Game Preview: Checkers vs Lehigh Valley (Oct. 25, 2019)

The Checkers are back on home ice for a key matchup with division rival Lehigh Valley. Here's everything you need to know before puck drop.

1. UP AND DOWN

The Checkers have started the 2019-20 campaign with a back-and-forth pattern, having alternated wins and losses through the first six games.

The longest it has taken the Checkers to notch their first consecutive wins in a season is 19 games, a record set in 2014-15. On the flip side, the Checkers have not lost consecutive games since March 8 and 10, 2019, coincidentally enough to Lehigh Valley.

2. HOW THE PHANTOMS HAVE FARED

Lehigh Valley heads into tonight’s contest in a similar boat to Charlotte, having alternated wins and losses through its first five games. The difference is that two of the Phantom’s losses have come in overtime and a shootout, giving them a one-point edge on Charlotte heading into the weekend.

3. YOUTH MOVEMENT IN LEHIGH

Despite being loaded up with experienced talent like NHL vet Nate Prosser, six-time 60-point scorer Cal O’Reilly and five-time AHL All Star T.J. Brennan, the Phantoms have been driven early on by a group of young skaters. In fact, rookies make up four of the team’s top six scorers, while the three vets mentioned earlier have two points between them.

The good news for the Checkers is that the Phantoms’ attack has taken a hit due to recalls, with Joel Farabee (3g, 1a) and Mikhail Vorobyov (2g, 2a) currently in the NHL with Philadelphia.

4. LAST TIME

The Checkers had their way with the Phantoms last season, posting a stellar 6-1-1 record over the course of their eight meetings. The Checkers were undefeated in the four contests in Charlotte, while four of their six wins overall were by at least a margin of three goals.

5. BATTLE BETWEEN THE PIPES

This divisional matchup features plenty of familiarity between the pipes. Alex Nedeljkovic and Alex Lyon earned the bulk of these squad’s head-to-head matchups last season, with the former holding the upper hand with a 5-1-1 record and a goals-against average below two compared to Lyon’s 1-4-0 mark and a goals-against average north of four.

J-F Berube, who inked a deal with Lehigh Valley over the summer, faced the Checkers once last season as a member of the Cleveland Monsters and picked up a win on the back of a strong on-goal performance. The Phantoms did not face Charlotte’s other netminder, Anton Forsberg, last season as he was a member of the Western Conference’s Rockford IceHogs.

6.PRISKIE PUTS UP POINTS

Chase Priskie heads into the weekend coming off a dominant offensive performance in his last outing. Against Syracuse last Saturday the blueliner helped set up a pair of power-play goals and lit the lamp himself all in the first period, then notched another assist in the second period to bring his total to four points on the night.

Priskie is the sixth rookie in franchise history to record four points in a game and just the second rookie defenseman.

7.GIBBONS GETS GOING

Priskie wasn’t the only one to put on a show Saturday night, as Brian Gibbons notched four points of his own. Along with a pair of assists, the veteran forward tallied a power-play goal and a shorthanded goal, making him just the fourth player in franchise history to do so.

Charlotte’s co-leading scorer heading into the weekend, Gibbons is currently tied for fifth in the league in scoring.

8. SHORTHANDED SUCCESS

The Checkers notched a pair of shorthanded goals on Saturday night, one coming from Eetu Luostarinen and one coming from Gibbons. That mark currently ties the Checkers for the league lead. Charlotte finished last season with six shorthanded goals, a total that was tied for 18th in the AHL. The Checkers enjoyed most of their shorthanded success away from home last season, with four of those six goals coming on the road.

9. LUOSTARINEN LIGHTS IT UP

It appears that it didn’t take long for Eetu Luostarinen to adjust to the North American game, as the rookie forward has scored a goal in each of Charlotte’s last four games. The Finn is tied for the team goal lead and has emerged as one of the league’s top rookie performers early on in the season.

10. TUNE IN

You can tune in to every broadcast this season with a subscription to the league’s streaming platform AHLTV.

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!