Game Preview: Checkers vs. Iowa (March 22, 2017)

Winners of their last five games, the Checkers have an opportunity to climb back into playoff position in tonight's 7 p.m. rematch with the Iowa Wild. Here are 10 things to watch heading into another crucial contest at Bojangles' Coliseum.

1. PLAYOFF PICTURE

With 14 games to go in the regular season, the Checkers trail Iowa by just two points for a Central Division playoff spot heading into tonight’s game. Charlotte has played one fewer game than the Wild, meaning they would have the tiebreaker and would move into playoff position with a regulation victory tonight. The Checkers, who ranked 30th of 30 AHL teams on Dec. 30, have not been in playoff position since Dec. 2.

Meanwhile, the sixth-place Cleveland Monsters defeated Chicago 4-1 last night to stay in the race, as they now trail Charlotte by one point with one more game played. Charlotte visits Cleveland for a two-game set next Tuesday and Thursday.

2. WELL-TIMED WIN STREAK

The Checkers’ current run of five consecutive victories dating back to March 9 is their longest since a season-long, six-game run from Oct. 28-Nov. 11 and is tied with Hershey for the longest active winning streak in the AHL. On the day of the streak’s first game, Charlotte ranked sixth in the Central Division and trailed Iowa by six points. Over the same time frame, Iowa has gone 3-2-0.

3. MCCOLLUM MAKES AN IMPACT

Including last night’s 1-0 shutout, goaltender Tom McCollum has won all four of his starts since joining the Checkers on a loan deal from Stockton on March 8. Including one relief appearance with the Heat prior to that transaction, the 27-year-old veteran is now 5-0-0 with a 1.50 goals-against average and .951 save percentage in the AHL this season. Last night marked the eighth shutout of his career and first since recording another shutout of the Wild on Feb. 27, 2016.

4. SHUTTING THE DOOR

Last night marked the Checkers’ fifth shutout of the season, with McCollum becoming the third goaltender to accomplish the feat (Michael Leighton 3, Alex Nedeljkovic 1). That amount is the most the team has posted in a single season since also shutting the door five times during the 2013-14 campaign. The Checkers recorded just one total shutout in two seasons from 2014-16.

5. ON THE WALL-MARK

Checkers center Lucas Wallmark scored his 23rd goal last night, which tied Zac Dalpe’s team record for most by a rookie in a single season set in 2010-11. Wallmark, who trails Stockton’s Mark Jankowski by just one for the goals lead among league rookies, has 26 points (15g, 11a) in 28 games since Jan. 7 and now ranks tied for sixth among rookies with 42 points.

6. HOME COOKING

Last night’s win improved the Checkers’ home record to 21-9-1 on the season. With a win tonight, the team could tie a franchise record for most home victories in a single season originally set during an 80-game campaign in 2010-11. Charlotte ranks sixth in the AHL in terms of home victories, just three off the league lead.

7. LOW-SCORING AFFAIR

Last night marked just the 12th 1-0 game in team history and first this season. It was the Checkers’ first 1-0 victory since Feb. 23, 2013, ending a four-game losing streak and improving the Checkers’ record to 4-6-2 in such games. The Checkers’ 19 shots on goal last night were a new season low.

8. POWERING UP

The Checkers’ power play has two goals in its last three games (2-for-10) – a stretch that includes one game in which they did not receive a power play opportunity for the first time since March 22, 2015. The Checkers, who are now converting at a 10.7 percent rate for the season and have pushed ahead of the all-time record for lowest percentage in a single season (10.36 by Rochester in 2001-02) did not have a power-play goal in their previous 10 games (0-for-25).

9. MILLER TIME

Checkers center Andrew Miller assisted on the Checkers’ lone goal last night, giving him 16 points (5g, 11a) in his last 12 games since Feb. 19, which is tops among Charlotte skaters and tied for fourth among all AHL skaters during that time. Miller now ranks fourth on the team with 28 points and is tied for second with 21 assists.

10. TUNE IN!

If you can't make it to the game tonight, you can still tune in to hear Jason Shaya's call live from Bojangles' Coliseum. The pregame show kicks off at 6:45. You can also download the new Checkers App, available for both iPhone and Android, for score updates and to play the new Top Line game!