game.

Welcome Back Alex

Since returning from the ECHL's Florida Everblades on Jan. 4, forward Alex Aleardi has posted 13 points (7g, 6a) in 16 games, including seven in his last six (4g, 3a). Even though Aleardi did not dress for four games since that recall, he ranks second on the Checkers in scoring behind Chad LaRose (20 games) during that time.

Aleardi, an undrafted forward who the Checkers signed to an AHL contract during the offseason, has 36 points (17g, 19a) in 73 career AHL contests with Springfield and Charlotte. He scored 19 points (8g, 11a) in 16 ECHL games with the Everblades this season.

Quick Hits

• Sunday marked the Checkers' first regulation loss of the season when leading after two periods (12-1-1)
• Sunday's third period marked the third time the Checkers have allowed four or more goals in a single period this season
• The Checkers have been out-shot in seven consecutive games
• Kyle Hagel is tied for third in the AHL in major penalties (16)
• Chad LaRose is tied for the AHL lead in shorthanded assists (3) and shorthanded points (4)
• Drew MacIntyre ranks second in the AHL in saves (1,008) and fifth in minutes played (2,055)
• The Checkers are the only AHL team that has yet to record a shutout

Injuries

• Jared Staal - missed one game starting 2/22
• Rasmus Rissanen - missed two games starting 2/19
• Gabriel Desjardins - missed 21 games starting 1/4
• Greg Nemisz - missed 33 games starting 12/8 (out for season)

Streaks

• Brock McGinn has goals and points in each of his last four games (Feb. 16-22: 5g, 1a)
• John Muse has won each of his last three games (Feb. 10-19)
• Chad LaRose has points in each of his last three games (Feb. 18-22: 2g, 2a)
• Alex Aleardi has assists and points in each of his last two games (Feb. 19-22: 1g, 2a)
• Ben Holmstrom has assists and points in each of his last two games (Feb. 19-22: 0g, 2a)
• Justin Shugg has assists and points in each of his last two games (Feb. 19-22: 0g, 2a)

Milestones

• John Muse is one shy of 100 AHL games
• Jared Staal is one shy of 250 pro games, three shy of 50 pro points and two shy of 100 pro penalty minutes
• Justin Shugg is two shy of 100 pro penalty minutes
• Ben Holmstrom played in his 300th AHL game on 2/22

Transactions

Incoming

• Feb. 22 - (D) Mike Cornell signed to PTO

Outgoing

• Feb. 21 - (D) Michal Jordan recalled by Carolina (NHL)