Game Preview: Checkers vs Lehigh Valley (Dec. 12, 2017)

The Checkers are back on home ice looking to keep their winning ways going against a tough divisional opponent in the Lehigh Valley Phantoms. Here are nine things to know ahead of tonight's puck drop.

1. CLASH OF THE OFFENSIVE TITANS

The Checkers continue to possess one of the most prolific offensive attacks in the league. The team is averaging 3.72 goal per game, the second-highest rate in the AHL, while Sunday’s outburst against Binghamton was the second time this season that the Checkers have scored at least seven goals, the fourth time they’ve scored at least six goals and the 10th time they’ve scored at least five. By comparison, the Checkers scored at least five goals 10 times through all 76 games of last season.

They’ll go up against a formidable opponent in Lehigh Valley, however. The Phantoms rank third in the AHL in goals per game, with two more total goals scored than Charlotte but one more game played. They have also hit the seven goal plateau twice this season and have reached five goals 11 times. The Phantoms enter tonight’s contest on a bit of a tear, averaging over four goals per game over the last eight games, a stretch that includes one contest in which they were shut out.

The difference could lie in the teams’ defensive zones, as Lehigh Valley enters tonight allowing the sixth-most goals per game this season. The Checkers, on the other hand, have the eighth-best average in the AHL.

2. SCOUTING THE PHANTOMS

A year removed from finishing second in the Eastern Conference, the Phantoms reloaded over the offseason and have started strong in 2017-18. They currently sit fourth in the Atlantic but are firmly entrenched in the battle at the top of the standings. Lehigh Valley has logged 33 points this season, tied with Charlotte for second most in the division, but have played one more game than the Checkers, lowering its points percentage.

Proven AHL scorers Phil Varone and Chris Conner have provided strong veteran production up front, while young skaters Danick Martel and Michael Vecchione have impressed in their own rights, with the former netting 14 goals through the first 14 games of the season. On the back end, three-time AHL All Star and two-time 60-point scorer T.J. Brennan leads the charge with 15 points in 18 games.

The Phantoms suffered a blow between the pipes when young netminder Alex Lyon was recalled by Philadelphia last week. The second-year pro has seen the majority of the action for Lehigh Valley this season, but the reins are now with veteran Dustin Tokarski. Traded from Anaheim to Philadelphia in October, Tokarski has a 7-2-2 record with the Phantoms this season. Over his last four games Tokarski has surrendered four goals in three of them, but holds a 2-1-1 record over that stretch, with one of the wins coming via a shutout. Now backing up Tokarski is a familiar face for Checkers fans in John Muse. Charlotte’s all-time wins leader has yet to log an AHL game this season, manning the crease for the ECHL’s Reading Royals prior to his recent recall. Muse, who last played for the Checkers to close out the 2015-16 season, has only faced the Checkers as an opponent twice, and never in Charlotte.

3. TOUGH CROWD

The Atlantic Division is once again proving to be one of the toughest in the AHL. Four of the top six teams in the Eastern Conference hail from the Atlantic, all of which have a points percentage north of .600. Points wise, just four points separate the four clubs – Providence, Charlotte, W-B/Scranton and Lehigh Valley – while the top three teams sit at 33 and 34 points.

Should the Checkers lose tonight, they would flip from second place to fourth place with the Phantoms.

4. HOME SWEET HOME

After a quick road trip last weekend, the Checkers are back at Bojangles’ Coliseum for the next six. Entering tonight the team has only played 10 games on home ice this season, tied for the fewest in the Eastern Conference. But despite not spending a lot of time here, the Checkers have enjoyed their contests in Charlotte so far. They are 6-3-1 this season and have earned at least one point in the standings in each of their last four (3-0-1). The Checkers have outscored their opponents 37-29 at home this season, including a 17-8 differential over the current point streak.

5. POSITIVE PHILIP

Philip Samuelsson has become a cornerstone of the Charlotte blue line, serving as a veteran presence and handling a strong load of ice time. Samuelsson has been making the most of his increased responsibility on the scoresheet, logging a plus-17 rating that not only leads the team but is the second-best mark in the entire league.

Samuelsson has also continued his offensive surge since leaving the Montreal system last season. After logging five points in 40 games with St. John’s to start the 2016-17, Samuelsson rallied for 14 (3g, 11a) in 25 games with the Checkers post-trade. Through the first 25 games of this season, the 26-year-old has kept that rolling, ranking second among team defensemen with 10 points and leading the blue liners with three goals.

6. THE GOAT GETS GOING

After registering just two points through his first 13 pro games and finding himself as a healthy extra on occasion, Julien Gauthier looks like he may have gotten on the right track as of late. Over the last six games, the rookie forward has four goals, five points and a plus-five rating. Included in that impressive stretch is his three-point effort Saturday against the Devils, a game in which he joined Warren Foegele and Janne Kuokkanen as the third Checkers rookie this season to notch three points in a single game.

7. MILLER TIME

After a brief lull, Andrew Miller has caught fire once again and now sits as the team scoring leader. The forward has notched nine points in his last seven games to give him 23 through the first 25 games of the season, as he is one of just three skaters to play in all of Charlotte’s game thus far.

After returning from an injury midway through last season Miller turned on the jets through the end of the year, and that push has carried over into this campaign. Since Feb. 3 of last season, Miller has recorded 60 points in 62 games, with only five players across the AHL beating him over that stretch.

8. NED STAYS WINNING

By topping the Devils on Saturday night, Alex Nedeljkovic improved to a staggering 12-2-0 this season. That win total not only leads the AHL, but it far exceeds the netminder’s rookie total from a year ago of eight.

Since his last loss at Bridgeport on Nov. 18, Nedeljkovic is a perfect 5-0-0 with a goals-against average of just 1.80. The second-year netminder has also been aided by a strong defense in front of him, as Nedeljkovic has yet to have to make 30 saves in a game this season. Nedeljkovic’s 12 wins are already the most by a Charlotte netminder since Drew MacIntyre won 20 in 2014-15. The franchise single-season record is 27, set by John Muse in 2013-14.

9. GET THE APP

The Checkers app got a fresh new set of paint during the offseason but functions just the same. Follow along with scoring updates as well as play the Top Line interactive game.

You will also be able to listen to the radio broadcast via the app or this link. Jason Shaya’s pregame show starts 15 minutes prior to puck drop, tune in and tweet Jason to let him know you’re listening.