Game Preview: Checkers vs. Hershey (Nov. 14, 2013)

The Checkers will once again look to make the breakthrough on home ice as they host the second of a back-to-back set against the Hershey Bears at Time Warner Cable Arena tonight.

A 5-3 loss in the initial meeting between the clubs on Wednesday extended the Checkers' overall losing streak to four games while dropping the team to 0-5-0 at home this season. Another loss tonight would tie the longest overall losing streak in team history and set a new record for longest losing streak at home, both of which were set simultaneously nearly one full year ago.

Tonight's game wraps up a four-game home stand for the Checkers, who depart to play two games in Toronto starting Saturday. After that, they will play 12 of their next 13 at home.

Charlotte

In many ways, Wednesday’s game was the best that the Checkers have played on home ice all season, with increased offensive production to thank. Before scoring three goals against Hershey netminder David Leggio, the team had mustered just six combined goals in their previous four home games. The team’s 40 shots on goal were a season high, while their 24 shots allowed tied a season low.

Forwards Adam Brace, who scored a goal an added an assist to extend his point streak to five games (2g, 3a) and 18-year-old Elias Lindholm, who scored his first AHL goal with less than two minutes remaining in regulation, found the back of the net, as did defenseman Michal Jordan on the power play.

Despite fighting hard to come back in the second half of the game, when they out-scored Hershey 2-0 and went on to enjoy a 21-5 shots advantage in the third period, a four-goal deficit proved too much to overcome as starting goaltender Rick DiPietro allowed five goals in 15 shots before giving way to John Muse.

Aside from what coach Jeff Daniels called a “tough night” for DiPietro, an NHL veteran who was making his third start of the season since joining the Checkers on a professional tryout contract, the team was mostly pleased with how it played.

“Obviously things aren’t going our way and we want the outcome to be different, but we’re fighting and putting in the effort,” said center Sean Dolan.

“We’ve just got to keep positive, that’s all we can do right now,” said Daniels. “We’re a little frustrated and struggling with some confidence, but if you look at the tape we did a lot of good things. I thought we skated well and had a lot of pressure and the power play scored a couple of goals. We’ve just got to build off that.”

Regardless of what happened Wednesday, the Checkers were always likely to use Muse for tonight’s game based on the tight turnaround of playing three games in four days. Muse, who stopped all nine shots he faced in relief of DiPietro, continues to lead the AHL in goals-against average (1.29) and save percentage (.957). Tonight’s game would mark his fourth consecutive appearance, as he was in net for both of the Checkers’ 2-1 losses to Chicago last week.

Another lineup change could involve defenseman Rasmus Rissanen, who left Wednesday's game in the second period with an apparent injury and did not return. If unable to play for the third time this season (he missed two consecutive games on Oct. 30 and 31), Beau Schmitz would enter the lineup after sitting out each of the last four as a healthy extra.

Though he has been cleared for contact at practice, center Brody Sutter is likely to miss his sixth consecutive game due to injury.

Hershey

Wednesday's win marked the first regulation win for the Bears since Oct. 27, ending a five-game run that saw the team go 1-1-3, with its lone victory coming by way of shootout. One of just two Eastern Conference teams the Checkers face this season along with Norfolk, Hershey is now back to .500 with an even 4-4-4 record¸ though it still finds itself four points out of playoff position.

Something the Checkers can take solace in from Wednesday's game is that they were able to go 2-for-6 on the power play, ending a three-game drought on the man advantage against a team that entered the contest ranked sixth in the AHL with a penalty-killing percentage of 85.2.

Should Hershey continue the rotation it's put in place for the first part of this season, Philipp Grubauer would likely come in for Leggio in goal. Even after Leggio's 37 save-performance on Wednesday, Grubauer has the better numbers of the two with a 2.71 goals-against average and .904 save percentage.

Hershey got Dmitry Orlov back from Washington in time for Wednesday's game, with the defensemen putting in a solid performance despite his accidental tip on Jordan's shot from the point that led to the Checkers' first goal. Despite playing only six AHL games this season, Orlov is tied with longtime AHL star Jeff Taffe for first on the team in scoring with eight points (2g, 6a)

Bears captain and third-leading scorer Dane Byers, who has an active six-game point streak (4g, 2a) is likely to miss his second consecutive game due to the birth of his child. In his absence, Taffe, Casey Wellman, Ryan Stoa and Brandon Segal all enjoyed multi-point nights on Wednesday with one goal and one assist apiece.

Checkers Notes

Losing Skid

After starting the season with a record of 5-3-1, the Checkers have lost each of their last four games, marking their longest slide of the season and tying them with two other teams (Hamilton and Worcester) for the longest active streak in the AHL. It is the longest losing streak since the team dropped five games in a row, all at home, from Nov. 24-Dec. 6 of last season, which also marked the longest losing streak in team history.

Trouble At Home

The Checkers are 0-5-0 at Time Warner Cable Arena, marking their slowest start at home in four AHL seasons. Dating back to last season's playoffs, the Checkers have lost seven straight home games, while their five-game losing streak to start this season is the longest by any AHL team during the current campaign. The streak ties a five-game skid at home from Nov. 24-Dec. 6 of last season for the longest in team history.

Though Charlotte's five home games this season are tied for second-fewest in the league, it is one of just two teams (Utica: 0-4-2) that have yet to earn a home victory this season. The Checkers play 13 of their next 16 at Time Warner Cable Arena.

Brace Yourself

After sitting out six of the Checkers' first eight games as a healthy extra, forward Adam Brace has recorded points in each of his last five games (2g, 4a), giving him more points than any other Checkers player during that time. He ranks fifth among AHL rookies with a 28.6 shooting percentage.

Including a successful stint with ECHL Florida after finishing college last season, Brace has 27 points (9g, 18a) in 24 professional games, including 15 points in 13 playoff games with the Everblades.

Rare Territory

Saturday's 2-1 loss to the Chicago Wolves dropped the Checkers to 5-6-1 on the season, marking the first time they've been under the .500 mark since starting 0-1-1 in Norfolk on Oct. 7 and 8, 2011. It is also the latest in a season that the team has been under .500, with the 2010-11 Checkers evening their record to 7-7-1 on Nov. 11, 2010, en route to an eventual run to the Eastern Conference Final.

Since joining the AHL, the Checkers have been under .500 for just 42 total days, 29 of which came during the team's inaugural season, when they hit a record-low four games under .500 (2-6-1) on Oct. 29, 2010.

Striking First

The Checkers have opened the scoring in 10 of their 13 games, tying them for second in the AHL for the most "first goals" this season. Up until allowing Hershey to score in the first period of Wednesday's game, they had scored first in seven consecutive games. The team's perfect record of scoring first on the road (eight for eight) remains intact.

The Checkers have a record of 5-4-1 when scoring the game's first goal this season for a winning percentage of .550 that ranks as the league's fourth-lowest (Hershey, at 4-4-2; Lake Erie, at 3-3-0; and Utica, at 1-1-0; are all at .500) when scoring first. When not scoring first, the Checkers are 0-3-0.

Youth Movement

Elias Lindholm, the fifth overall selection in the 2013 NHL Entry Draft, made his AHL/Checkers debut on Nov. 7, becoming the youngest player to ever play for the franchise at 18 years and 340 days. Defenseman Justin Faulk, who debuted with the team following the end of his freshman season in college, had the previous record at 19 years and 40 days, set on April 20, 2011. By scoring his first AHL goal on Nov. 13, Lindholm became the youngest Checker to score a goal or record a point at 18 years and 347 days.

Lindholm is the second-highest-drafted player to suit up for Charlotte behind Rick DiPietro, the 2000 first-overall draft choice who made his debut with the team earlier this season. Manny Malhotra (7th overall in 1998), who has since signed with Carolina, gives the team three top-10 picks this season alone. Prior to this season, the highest-drafted player to ever play for the team was defenseman Ryan Murphy (12th overall in 2011), who played his first game with the team last March.

Muse's Hot Start

Since rejoining the Checkers on a professional tryout contract from ECHL Fort Wayne on Oct. 23, goalie John Muse has gone 3-2-0 in five starts and leads the AHL with a 1.29 goals-against average and .957 save percentage and is part of a two-way tie for first with two shutouts. He has held opponents to two or fewer goals in five of his six appearances, allowing a season-high three on 38 shots in just one contest, a win in Rockford on Oct. 31.

Muse began his AHL season with a shutout streak of 154:03, breaking Dan Ellis's team record, set one season earlier, by just 59 seconds. The AHL Player of the Week for the period ending Oct. 27 began the streak with back-to-back shutouts at Grand Rapids and Chicago on Oct. 25 and 27, respectively, becoming the second goalie in team history to post consecutive shutouts (Justin Peters in 2012-13). He won each of his first three Checkers starts for the third time in as many seasons, marking the only three times a Checkers goalie has accomplished that feat.

Divided Division

Nine of the Checkers' 13 games have been played against Midwest Division opponents (3-5-1). The team has played within its own division, the West, just three times (2-1-0) and will not play another game against a West team until hosting San Antonio on Dec. 10. No other AHL team has played fewer games within its own division.

Against the Bears

Tonight's game will mark the second of four meetings between the two clubs this season, with Charlotte holding an all-time record of 4-6-3 record against the Bears. Hershey is also one of four teams the Checkers have ever faced in the playoffs, with Charlotte picking up a 4-2 series victory in the 2011 East Division Semifinals.

Along with the Norfolk Admirals, Hershey is one of just two Eastern Conference teams that the Checkers have faced since moving to the Western Conference prior to the 2011-12 campaign.

Quick Hits

• Charlotte's 40 shots on goal Wednesday were a season high for most in a single game, while their 21 shots in the third period were most in any period this season
• Despite not scoring a goal since Oct. 26, Mark Flood is tied for fourth among AHL defenseman with five goals and ranks tied for fourth with three power-play goals
• The Checkers' one overtime game is tied with three other teams for the fewest in the league
• Charlotte is one of four teams that has yet to score a shorthanded goal

Player Streaks

• Adam Brace has points in each of his last five games (Oct. 31-Nov. 13: 2g, 4a).

Milestones

• Elias Lindholm scored his first career AHL goal on Nov. 13
• Nicolas Blanchard is 2 goals away from 25 Checkers goals
• Nicolas Blanchard is 5 penalty minutes away from 350 as a Checker
• Michal Jordan is 3 assists away from 50 AHL/Checkers assists