QUICK HITS
HEAD NORTH
Tonight marks the eighth game the Checkers will play against a North Division opponent this season, with Charlotte holding a 3-4-0-0 record in those contests - though it has posted three straight wins against those clubs.The Checkers and Comets have faced off three previous times this season, with Utica winning each one. The Checkers have scored a total of three goals in those tilts, while surrendering 10 to the Comets.
ON THE ROAD AGAIN
The Checkers trek back out on the road having posted a 4-1-0-0 record over their last five games away from home. Their nine road wins this season are tied for the most in the Atlantic Division, and their two-game road winning streak is tied for the third-longest such active streak in the AHL.REINFORCEMENTS
The Checkers got a pair of key forwards back last week when Seattle assigned Max McCormick and Alexander True back to Charlotte, and the duo picked right back up where they left off on the scoring front. McCormick put up five points (2g, 3a) over the last three games, running his current AHL point streak to four games and remaining a near point-per-game player while wearing a Charlotte sweater this season with 15 points (8g, 7a) in 18 games. True recorded a point in each of his last two contests, extended his current AHL point streak to six games - tied for the longest such streak by a Checker this season.BIG OPPORTUNITIES
With both Florida and Seattle calling upon reinforcements over the last few weeks, the Checkers have had to turn to a slew of PTO’s throughout the most recent stretch of contests. While the forward group has reached close to full capacity once again, Charlotte’s back end features a cast of new faces. In fact, of the seven healthy options the Checkers have on the blue line, six of them are currently signed to PTOs.SHORTHANDED SUCCESS
The Checkers have racked up three shorthanded goals over their last three games. Two came in Thursday’s win over Springfield, marking the second time this season that the Checkers have scored two shorthanded goals in a single game. Charlotte is currently tied for the league lead with eight shorthanded goals this season.POWER OUTAGE
The Checkers will be looking to jump start their power play in Friday’s clash with Utica, as they have gone two straight games with notching a goal on the man advantage. They have recorded four goals in their last 29 power-play opportunities over the last eight games - three of which came in the same game. They’ll be facing a Utica squad that sits near the middle of the pack in the league when it comes to the penalty kill.QUOTES
Head Coach Geordie Kinnear on the focus of this week's practices"It’s been a good week, to be honest a much-needed week.We never get away from what we’re trying to do. We’re about doing things the right way all the time. We didn’t like the second periods over the past two games, we lost focus as a group and didnt play to our identity. So we talked about that and corrected that in practice today."
Kinnear on the challenges of piecing together a lineup while missing so many big names
"That’s what coaching is all about. We enjoy the challenges, if there were no challenges, what fun is that? It’s a challenge but we have guys who have played together, so we’re trying to look for chemistry within the lines and pairs and then spot guys in. We always talk about being in the swimming pool, you don’t dip your toe in to see how warm it is, we need them to jump right in. We need the group that has been here to help them learn faster."
Kinnear on the impact of getting Max McCormick and Alexander True back on the roster
"Leadership, playing the right way, 200-foot game, great pros. Max comes to the rink every day and does his preparation before he goes out onto the ice - if I was a young guy I’d be like ‘I need to be like that guy.” Truesy is a very even-keel guy who has great awareness. It’s sometimes difficult for those guys to come down after playing a certain role in the NHL and then I’m asking them to play lots of minutes down here, so your conditioning maybe isn’t where it needs to be, but they’ve been working through that. You’ll always have an immediate impact if you come down with the right attitude and I’m proud of those two guys for coming down with the right attitude."
Kinnear on getting the power play going
"It’ll come back, you just have to execute and do it at a faster pace. Know that your responsibility as a power-play guy isn’t just to score but to create momentum and wear the other team down. We didn’t have any zone time and that’s pretty important if you want to win hockey games in today’s game."
Kinnear on getting Antoine Bibeau back "It helps everybody. We’ve had a lot of goalies come in here. [Bibeau] is another guy that’s always prepared no matter what situation he’s put in. We’re not sure what’s going to happen this weekend but we’re more than confident to put him in. He’s kind of been through a tough stretch here going to Seattle and ending up being there for more time than he thought because of Covid protocols and things of that nature. We’re excited to have him back, he’s a great presence and a great goalie and he’s a part of our group."
COMING IN
CLT: 2-3-0-0 in last five games this seasonUTI: 3-1-1-0 in last five games this season
WHO TO WATCH
CLT
Connor Carrick - 6 points in last 6 gamesMax McCormick - 6 points in last 4 games
Scott Wilson – 5 points in last 6 games
UTI
Chase De Leo – 18 points in last 11 gamesAlexander Holtz – 11 points in last 7 games
Fabian Zetterlund – 17 points in last 14 games
TUNE IN
Tonight's contest starts at 7 p.m. in Utica, and as always you can listen to the game for free via the Checkers app on iPhone or Android. You can also watch via the league’s AHLTV service.And new for this season, our friends over at Ed's Tavern on 2200 Park Road are going to be showing the game on their TVs!
