Game Preview: Checkers vs Lehigh Valley (Feb. 22, 2019)

The Checkers are back in Charlotte for a key divisional matchup against the Lehigh Valley Phantoms. Here is everything to know before pucks drops tonight.

1. BACK ON TRACK

The Checkers entered the weekend mired in their worst stretch of the season, having won just twice in their previous 10 games. They righted the ship for the first two contests, recording consecutive regulation wins for the first time since Jan. 15 and 16.

“I thought structurally we played pretty good in those first two games and even the third game, we played structurally well and just gave up some bad goals that I didn’t like,” said head coach Mike Vellucci. “Overall it was a good weekend. We just want to play the game the right way and play well.”

The Checkers are now back above .500 in their lasts 10 games and hold an eight-point lead on both the best record in the AHL and the first-place spot in the Atlantic Division.

2. HOME SWEET HOME

After a five-game road trip that kept the team away from home for two weeks, the Checkers are back in the Queen City to kick off the final stretch of the regular season. While the team’s road-heavy start to the schedule provided some challenges, they’ll be reaping the benefits now, as 14 of their last 21 games this season are on home ice.

“It’s going to be a boost, we like playing at home,” said Vellucci. “We’ve had a really tough road schedule but you have to make the most of it. That’s why you do it, anything can happen. We need to come out and have a good start tonight and get the ball rolling.”

3. SCHILKEY STAYS SCORING

Nick Schilkey had himself a weekend to further elevate his career-best numbers. The forward recorded his fifth multi-point game of the season on Friday as he continued to haunt Springfield, holding five points (3g, 2a) in two games against the Thunderbirds so far. Schilkey found the scoresheet in both Saturday and Sunday’s games as well, putting him in the midst of a career-best four-game point streak.

“I’ve always known that he’s really good,” said Vellucci. “He’s an exceptional person and a great player. He just needed the ice time and the opportunity and he’s made the most of it. We have a lot of guys out tonight sick or injured up front, so this is an opportunity for guys – not just Nick – to step up and show what they can do.”

Schilkey now has 25 points (11g, 14a) through 43 games this season, more than doubling his 12-point output over his 48-game rookie campaign a year ago.

4. OFFENSIVE SPARK

The Checkers’ offense has cooled off as of late, falling down into the middle of the league rankings. They took a step in the right direction over the weekend by hitting the three-goal mark each night – the team is 30-4-3 this season when hitting that point – but have eclipsed the three-goal mark just once in the last nine games.

“We want everybody to score, that’s when we were the most successful earlier in the year,” said Vellucci. “We were getting contributions from all four lines and that was the key. It’s always a team effort and something that we look forward to continuing to do.”

While the scoring may have dried up a bit, the Checkers have stepped up their defensive efforts over that stretch, holding opponents to two or fewer goals in seven of the last 10 contests.

“We say that the goals aren’t here for us but we aren’t giving up much either,” said Vellucci. “We had a bad game there in Bridgeport but other than that we’ve been giving up one or two goals for a while now. Defensively we’ve been structurally sound and Ned’s been great. He’s consistent, he’s played well every night and that’s what we look for from him. We’ve just got to bear down when we get our chances.”

5. KUOKKANEN FINDS HIS GROOVE

Despite remaining near the top of the Checkers’ scoring leaders, Janne Kuokkanen entered the weekend in search of his scoring touch.

Exacerbated by a nagging injury, the forward had just three points in his previous eight games, but bounced back in a big way over the weekend. Playing alongside some new linemates, Kuokkanen picked up an assist in each of the three contests, pushing himself back into second among Checkers skaters this season.

“He’s been playing injured for a long time so I give him a lot of credit for playing through it,” said Vellucci of the young forward. “A lot of people don’t talk about that but he’s fought through some painful stuff. I like the line he’s on right now with Geekie and Nastasiuk. Nasty has been playing really well, Geeks too, and I like the combination of skilled guys and someone like Nasty who likes to go to the front of the net and hunt down pucks. It’s a good combination and I think we’re going to go with it again tonight.”

6. SCOUTING THE PHANTOMS

The Checkers and Phantoms have faced each other only twice so far this season – a big road win for the Checkers followed by an overtime loss – setting up a rivalry down the stretch, as the two clubs will face each other six times in Charlotte’s last 21 games.

The Phantoms currently sit just outside the Atlantic Division playoff picture, but the difference between Hershey at the third spot and Lehigh Valley at fifth is just one point. They’ve been just a shade under .500 over the last 10 games and come into the weekend winless in their last two, but have plenty of firepower on their side. The veteran duo of Greg Carey and Chris Conner lead the way up front, while longtime AHL standout T.J. Brennan provides some scoring pop from the blue line. The Phantoms also recently got their goalie tandem back in order, with Alex Lyon teaming up with veteran Mike McKenna to patrol the crease.

“They’re experienced, they’re probably one of the oldest teams in the league,” said Vellucci. “They use that to their advantage so we need to make sure we don’t get rattled and we stick with our system.”

7. TUNE IN

You can tune in to tonight's broadcast with a subscription to the league’s new streaming platform AHLTV. Sign up here and catch the action on the road.

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!