Game Preview: Checkers vs. Iowa (Oct. 19, 2013)

The Checkers will be looking across the ice at an unfamiliar foe as they get set to play their 2013-14 season home opener tonight.

The Checkers will square off in tonight's game against the Iowa Wild, formally known as the Houston Aeros, for the first time in franchise history. It will be the first of back-to-back games at Time Warner Cable Arena, and the first game played in Charlotte since the Game 5 loss to Oklahoma City in the first round of the Calder Cup Playoffs on May 4. Tonight's game will be the first of four total head-to-head meetings between the two teams, with these two games over the weekend being the only ones the Checkers play at home in the month of October.

Charlotte is looking to build upon its best start in team history – their record currently stands at 2-0-0 – but getting their rhythm back could be a challenge. An odd scheduling quirk left the Checkers idle for two weeks following their two-game sweep against Oklahoma City, but the Checkers have fared well in their home openers, however, compiling a 2-1 record through their first three seasons.

Charlotte

Despite a fair amount of roster turnover from last year, the Checkers hit the ground running to begin this season with a pair of 3-2 wins over 2012 playoff opponents Oklahoma City. Newcomers Mark Flood and Aaron Palushaj didn't take long to impose their presence on the team, with the former recording a goal in each game and the latter totaling a team-high three points on a goal and two assists. Zach Boychuk and Chris Terry paced the core of returning players with two points apiece, while goaltenders Justin Peters and Mike Murphy pitched their case as the best tandem in the AHL with solid play between the pipes.

It will fall upon the shoulders of Checkers players and coaches to ensure the two-week layoff doesn't result in sluggish play. With so much time in between games, the team worked to ensure they'll still bring the necessary competitive edge that comes with playing regular season games into this weekend knowing there won't be the luxury of having a period or two to find their bearings.

"There's been some time off, but we've been doing enough game situations and battles so that we should be able to get right into it, and that's what we want," said coach Jeff Daniels. "We can't wait and have that feeling-out process."

Boychuk added similar sentiments. "The important thing is going to be to get involved early, make a few hits and get into game shape," he said. "(The younger players) are probably a little bit nervous for the home opener, but hopefully they can get those jitters out quickly."

One notable player who will be missing from this weekend's matchup will be Peters, who was called up to the Hurricanes organization this week following Anton Khudobin's placement on injured reserve. While it is unknown exactly how long Khudobin will be out, losing Peters so early in the season creates some lineup adversity for Daniels -- but is nothing new from previous seasons.

"It's not going to be the first time," said Daniels. "Whether it's D or goalies or forwards, we've seen it all before. That's why guys are here – to prepare to play at the next level, and when they get that chance we're excited for them."

The stability that Peters brings – an eighth-year pro and two-time AHL All-Star – will be missed, but Charlotte will not be left empty-handed with the resurgence of Murphy. After what was essentially a lost season last year in Russia following his release from Spartak Moscow, Murphy stopped 22 of 24 shots to pick up the 3-2 win over Oklahoma City in his first start of the season. His play resembled that of 2011, when he backstopped the Checkers to the Eastern Conference Final, than that of his play from last season in limited action.

"I think I had a good camp with Carolina and have built off that, and to win that first game was big for me," said Murphy. "I feel good, I feel like I'm seeing the puck really well."

Iowa

While the name of the front of jersey may be different, don't be fooled. Despite the regular comings and goings of players to different teams, organizations, and leagues, the make-up of this Iowa team is still largely the same to that of the one in Houston.

Leading the list of players who left is forward Justin Fontaine, last year's leading scorer with 23 goals and 56 points in 64 games, and new proud owner of the Minnesota Wild's franchise record for fastest goal scored in a game at 12 seconds set on Oct. 12. Also included in that list are forwards Johan Larsson (Minnesota), David McIntyre (Grand Rapids), and Mikael Granlund (Minnesota), all of whom were in the top six in scoring for Houston last year and were counted on for carrying a large chunk of the offensive load.

Notable returnees include forward Jason Zucker – who will be ruled out of this weekend following his two-game suspension from the league for a hit to the head – and defenseman Brian Connelly, two of the top three scoring leaders from the Aeros a year ago. Also back will be forwards Chad Rau, Zack Phillips, and Carson McMillan, who combined to score 33 goals last season and will be counted on again to provide a scoring touch following the departures of Larsson, McIntyre, and Granlund. Brett Bulmer already looks the part in fulfilling that role, already scoring two goals in as many games after totaling four in 43 games last season.

On the defensive side, Steven Kampfer, Tyler Cuma, and Kyle Medvec all return alongside Connelly to provide some stability and experience to the blue line. Goaltender Darcy Kuemper is back in the fold after returning to Iowa just a day ago from Minnesota, having posted a 13-8-0 record with a microscopic 1.88 goals-against average and four shutouts last season. He will be expected to start both games over the weekend and could provide a tough task for Checkers forwards.

Already the Wild and Checkers have played common opponents, as Iowa split a two-game home series with Oklahoma City that saw them set the largest opening night crowd in Iowa history, relative to past AHL teams in Des Moines, in a 1-0 win to begin the season. The Wild couldn't follow up with a repeat performance, allowing two third period goals, on top of the Zucker suspension-worthy hit, in a 4-2 loss the next night.

Checkers Notes

Home Openers

The Checkers will be looking to win their home opener for the third season in a row and the third time in four attempts as they take on the Iowa Wild tonight. Since losing their first-ever home game to Wilkes-Barre/Scranton on Oct. 15, 2010, the Checkers topped Peoria (2011-12) and Chicago (2012-13) in subsequent campaigns. The team has an all-time record of 59-45-12 at Time Warner Cable Arena.

Flying Start

Prior to winning each of their first two regular-season games in Oklahoma City on Oct. 4 and 5, the Checkers had never gotten off to a 2-0-0 start since joining the AHL for the 2010-11 season. Last year's team came just short of that mark, dropping its second game of the season in a shootout en route to a four-game point streak (3-0-1).

The Checkers enter this weekend's series against Iowa as one of just three AHL teams (Springfield, Wilkes-Barre/Scranton) without a loss of any kind (regulation, overtime or shootout) this season.

Sutter Finds Scoring

After scoring six points (4g, 2a) in his first 27 AHL games dating back to the end of the 2011-12 season, Checkers center Brody Sutter now has six (3g, 3a) in his last seven, all against the Oklahoma City Barons. That stretch of games dates back to Game 1 of the 2013 playoffs, when he recorded his first multi-goal game as a professional, including the overtime winner. Three of his seven career AHL goals, including playoffs, were game winners.

Welcome to the Club

With his first-period goal on Oct. 4, defenseman Mark Flood became the first defenseman to ever score a goal in his Checkers debut. He then extended that streak, scoring for the second time in as many games on Friday to lead the team in goals and shots on goal (eight) through the season's first weekend. With one more goal than he scored in 52 KHL games last season, he is tied for third among AHL defensemen in goals.

Flood, who scored a career-high 40 points (11g, 29a) in 60 games over his last full AHL season with Manitoba in 2010-11, led all Checkers defensemen and tied for first on the team in scoring during the preseason with three points (3a) in two games. The Checkers' season opener was Flood's first AHL game since Nov. 1, 2011, as he spent the remainder of that season in the NHL with the Winnipeg Jets and all of last season in the KHL with Lokomotiv Yaroslavl.

Been a Long Time

Checkers center Manny Malhotra, a 33-year-old veteran of 864 NHL games with the New York Rangers, Dallas Stars, Columbus Blue Jackets, San Jose Sharks and Vancouver Canucks, played his first AHL game since suiting up for Hartford in the 2000-01 season on Oct. 4. Malhotra, the seventh overall pick in the 1998 NHL draft who has 17 points (6g, 11a) in 41 career AHL games, signed a 25-game professional tryout contract with the Checkers on Oct. 3.

Original Checkers

Five players who were in the lineup for the Checkers' first-ever AHL game at Connecticut on Oct. 9, 2010, also played in the team's first game of the 2013-14 season on Oct. 4. They are: forwards Nicolas Blanchard, Zach Boychuk, Jared Staal and Chris Terry and defenseman Michal Jordan. Along with that group, goalie Mike Murphy, who backed up Friday but played Saturday, and defenseman Rasmus Rissanen, who made his professional debut in April of 2011, are the only seven players to have played for the Checkers in each of the team's four seasons.

New Faces

Six players - forwards Adam Brace, Manny Malhotra, Aaron Palushaj and defensemen Matt Corrente, Mark Flood and Keegan Lowe - have made their Checkers debuts this season. Brace and Lowe also made their AHL debuts, while Lowe made his professional debut.

The Checkers have used five rookies - Brace, Lowe, forwards Victor Rask and Brendan Woods and defenseman Danny Biega.

Long Break

The Checkers are set to conclude a 14-day break between their last game in Oklahoma City on Oct. 5 and their home opener against the Iowa Wild tonight. That marks the longest time between games this season and in the team's AHL history, besting a 10-day holiday hiatus from Dec. 20-30, 2011.

Against the Wild

The Checkers have never faced the Iowa Wild, in their inaugural season since moving from Houston, but do have a history against the former Aeros franchise that shares many of the same players. The Checkers went 6-5-1 against Houston over the last two campaigns, including a 5-2-1 mark last season when the two faced off eight times as South Division rivals.

Player Streaks

• Mark Flood has goals and points in each of his last two games (Oct. 4-5; 2g, 0a)
• Matt Corrente has assists and points in each of his last two games (Oct. 4-5; 0g, 2a)
• Chris Terry has points in each of his last two games (Oct. 4-5; 1g, 1a)

Transactions

Incoming

• Oct. 16 - (G) Jesse Deckert recalled to Charlotte from Florida (ECHL)

Outgoing

• Oct. 14 - (G) Justin Peters recalled to Carolina (NHL) from Charlotte