Game Preview: Checkers at Wilkes-Barre/Scranton (Nov. 16, 2018)

The Checkers wrap up their extended road trip with a pair of contests in Wilkes-Barre/Scranton as they look to get back on track. Here are 7 things to know before pucks drops tonight.

1. BUMP IN THE ROAD

For the first time this season the Checkers find themselves in the midst of a winless streak, falling to Bridgeport on Sunday and then dropping an overtime contest in Lehigh Valley last night. Charlotte has picked up three of a possible eight points on their current road trip, but the good news is that the team’s hot start has given them a bit of a cushion, as the Checkers remain first in the AHL standings. Their gap is narrowing, however, as Rochester sits just two points behind with a game in hand.

2. POWER OUTAGE

The Checkers’ power play has stalled out as of late. After notching 10 over a five-game span, the team has failed to score a power-play goal in each of their last three games, going 0-for-16 on the man advantage. That marks the most games in row they’ve gone scoreless on the power play this season and just the second time they’ve come up empty in consecutive games at all.

They’ll have a chance to reignite their power play this weekend as they go up against a Penguins team whose PK ranks in the bottom five of the AHL.

3. KILLING IT

One of the Checkers’ biggest goals heading into the season was to improve the penalty kill, and through the first few weeks it appears to be working. Charlotte boasts the sixth-ranked PK percentage in the AHL and have successfully killed 29 of their last 33 opportunities over the last six games. Even in Wednesday’s game where they surrendered a pair of power-play goals to Lehigh Valley in the second period, the Checkers bounced back with a clutch kill of a long two-man advantage late in regulation to secure a point and force overtime.

4. SCOUTING THE PENS

The Penguins head into the weekend as the fourth-place team in the perennially strong Atlantic Division, but sit just five points behind the first-place Checkers. They have been a significantly stronger team away from home this season, picking up at least a point in seven of their nine road contests thus far compared to a 3-3-0 record on home ice.

Wilkes-Barre/Scranton’s strength has been on the defensive side of the puck so far this season, with the team ranking ninth in goals-allowed per game. In fact, the Pens held three of their last four opponents to two or fewer goals.

5. BATTLE BETWEEN THE PIPES

Alex Nedeljkovic continues to carry the bulk of the workload for Charlotte, appearing in 12 of the team’s 15 games this season. The netminder leads the AHL in wins, holding a three-game lead over the second-place spot, and is coming off his second-highest save total (28) of the season in Wednesday’s overtime loss to Lehigh Valley. Callum Booth has made two appearances for the Checkers this season, both on the road, and split the two decisions.

For the Pens, it has been Tristan Jarry taking a hold of the crease. The second-round pick has started nine of the last 12 games for WBS, logging over 30 saves five times already this season. The other goalie on the roster is Anthony Peters, who backstopped the Checkers for one in 2015-16. Peters has put up impressive numbers in his six appearances for the Pens this season, posting a 4-1-0 record.

Nedeljkovic faced the Pens twice during the regular season last year, splitting the decisions while posting a solid 2.57 goals-against average. On the other side, Jarry surrendered four goals and took the loss in his one contest against Charlotte last season, while Peters went 1-1-0 with a 2.52 goals-against average.

6. OFFENSIVE ATTACKS

The Checkers’ offense, which ranks in the top 10 of the league, has been largely propelled by the duo of Janne Kuokkanen and Andrew Poturalski, both of whom sit tied for 10th in the AHL in scoring. They’re hardly Charlotte’s only weapons, however, as the team boasts six players on the active roster with double-digit point totals, the second-highest amount in the league. The Penguins, by comparison, have two.

The Pens’ attack, which falls directly in the middle of the league rankings, is without two of its top four performers in Garrett Wilson and Zach Aston-Resse, who are both currently in the NHL. Leading the way has been rookie forwards Sam Lafferty and Anthony Angello, as well as second-round pick Teddy Blueger.

7. 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!