Game Preview: Checkers vs. Norfolk (Dec. 19, 2013)

The Checkers look to stay hot as they wrap up their 10-game home stand with three games in three nights, starting with tonight’s rematch against the Norfolk Admirals.

Having started the season 0-6-0 at Time Warner Cable Arena, the Checkers have won six of their last nine games on home ice and have a chance to tie a franchise record with their fourth straight home victory tonight. Charlotte’s current three-game streak is its longest of the season, as they had previously won consecutive games on only one other occasion – their first two games back in early October.

Tonight’s game continues the GEICO Challenge Cup competition between Charlotte and Norfolk, which is awarded to the team with the most points at the conclusion of the eight-game season series. Though each team has won one game to this point, the Admirals hold a one-point edge by way of Sunday’s 4-3 loss in overtime - the most recent game for either team heading into tonight.

Following tonight’s rematch against Norfolk, the Checkers welcome the Toronto Marlies for games on Friday night and Saturday afternoon.

Charlotte

The Checkers were pleased to earn their third straight victory on Sunday, but also felt they were a bit fortunate to do so. Playing against a team that was playing for the third time in three nights while they had enjoyed two days off, the Checkers gave up leads of 2-0 and 3-2 before Aaron Palushaj scored the overtime winner.

Charlotte won the game despite losing the shots battle by a 39-27 margin.

“To credit them, it was a three-in-three and tough travel, and they were the better team for me,” said coach Jeff Daniels of the Admirals following Sunday’s game. “We got some good saves by (John Muse) and a timely goal by Palushaj to win it.

“Come Thursday night, that’s going to be a better team and a lot fresher team, and we’ve got to be better.”

Muse’s 36 saves on Sunday were the most he’s had to make amid a string of strong performances this season – ones that helped him earn an AHL contract with the club in the coming days. Since originally rejoining the team on a professional tryout contract in October, the 25-year-old netminder has a 9-6-0 record, 2.29 goals-against average, .922 save percentage and two shutouts. He has won each of his last five starts and has been in net for every game the team has won in the last two months.

“He’s earned the right to be in the net based on his play,” said Daniels, who has tuned to Muse for each of the team’s last three games. “He’s given us a chance to win, and that makes our job a little easier.”

Given the upcoming three-in-three set, which includes a short turnaround from Friday’s 7 p.m. start to Saturday’s noon matinee, it’s unlikely the Muse will play all three. Mike Murphy, who has only played five games in the last calendar year due to numerous different factors, is the next option.

The Checkers will not get help on the injury front, with Daniels saying Wednesday that forwards Sean Dolan and Jared Staal and defensemen Danny Biega and Rasmus Rissanen will still miss considerable time. As such, the team will rely on a relatively inexperienced trio of Austin Levi, Keegan Lowe and Beau Schmitz to fill out its top six on defense.

“The message is really just to keep it simple and play their game,” said Daniels of his younger defensemen. “We don’t need them trying to go end-to-end to make plays.”

Norfolk

Sunday’s loss to the Checkers marked Norfolk’s second in a row following a three-game win streak, though they have been able to string together points with their penchant for getting to overtime.

No other AHL team has played as many overtime games as Norfolk’s 11 – a whopping 40.1 percent of its games this season. Three of the Admirals’ last five have gone to the extra session, including their loss to Charlotte on Sunday that dropped them to 3-5 in overtime games this season. By comparison, the Checkers have been to overtime a league-low three times.

That’s resulted in a lot of extra hockey for Norfolk, which continues a hellish period of travel this week. After playing two games at home before busing to Charlotte for a third on Sunday, they went home, returned for tonight’s game and will turn right back around to continue a three-in-three in Norfolk this weekend.

Like Charlotte, that schedule should result in the Admirals having to rely on a rotation in goal more than they may have otherwise, with John Gibson and Igor Bobkov splitting the last four games. Previously, Gibson, a star Anaheim Ducks prospect who earned the AHL’s Goalie of the Month award in his first month as a pro in October, had played 19 of Norfolk’s first 23 games. The 20-year-old ranks fourth in the AHL in minutes played and first in total saves while posting a 2.45 goals-against average and .922 save percentage.

Much like Sunday’s game, the Admirals will be at something close to full strength tonight with many of their key players – forwards Emerson Etem, Devante Smith-Pelly, Rickard Rakell and Dave Steckel and defensemen Alex Grant and Nolan Yonkman – back from the NHL.

Etem, Anaheim’s first-round pick in 2010, has proven to be the most dangerous of that group, scoring nine points (3g, 6a) in six AHL games this season, including five points (2g, 3a) in his two games against the Checkers.

Checkers Notes

Winning Streak

Prior to winning each of their last three games, a season high, the Checkers not won two in a row since the season's opening weekend in Oklahoma City on Oct. 4 and 5. Meanwhile, their three-game streak at home is their longest since Dec. 21-Jan. 16 of last season, with one of those games taking place at Raleigh's PNC Arena.

If the Checkers are able to extend their streak to four games with another victory over Norfolk tonight, it would mark the team's longest since posting a franchise-record, six-game streak from Jan. 4-16 of last season. The Checkers have not won four in a row at home in over two years (Nov. 20-30, 2011), one of two four-game streaks at home that set the franchise record.

Power Players

The Checkers, who rank third in the AHL with a 24.0 percent success rate on the power play, have scored at least one man-advantage goal in each of their last seven games (9-for-27; 33.3 percent). That marks the longest streak they have posted this season and longest since the 2012-13 team scored power-play goals in each of its first eight games (15-for-41; 36.6 percent).

The Checkers have scored 43.5 percent of their goals on the power play this season (30 of 69), which is the highest percentage of any AHL team. Lake Erie has the next-highest percentage at 38.9. The Checkers are 1-6-0 when they do not score a power-play goal.

Winning with Muse

John Muse has won each of his last five games dating back to Nov. 30, which marks the longest streak by a Checkers goalie since Justin Peters did the same from Oct. 28 to Nov. 18 of last season. Muse's streak also ties his AHL career high, which he set by winning his first five Checkers games from Dec. 16-Jan. 26 of the 2011-12 campaign. Current teammate Mike Murphy holds the team's all-time record with a pair of six-game streaks set during the 2010-11 season.

Since joining the Checkers on a tryout contract on Oct. 23, Muse has been in goal for all nine of the Checkers' wins. He ranks 10th in the AHL with a 2.29 goals-against average, is tied for eighth with a .922 save percentage and is tied for second with two shutouts. The other six goalies the team has used this season - Murphy, Justin Peters, Jesse Deckert, Allen York, Rick DiPietro and Rob Madore - are a combined 2-8-1 with a 3.74 goals-against average and .865 save percentage.

Boychuk Powers Up

After starting the season with two goals in his first 13 games, forward Zach Boychuk now has nine in his last 13 to take sole possession of the team lead, one more than linemate Chris Terry. He is also the team's points leader with 23 in 26 games, giving him a four-point lead over Terry and Aaron Palushaj.

Eight of Boychuk's 11 goals have come on the power play, marking the most in the AHL, while his 14 power-play points are tied for third. He is the Checkers' all-time leader with 36 power-play goals, at least nine more than any other player, while his 85 career power-play points with Charlotte trail Terry by one.

Floodgates Open

Mark Flood's eight goals rank third on the team and are tied for the second-most among all AHL defensemen, as are his his five power-play goals. His 68 shots on goal rank second on the team behind Zach Boychuk and are tied for the sixth most of all AHL defensemen.

In just 26 games, Flood, 29, already has the third-highest single-season goal total by a Checkers defenseman behind Bobby Sanguinetti (10 in 2011-12) and Bryan Rodney (nine in 2010-11). He is also just three away from his AHL career high of 11 set with Manitoba during the 2010-11 campaign. Flood scored just one goal in 52 games in the Russian KHL last season.

Home Again

The Checkers' current 10-game home stand ties the longest in franchise history, a record originally set from Nov. 25-Dec. 15 of last season. Dating back to Nov. 7, the Checkers are in the midst of a stretch in which they play 16 of 19 games at Time Warner Cable Arena. After starting the season 0-6-0 on home ice, the Checkers have won six of nine in their own building.

Three In Threes

Tonight marks the start of the second time the Checkers will play three games in three nights this season. In their first such set from Oct. 25-27, the Checkers went 2-0-1 in three road games against Grand Rapids, Rockford and Chicago, with goalie John Muse picking up two shutouts in two starts.

The Checkers play a total of five three-in-three sets this season, the fewest in their four AHL seasons. Two of those, including this weekend's, take place entirely at home. Charlotte has an all-time record of 41-22-9 in games that are part of a three-in-three set, including a 14-7-3 record in game one, a 15-4-5 record in game two and a 12-11-1 record in game three. In home games that are part of a three-in-three set, the Checkers have a combined record of 10-4-2.

Divided Division

In 26 games, the Checkers have played against their own division, the West, just five times (4-1-0), marking the fewest games that any AHL team has played within its own division. They will not play another divisional game until facing Texas on Jan. 2, which marks the start of a run in which they will play eight of nine games against divisional opponents. The West Division is the only division that the Checkers have a winning record against.

Quick Hits

• Five of the Checkers' last six games have been decided by one goal. They are 4-1-0 in those games.
• The Checkers have won each of their last two overtime games, both during the five minute, four-on-four period, improving to 2-1 this season.
• Charlotte's three overtime games are the fewest in the league, as is its lone shootout appearance.
• The Checkers' five shorthanded goals allowed are tied for the fifth-most in the AHL
• Charlotte is one of three teams that have yet to score a shorthanded goal
• Matt Corrente ranks tied for fourth among all AHL defensemen with five major penalties
• Charlotte has both scored (26) and allowed (31) more goals in the third period than in any other period

Player Streaks

• John Muse has won each of his last five starts (Nov. 30-Dec. 15)
• Aaron Palushaj has points in each of his last three games (Dec. 10-15: 1g, 4a)
• Zach Boychuk has goals and points in each of his last two games (Dec. 12-15: 2g, 2a)
• Brett Sutter has assists and points in each of his last two games (Dec. 12-15: 0g, 2a)

Milestones

• Philippe Cornet recorded his 100th AHL point with an assist on Dec. 15
• Michal Jordan recorded his 50th AHL/Checkers assist with his second of the game on Dec. 15. He also passed Jacob Micflikier for 10th on the franchises' all-time points list with 63.
• Zach Boychuk is one game away from 200 Checkers games
• Chris Terry is one point away from 250 AHL points

Injuries

• Sean Dolan - missed six games starting Dec. 1
• Jared Staal - missed five games starting Dec. 5
• Rasmus Rissanen - missed three games starting Dec. 10
• Danny Biega - missed one game starting Dec. 15

Transactions

Incoming

• Dec. 14 - (D) Austin Levi recalled to Charlotte from Florida (ECHL)

Outgoing

• none