Game Preview: Checkers at Utica (Oct. 24, 2018)

After a tough weekend at home, the Checkers are back on the road Wednesday to kick off a busy three-game week with a rematch against Utica. Here are six things to know before tonight’s puck drop.

1. BOUNCING BACK

After a 5-0-0 start to the season, the Checkers are coming off a loss for the first time this season. Despite pulling off a series split against Hershey over the weekend, head coach Mike Vellucci wasn’t pleased with either of his team’s performances.

“For me it was more about effort and paying a price,” he said. “I don’t think we came into either of those games on the weekend thinking that it was going to take hard work to win the game. We have to play desperate every game and every shift.”

Wednesday’s contest in Utica will show just how the Checkers respond to their first real adversity of the season.

“We had great practices this week,” said Vellucci. “I had a very good meeting with our captains this morning and everyone’s on the same page.”

2. ON THE ROAD AGAIN

The Checkers return to the road portion of their schedule Wednesday where they have thrived this season. They are a perfect 4-0-0 away from home so far, making Charlotte one of four teams in the Eastern Conference that have yet to lose a road game in regulation and tying it for the most road wins in the AHL.

3. I THINK I SAW YOU IN THE CREASE, DARLING

After suffering an injury in the Canes’ final preseason game, Scott Darling was cleared for game action and activated from IR earlier this week. To get back into the swing of things, the netminder has joined the Checkers for a conditioning stint, jumping into the team’s practice for the last few days.

“He had a really good practice today,” said head coach Mike Vellucci after Tuesday’s skate. “He looked sharp.”

The Checkers have a busy schedule ahead of them with three road games this week, and the plan is for Darling to take the crease for at least one of them.

“He’s going to play Wednesday then we’ll see what happens,” said Vellucci.

4. LAST TIME

It’s still the first month of the season but the Checkers are already making their second trip to Utica.

The two clubs’ first meeting was a tight affair, with the Comets jumping out to an early two-goal lead before three straight tallies pushed the Checkers ahead going into the third period. After the home side evened the score early in the third it was Dennis Robertson who came through with the heroics, lighting the lamp in the final two minutes of play to give Charlotte a 4-3 victory. Robertson led the way with the second two-goal night of his career while Saku Maenalanen put up a goal and an assist for his first two-point effort in North America.

With that matchup fresh on both teams’ minds, there should be no surprises Wednesday night.

“Having played them already we pretty much know what they’re going to do and they know what we’re going to do,” said Vellucci. “So it’s going to come down to execution and hard work.”

5. SCOUTING THE COMETS

Utica’s victory over Charlotte came as part of a four-game winning streak, but the Comets have come back to Earth as of late, dropping two straight before righting the ship with a 4-3 win over Syracuse last Saturday.

The Comets have had some struggles on the defensive side of things this season, ranking in the bottom five of the league in terms of goals-against per game. In fact, Utica has allowed at least four goals in five of their eight games thus far and at least three goals in seven. Splitting time in the crease have been veteran Richard Bachman and second-year pro Ivan Kulbakov. Both netminders have posted save percentages below .900 and goals-against averages north of 3.50 in their four appearances each, but Kulbakov has backstopped the Comets to three of their four wins this season. After Bachman started the first three games of the season, including Utica’s loss to Charlotte, Kulbakov has been between the pipes for four of the Comets’ last five contests, including each of the last two.

Offensively the Comets rank in the middle of the pack in terms of goals per game but have been bolstered by one of the league’s best scorers thus far. Reid Boucher has come out flying this season, leading the league with nine goals in eight games and tying for second with 12 points. Boucher, who scored twice in Utica’s last meeting with Charlotte, has recorded a point in each of the Comets’ games this season.

6. TUNE IN

You can tune in to tonight's broadcast with a subscription to the league’s new streaming platform AHLTV. Sign up here and catch the action on the road.

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!