Game Preview: Checkers vs Binghamton (Mar. 1, 2019)

The new-look Checkers welcome the Binghamton Devils to town for the first time this season as they look to keep their winning ways rolling. Here's everything you need to know before tonight's puck drop.

1. BOUNCE BACK

After going through their worst stretch of the season so far – a 10-game stretch that saw them log a 2-4-4 record – the Checkers pulled off a big weekend sweep over the team that eliminated them from last year’s playoffs. With that pair of victories the Checkers have now won four of their last five games and finished February with a winning record, making it the fifth consecutive month this season they’ve hit that milestone.

“Every game is important so we need to make sure we’re ready to play these games,” said head coach Mike Vellucci. “Every point is so important, we want to make sure we finish in first so we have home ice during the playoffs.”

2. NEW FACES

The Checkers’ roster has gone through some changes over the last week, with the team adding a pair of big names in forward Tomas Jurco and netminder Dustin Tokarski. The duo, who carry with them a plethora of experience at both the AHL and NHL levels, are expected to slot into the lineup this weekend and help propel the Checkers down the home stretch.

“We want to make sure that we give our guys the best chance to succeed and that’s why we brought in two older, experienced guys who have won championships in the American League,” said Vellucci. “They can share and tell them what it takes to win a championship.”

3. PACKED TO THE GILLS

The coaching staff has harped all season on the benefit of depth on the team and gaining contributions from throughout the lineup. With the whirlwind of movement over the past few days, the Checkers are now as deep as they’ve ever been, a positive attribute that can bring up some tough decisions.

“It’s funny, from day to day you could lose five guys and then get five guys back like we did this weekend,” said Vellucci. “Some guys are going to be out of the lineup that shouldn’t be because they’ve had really good games, but we have depth and that means we have lots of choices. When your time is up you need to make the most of it or we’ll put somebody else in there. You have to step up and play consistent to stay in the lineup.”

4. GETTING HEALTHY

The Checkers entered this week a bit banged up, with several players nursing ailments that left their status in doubt. The good news is that everyone seems to have a clean bill of health heading into the weekend, giving Charlotte a solid boost to their lineup, especially with Roland McKeown and Aleksi Saarela, two of the biggest question marks, expected to fold back in.

“McKeown adds stability back there for us, he’s our best plus-minus defenseman,” said Vellucci. “He’s a stable guy who’s been around for the last three years and he’s a leader for us. Sal, he’s consistently put up points for us. It’s good to have those guys back and contributing.”

5. AVOIDING THE TRAP

The Binghamton Devils come into this weekend’s series stuck in last place in the North Division. Losers of five of their last six, the Devils are also without each of their top three scorers this season and without eight of their top 14 point getters, putting them in a tough spot.

But even so, the Checkers are in no place to overlook any opponents going forward.

“I tell my son for his games when they’re worried about this team being rated higher than us or lower than us, then why play the game?” said Vellucci. “You play the game because any team can win on any given night. If you’re going to play the game you better play it the right way and those are the things that are going to matter.”

6. BRICK WALL NED

Alex Nedeljkovic was between the pipes for both games against Lehigh Valley, stopping 53 of the 56 shots he faced to come away with a pair of victories. The third-year pro, who led the league in wins a season ago, has now run his win total to 26 and leads every other goalie in the AHL by at least six. Friday’s win pushed Nedeljkovic past John Muse to become the franchise’s all-time leader, and he currently sits five shy of the franchise record for wins in a single season – a mark that he himself set a season ago.

Nedeljkovic has been in net for each of the Checkers’ last 10 wins and has allowed two or fewer goals in each of his last nine starts.

7. DIDS IS DIALED IN

Josiah Didier has been a key piece on the blue line since returning from injury and has recently ramped up his offensive production as well. The defenseman has points in three straight games for just the second time in his career and is one shy of his longest, set in 2016-17 with St. John’s. The 25-year-old is two-shy of matching his career-high point total from a season ago despite appearing in only 29 games thus far.

8. GAUTHIER'S GOALS

With his second two-goal effort of the season last Saturday, Julien Gauthier has now eclipsed his goal total from his rookie campaign a year ago in eight fewer games. The forward, who currently has four goals and five points in his last five contests, has now pulled into a tie with Aleksi Saarela for the most tallies on the team this season.

9. TUNE IN

You can tune in to tonight's broadcast 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!