Game Preview: Checkers at Wilkes-Barre/Scranton (Jan. 8, 2020)

The Checkers are rolling into Pennsylvania on a hot streak and preparing to face their former coach in a big divisional matchup. Here's everything you need to know before puck drop.

1. GOING STREAKING

After having never strung more than two wins together this season, the Checkers have won each of their last five games to pull themselves right back into the thick of the Atlantic Division race. They technically sit fifth in the division, three points shy of fourth-place Springfield and four shy of third-place Providence, but have played four fewer games than both of those teams, giving Charlotte the third-best points percentage in the Atlantic Division.

2. BRICK WALLS

A key part of Charlotte’s success as of late has been the play between the pipes, with the tandem of Alex Nedeljkovic and Anton Forsberg turning in stellar performance after stellar performance. Nedeljkovic is coming off his third shutout of the season and has allowed just a single goal in his last two outings, pushing him into the AHL’s top 10 in terms of goals-against average. Forsberg nearly pulled off his first shutout of the season on Sunday but nevertheless has allowed a single goal in five of his last seven games, picking up wins in four straight appearances and six of his last seven. Together, the duo has given up five goals over the last five games, all of which have been wins.

3. LAST TIME

Charlotte and Wilkes-Barre/Scranton have faced off once already this season, with the visiting Checkers emerging with the win. The Nov. 23 contest was a goaltending battle that pitted the Calder Cup-winning duo of Alex Nedeljkovic and Dustin Tokarski against each other. Nedeljkovic got the best of the duel, stopping all 22 shots he saw, while Chase Priskie found the back of the net on a power play in the final five minutes to score the contest’s only goal and secure the 1-0 win for Charlotte.

4. SINKING PENS

The Checkers and Penguins enter tonight’s contest tied for fifth in the Atlantic Division with an equal point total of 39, though Charlotte has played two fewer games. The Penguins, led by former Checkers coach Mike Vellucci, have been on a bit of a slide, winless in three straight and 4-5-1 over their last 10 contests.

The Penguins have fared significantly better on their home ice, however, posting a 10-7-2 mark at home compared to a 7-7-2 record on the road.

5. WHO TO WATCH

WBS has struggled offensively, especially since losing point-per-game producer Stefan Noesen to the NHL, and their 26th-ranked offense could also be without current leading scorer Andrew Agozzino tonight as he was recalled to Pittsburgh earlier this week. The Penguins still have weapons, however, including a pair of strong second-year pros in Anthony Angello and Sam Miletic.

The team’s strength has been on the other side of things, with their defense sitting tied for 17th in the league in terms of goals-against per game. Casey DeSmith has handled the brunt of the workload in the crease, holding a 10-9-2 record in 24 games, but has had a tough time as of late. DeSmith is 0-5-2 in his last nine appearances and has allowed at least three goals in seven of those. The other side of the tandem is Tokarski, who has only appeared 11 times thus far but has been stellar, posting a 1.65 goals-against average and a .938 save percentage. The veteran had a stretch of nine appearances in which he allowed a total on eight goals, but surrendered four tallies on 18 shots in his most recent outing.

6. GOAT'S GOT GOALS

Julien Gauthier set a career high with 27 goals in 75 games last season, but he seems dead-set on topping that mark this year. The forward currently leads the team and is tied for sixth in the AHL with 16 goals through 28 games. Gauthier has nine goals in his last nine contests and has found the scoresheet in six of his last seven. The 22-year-old is looking to become the fifth Checker in franchise history to reach the 30-goal mark, while Zach Boychuk holds the franchise record with 36 in 2013-14.

7. LORENTZ BREAKS OUT

Steven Lorentz has found his offense this season, already more than doubling his output from a year ago with 20 points in 34 games. The third-year forward has 10 points in his last nine games, including notching multi-point efforts in three of his last five contests.

8. CLAESSON CASHES IN

After recording two assists through the first 20 games of the season, Fredrik Claesson has caught fire offensively. The blueliner has eight points in his last eight games, including a pair of goals – his first in the AHL since 2015-16.

9. TUNE IN

You can tune in to every broadcast this season with a subscription to the league’s streaming platform AHLTV.

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!