Game Preview: Checkers at Utica (Oct. 18, 2019)

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The Checkers hit the road this weekend for a pair of matchups against North Division opponents, starting Friday in Utica. Here's everything you need to know before tonight’s puck drop.

1. ON THE ROAD AGAIN

The Checkers are back on the road after dropping their season opener in Hartford two weeks ago and then following it up with a win the next night in Springfield.

Dating back to last season the Checkers have not lost consecutive road games since Feb. 17 and Mar. 8.

2. COMETS COME IN HOT

Utica enters Friday’s contest as one of only two undefeated teams in the AHL. The Comets are 3-0-0, having beat Binghamton by one, Wilkes-Barre/Scranton by one in overtime, and most recently Syracuse by four. All three games featured the Comets erasing some sort of deficit.

The Comets are averaging 4.67 goals per game, the best mark in the AHL, and have been propelled offensively by Reid Boucher (5g, 1a in 3 games) and Nikolay Goldobin (0g, 4a in 2 games).

Defensively Utica sits in a tie for 10th in the AHL while surrendering an average of 2.67 goals per game. Former Providence netminder Zane McIntyre was between the pipes for two of those wins but is currently on recall with Vancouver, so rookie Michael DiPietro has taken charge of the crease in his absence, picking up the win over Syracuse.

Game Information

Season Series

  • Oct. 10
    UTI @ CHA
  • Mar. 6
    UTI @ CHA
  • Mar. 7
    UTI @ CHA
  • Mar. 27
    CHA @ UTI

3. KILLING IT

Charlotte’s penalty kill continues to be one of the team’s strongest areas, successfully killing off all 10 of Bridgeport’s power play across the two games last weekend. The Checkers have now killed 20 of 21 man advantages this season, including 19 in a row.

They’ll face a Utica squad on Friday that has converted just once on 15 man advantages this season, ranking 25th in the AHL, followed by a Crunch team that ranks sixth in power-play percentage.

4. POWERING UP

The Checkers have been strong on the man advantage as well. They rank third in the AHL with five goals in 17 power plays, good for a 29.4 percent conversion, and have notched a power-play goal in every game this season.

The road has been kind to the Charlotte power play thus far, as they are 3-for-6 away from home, the best such mark in the league.

5. GEEKIE'S STRONG START

Morgan Geekie continued to impact the scoresheet over the weekend, notching an assist in Friday’s loss and a pair of goals in Saturday’s rematch. The second-year forward is now the only Checker to record a point in each of the team’s first four games.

Four players in franchise history have started a season with a five-game point streak, including Andrew Poturalski last season, while Chris Terry holds the record by recording a point in nine straight contests to start the 2013-14 season. Four players from that group of five would go on to score at least 50 points that season.

6. FORSBERG SHINES

In his first two games in a Checkers sweater, Anton Forsberg has played lights out between the pipes. The netminder made 33 saves on the road in Springfield to secure the team’s first win of the season, then stopped 28 of the 29 shots he faced on Saturday to lift Charlotte to its first home win of the season.

7. ROOKIES IMPRESSING

The Checkers have gotten strong production from the rookie pair of Chase Priskie and Eetu Luostarinen so far this season. Priskie has notched three assists in four games, including helping propel Charlotte’s strong power play with a pair coming on the man advantage. Luostarinen has been a dependable piece down the middle for the Checkers and has lit the lamp in each of the team’s last two games.

8. FULL SQUAD

After they both spent time with Carolina on NHL recall, Julien Gauthier and Brian Gibbons are back on the Charlotte roster heading into the weekend and should provide a strong boost for the Checkers. Prior to making his NHL debut with Carolina, Gauthier lit the lamp in each of the Checkers’ first two contests this season, while Gibbons has notched four points in four AHL games thus far, including a two-point effort in the win over Bridgeport

9. TUNE IN

You can tune in to every broadcast this season with a subscription to the league’s streaming platform AHLTV. For this weekend, however, the league is letting you tune in for free!

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!