Game Preview: Checkers vs. Norfolk (Jan. 19, 2014)

The Checkers conclude their three-games-in-three-days home stand by hosting the Norfolk Admirals this evening.

Charlotte, which began the weekend by trading blowouts with the division rival Texas Stars, now welcomes the Admirals to Time Warner Cable Arena for the third time season. After losing the season’s first match-up in Norfolk the day before Thanksgiving, the Checkers took victories from each of the next two games played at home, including one by way of overtime. That gives them a 4-3 lead in the standings for the GEICO Challenge Cup, which is awarded to the team with the better head-to-head points total at the conclusion of the eight-game season series that continues with a game in Norfolk next week.

Before making that trip to Norfolk, the Checkers host a pair of games against Oklahoma City this Thursday and Friday.

Charlotte

Saturday’s 6-1 win over Texas, which marked the most goals Charlotte has scored this season and tied its largest margin of victory, was nearly the exact opposite of a 7-1 loss the night before. In that case, the short turnaround from a 7 p.m. start to one at noon the following day ended up being the ideal scenario.

“The guys were upset with (Friday’s) loss and wanted to come out and make a statement against a top team in the league,” said coach Jeff Daniels. “We responded the right way.”

If there was anything to learn from the last two days, it’s how quickly a big win can turn into an equally big loss, with Texas’s offense looking unstoppable on Friday only to follow that up with one goal – an accidental one, at that, with John Muse knocking a dump-in from center ice into the net with his glove – on 24 shots.

“It’s nice to enjoy this, have a good dinner and get ready to go tomorrow,” said Checkers scoring leader Aaron Palushaj, who scored two first-period goals on Saturday to follow up his one on Friday. “We have a huge two points tomorrow, and I think we have to forget about the game tonight.”

By continuing to push forward, the Checkers hope to make the ugly Texas loss just a blip along a stretch that has seen them slowly start to turn things around following a tough start, having won six of their last nine games to give themselves a chance of getting back to .500 for the first time since Nov. 7 with a win today.

“I think we’re just hitting our stride,” said Zach Boychuk. “We want to get to that point where we’re in playoff contention and every game can mean something in the second half of the season.”

Palushaj, the Checkers’ most productive player for over a month, has seven points (4g, 3a) over an active four-game point streak and 21 (7g, 14a) over his last 15 games since Dec. 10. He was one of five Checkers to find the net on Saturday along with Justin Shugg, Boychuk, Philippe Cornet and Victor Rask.

With Mike Murphy earning the first start of the three-in-three set on Friday (six goals allowed on 22 shots before giving way to John Muse late in the second period), the initial plan was likely for him to play again today. It will be interesting to see if that supposed plan remains in place after Muse played a much easier game on Saturday, though Muse starting today would mean a busier-than-usual weekend for a single netminder.

The Checkers will remain without forwards Nicolas Blanchard, Sean Dolan, Jared Staal and Brendan Woods due to injury, while defenseman Keegan Lowe, a healthy extra on Friday, could potentially draw back into the lineup.

Norfolk

As was the case with their two previous visits to Charlotte, this game will be part of a three-in-three set for Norfolk. This time, the Admirals split a pair of home games against Worcester – a 3-2 shootout loss on Friday followed by a 1-0 overtime win on Saturday’s Pink in the Rink event – before making the roughly five-hour bus ride down from Virginia.

Norfolk displayed a flair for the dramatic in both games, as they had trailed 2-0 in the second period of Friday’s game before NHL veteran Dave Steckel scored with 26 seconds left to force overtime. The next day, defenseman Jesse Blacker, who scored the team’s only shootout goal in Friday’s loss, scored the game’s only goal on the power play.

As a result, the Admirals head to Charlotte with points earned in nine of their last 11 games (8-2-1) since Dec. 21, helping them climb to sixth place in the Eastern Conference.

Rookie goaltender John Gibson, a normally outstanding prospect who has had his struggles against Charlotte this season (1-2-0 with a 3.61 goals-against average and .882 save percentage), played both games this weekend, stopping 24 of 26 on Friday before posting a 20-save shutout on Saturday. If Norfolk elects to give him a rest today, that would mean a start for 27-year-old Brad Thiessen, the 2011 AHL goaltender of the year who is 1-1-0 with a 1.94 goals-against average and .942 save percentage in two AHL games since his release from Finnish team HIFK Helsinki in November.

Thiessen only recently returned to the Admrials’ roster, backing up the last two games after suffering an injury on Dec. 6. That game was actually a relief appearance for Thiessen, who had to finish the game despite his injury with Gibson already hurt. He stopped all nine shots he faced to earn the win.

Norfolk has a relatively full squad in terms of recalls to the parent Anaheim Ducks, though top scorer Rickard Rakell has missed the last two games. Their top points-per-game player, 2010 first-round draft pick Emerson Etem (26 in 19), has just two assists in his last four games since the end of an eight-game streak that saw him produce an eye-popping eight goals and seven assists.

Checkers Notes

Bouncing Back

One night after flirting with franchise records for most goals allowed and largest margin of defeat (one goal short, in both cases) in a 7-1 loss on Friday, the Checkers hit a new season high for goals scored and matched the season's largest margin of victory with a 6-1 win in Saturday's rematch against the Texas Stars.

The six goals scored were the Checkers' most since an 8-2 win at Milwaukee on Feb. 16 of last season, while the five-goal win matched a pair of 5-0 victories in Grand Rapids and Chicago on Oct. 25 and 27 of this season, respectively.

Getting Even

Having improved their record to 18-19-1 with a win on Jan. 18, the Checkers can get back to .500 for the first time since Nov. 7 with a win today. The Checkers were 5-5-1 following that Nov. 7 loss to Chicago, the second in a franchise-record, seven-game losing streak that still marks the longest in the AHL this season. The team was at a record-low six games under .500 as recently as Dec. 7.

Prior to the current campaign, the latest in a season that the Checkers had been under .500 was Nov. 10, 2010.

Palushaj Picks up the Pace

Checkers forward Aaron Palushaj has 21 points (7g, 14a) in his last 15 AHL games. During that time period, he has at least one point in 13 of those games and has posted seven multi-point outings, allowing him to take over the team's scoring lead with 35 points. He is now tied for 11th in the AHL in scoring.

Palushaj also leads the Checkers with 22 assists, which are tied for 14th in the AHL and are at least eight more than any other Charlotte skater, and is tied for first on the team with 101 shots on goal. He has points in each of his last seven road games, marking the second-longest active streak in the league, while his seven-game road assist streak ties the second-longest posted in the league at any point this season.

Power Players

The Checkers, who rank fifth in the AHL with a 22.0 percent success rate on the power play, have scored 35.5 percent of their goals on the man advantage (38 of 107), which is the highest percentage of any AHL team.

However, that percentage has been dropping steadily of late, with 27 of the team's last 32 goals scored at even strength or shorthanded. The Checkers' six even-strength goals scored against Texas on Jan. 18 were the most since the team also scored six at Peoria on April 13, 2012, but still short of the franchise record of eight set in a 10-3 win vs. Syracuse on Dec. 6, 2010.

For the season, Charlotte's 63 even-strength goals are tied for the eighth-fewest in the league.

Meet the Division

In 38 games, the Checkers have played against their own division, the West, just 11 times, marking the fewest games that any AHL team has played within its own division. The West is the only division the Checkers have a winning record against at 8-3-0.

Two of the Checkers' next three games (vs. Oklahoma City on Jan. 23 and 24) will be played against divisional opponents.

Three in Threes

The Checkers are in the midst of their third three-in-three set of the season and the second played entirely at home, having dropped a 7-1 decision to Texas in the first game on Friday only to rebound with a 6-1win over the Stars the next day. The team is 4-3-1 in games that are part of a three-in-three this season, including a 2-1-0 record in game one, a 1-1-1 record in game two and a 1-1-0 record in game three.

All-time, the Checkers are 15-8-3 in game one, 16-5-5 in game two and 12-12-1 in game three over the course of their four AHL seasons.

Against Norfolk

In 31 previous meetings between Charlotte and Norfolk, the Checkers have a record of 16-12-3, including a 2-1-0 mark this season. The teams were formerly East Division rivals in the Checkers' inaugural AHL season in 2010-11, with Norfolk just one of two Eastern Conference teams (Hershey) that the Checkers have played since moving to the Western Conference the following season.

In the two previous seasons of its existence, each team captured one GEICO Challenge Cup, which is awarded to the team that finishes with the most points at the conclusion of the eight-game season series. Charlotte won with a 5-3-0 record last season but went just 2-5-1 against the Admirals during their Calder Cup season in 2011-12.

Quick Hits

• The Checkers have scored three or more goals in seven of their last nine games. They are 16-6-0 when scoring three or more and 2-13-1 when scoring fewer than three.
• Rasmus Rissanen's plus-4 rating on Jan. 18 was the highest by a Checkers skater this season
• Greg Nemisz has points in each of his first three games as a Checker (0g, 4a)
• Zach Boychuk is in a three-way tie with Texas forwards Chris Mueller and Colton Sceviour for first in the AHL with 10 power-play goals.
• The Checkers are 9-2-0 in their last 11 one-goal games. Nine of their last 11 victories have been by one goal.
• The Checkers are one of three AHL teams (Iowa, Syracuse) with a losing record at home (9-13-0) and a winning record on the road (9-6-1).
• Charlotte's three overtime games are the fewest in the league, as is its lone shootout appearance.
• Despite not scoring a goal since Dec. 7 (14 games) Mark Flood is tied for third among AHL defensemen with eight goals and five power-play goals.
• The first period is the only period in which the Checkers have a positive goal differential (36 for, 33 against).

Player Streaks

• Aaron Palushaj has points in each of his last four games (Jan. 10-18: 4g, 3a)
• Greg Nemisz has assists and points in each of his last three games (Jan. 3-18: 0g, 4a)
• Brody Sutter has assists and points in each of his last two games (Jan. 17-18: 0g, 2a)

Milestones

• Matt Corrente played his 200th AHL game on Jan. 18
• Greg Nemisz recorded his 50th AHL assist on Jan. 18
• Rasmus Rissanen played his 150 AHL/Checkers game on Jan. 17
• Philippe Cornet is one game shy of 200 AHL games
• Zach Boychuk is four goals shy of 100 AHL goals

Injuries

• Sean Dolan - missed 18 games starting Dec. 1
• Jared Staal - missed five games starting Jan. 3
• Nicolas Blanchard - missed two games starting Jan. 17
• Brendan Woods - missed two games starting Jan. 17

Transactions

Incoming

• none

Outgoing

• Jan. 16 - (D) Austin Levi - reassigned to Florida (ECHL) from Charlotte
• Jan. 13 - (LW) Kyle Bonis - reassigned to Florida (ECHL) from Charlotte