Game Preview: Checkers vs. Oklahoma City (Jan. 23, 2014)

The Checkers conclude their five-game home stand with the first of back-to-back games against the West Division rival Oklahoma City Barons tonight.

Beginning tonight, the Checkers will actually play four consecutive home games against Oklahoma City, with the Barons returning to Charlotte on Feb. 7. The teams have already knocked out four of their 12 meetings this season, more than the Checkers will face any other AHL team, with the Checkers winning all four games in Oklahoma City. Two of those games took place just two weeks ago.

The Checkers, back to .500 for the first time since Nov. 7, will also try to keep the Barons in their rearview mirror during this series, with Charlotte ahead by just one point in the Western Conference standings as both teams continue their chase for playoff spots.

Charlotte

With five wins in their last six games and an 11-5-0 record since Dec. 10, the Checkers have canceled out most of a franchise-record, seven-game losing streak that threatened to derail their entire season in November. Because of that stretch, they’ll still need a strong second half to get back in playoff positioning, but it’s at least within their sight.

“In the last couple of months we’ve had a couple of games where we weren’t too thrilled, but I think we’re right where we need to be in terms of improving as a team,” said forward Aaron Palushaj. “We have plenty of time to make up the ground we need to get into the playoffs and even make a deep run if we keep improving.”

Getting back to .500 on Sunday was an important step, something the team had actually set for itself as a goal when it became to emerge from its funk.

“We accomplished that and now it’s go time,” said center Brody Sutter. “We’ve got to make sure we’re above .500 by quite a bit for the rest of the way to make the playoffs.”

The Checkers, who enter tonight’s games just three points out of a playoff spot in a tightening Western Conference race, will be looking to put together their third winning streak of three or more games since Dec. 10. Prior to that, they had won consecutive games on only one occasion – their first two games of the season at Oklahoma City on Oct. 4 and 5.

With Nicolas Blanchard, Sean Dolan, Jared Staal and Brendan Woods not practicing with the team all week, the Checkers are unlikely to have any changes to their forward group that defeated Norfolk in the shootout on Sunday. Coach Jeff Daniels could elect to continue a rotation on defense that saw Keegan Lowe and Beau Schmitz take turns playing last weekend, with Schmitz sitting out Sunday.

In goal, John Muse appeared in all three of the team’s games last weekend, entering Friday’s game in relief of Mike Murphy before winning the next two starts. Muse and Mike Murphy would typically split a back-to-back set, though the Checkers’ light schedule surrounding this one – three days off before and after – could lessen any concerns about fatigue.

Oklahoma City

It’s difficult to win four consecutive road games against any team, but that’s exactly what the Checkers have accomplished since the Barons knocked them out of last season’s playoffs. That said, Charlotte’s head-to-head record is much more dominant than the games themselves, three of which were decided by one goal.

“The last game (on Jan. 11) was pretty close where we scored with only two minutes left in the third period to win the game,” said Daniels of a goal by former Barons forward Philippe Cornet. “They’ve got some skill up front and they want to play a fast game, and we want to make sure we’re smart with the puck.”

The only game that was not decided by one goal was on Jan. 10, when the Checkers tied a franchise record with four first-period goals but had to survive a late push for a 5-2 victory.

Since their last meeting with the Checkers, the Barons have won two of three games, including back-to-back victories over Milwaukee last weekend. They now trail the Checkers by just one point in the standings, though they have played three more games.

Goalie Richard Bachman has received a heavy workload for the Barons this season, including three starts in three days last weekend. He has played in 13 of the team’s last 14 games, with his only night off coming when the Barons started backup Chet Pickard against the Checkers two weeks ago. Pickard exited that game after allowing four goals on 15 shots, with Bachman stopping 53 of 55 total shots over the remainder of the two-game set.

With nine points (2g, 7a) in seven games since returning from NHL duty with the Edmonton Oilers, center Anton Lander has been the hot hand for the Barons offensively, though he managed just one assist in two games against Charlotte. Taylor Fedun, who is tied for 10th in AHL scoring by defensemen with 22 points in 32 games, has four points in his last three games.

The Barons and Oilers each made a trade since the Checkers were in Oklahoma City, the net results of which saw the Barons acquire forwards Jack Combs and Steve Pinizotto in exchange for forwards Ryan Martindale and Derek Nesbitt. Pinizotto is scoreless in two games with Oklahoma City, while Combs chipped in with a goal and an assist on Sunday.

Checkers Notes

Getting Even

Sunday's 4-3 shootout win over Norfolk pushed the Checkers' record to 19-19-1, getting them back to .500 for the first time since Nov. 7, when a loss to Chicago, the second in a franchise-record, seven-game losing streak that still marks the longest in the AHL this season, dropped them to 5-5-1. The team was at a franchise-record-low six games under .500 as recently as Dec. 7 (8-14-1).

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 22 points (8g, 14a) in his last 16 AHL games. During that time period, he has at least one point in 14 of those games and has posted seven multi-point outings. His current five-game point streak (5g, 3a) and three-game goal streak (4g, 0a) tie his longest of the season.

Palushaj now leads the Checkers with 36 points (t-8th AHL) and 22 assists (t-16th AHL), both of which are at least eight more than any other Charlotte skater. His 14 goals are tied for second on the team, one off the lead held by Zach Boychuk, while his 107 shots are most on the team.

Floodgates Open

Defenseman Mark Flood scored his ninth goal of the season against Norfolk on Jan. 19, pulling him into a second-place tie for most goals and power-play goals (six) among AHL defensemen.

In just 39 games, Flood, a 29-year-old veteran who scored just one goal in 52 games in the Russian KHL last season, has already tied Bryan Rodney (2010-11) for the second-highest goal total by a Checkers defenseman in a single season and is only one away from the team record of 10 set by Bobby Sanguinetti in 2011-12. He is also just two away from his AHL career high of 11 set with Manitoba during the 2010-11 campaign.

Fitting In

Since the Carolina Hurricanes acquired him in a Dec. 30 trade and assigned him to Charlotte, forward Greg Nemisz has points in all four games he's played as a Checker (1g, 4a). That includes his first goal with the team that tied the game with 5:13 remaining of an eventual 4-3 shootout win over Norfolk on Jan. 20.

Prior to joining the Checkers, Nemisz, a 2008 first-round draft pick who scored 248 points (115g, 133a) in 246 career junior hockey games with the Windsor Spitfires, had just 19 points in his previous 87 AHL games with the Abbotsford Heat, including nine (5g, 4a) in 32 games this season.

All He Does Is Win

Checkers goalie John Muse has won each of his last three decisions, giving him his third winning streak of three or more games this season. He has now won 10 of his last 12, including a six-game streak from Nov. 30-Dec. 19 that tied the franchise record. Muse is 14-8-0 this season, while the other seven goalies the team has used are a combined 5-11-1.

Since rejoining the Checkers on a professional tryout contract on Oct. 23 (he later signed an AHL contract), Muse has a 2.46 goals-against average, .919 save percentage and two shutouts. A winner of two NCAA National Championships with Boston College and an ECHL Kelly Cup with the Florida Everblades, he has an all-time AHL record of 32-18-3.

Free Hockey

The Checkers' shootout win over Norfolk on Jan. 19 marked the team's fourth overtime game and second shootout of the season, both of which are league lows. The Checkers are 3-1 in overtime games this season, including a 2-0 record in games decided during the five-minute, four-on-four period and a 1-1 record in the shootout.

The Checkers' win over Norfolk marked their first shootout victory since March 9 of last season.

Power Players

The Checkers, who rank third in the AHL with a 22.3 percent success rate on the power play, have scored 36 percent of their goals on the man advantage (40 of 111), which is the highest percentage of any AHL team.

However, that percentage has been dropping steadily of late, with 29 of the team's last 36 goals scored at even strength, shorthanded or credited via a shootout win. 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.

Meet the Division

In 39 games, the Checkers have played against their own division, the West, just 12 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 9-3-0.

Each of the Checkers' next two games (vs. Oklahoma City on Jan. 23 and 24) will be played against a divisional opponent.

Against the Barons

The Checkers' 12-game season series against Oklahoma City ties the longest in team history (Norfolk in 2010-11). Of Charlotte's remaining 37 games, eight of those will come against the Barons (22 percent).

Not including playoffs (Oklahoma City defeated the Checkers 3-2 in last season's first round), Charlotte holds an all-time record of 12-5-2 against the Barons, including a 9-2-0 mark on the road and a 4-0-0 record this season.

Checkers forwards Matt Marquardt and Philippe Cornet are both former Barons, with Cornet representing them in the 2011-12 All-Star Game. Defenseman Keegan Lowe's father, Kevin Lowe, is a member of the parent Edmonton Oilers' front-office staff, while forward Brody Sutter's father, Duane Sutter, is an Oilers scout.

Barons forwards Matthew Ford and Steve MacIntyre both played for Charlotte during its ECHL era.

Quick Hits

• The Checkers' 52 shots on goal on Jan. 19 were the second-most by an AHL team this season, while their 23 shots in the third period tied the second most by any team in any period.
• The Checkers have scored three or more goals in eight of their last 10 games. They are 17-6-0 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.
• 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 10-2-0 in their last 11 one-goal games. Ten of their last 12 victories have been by one goal.
• The Checkers are one of three AHL teams (Iowa, Syracuse) with a losing record at home (10-13-0) and a winning record on the road (9-6-1).
• The first period is the only period in which the Checkers have a positive goal differential (37 for, 36 against).
• Charlotte's one shorthanded goal is tied with two other teams (Abbotsford, Adirondack) for the fewest in the league.

Player Streaks

• Aaron Palushaj has points in each of his last five games (Jan. 10-19: 5g, 3a) and goals in each of his last three (Jan. 17-19: 4g, 0a)
• Greg Nemisz has points in each of his last four games (Jan. 3-19: 1g, 4a)
• Matthew Pistilli has assists and points in each of his last two games (Jan. 19-20: 0g, 3a)
• Philippe Cornet has points in each of his last two games (Jan. 19-20: 1g, 1a)
• Victor Rask has points in each of his last two games (Jan. 19-20: 1g, 1a)
• Rasmus Rissanen has assists and points in each of his last two games (Jan. 18-19: 0g, 2a)

Milestones

• Philippe Cornet played his 200th AHL game on Jan. 19
• Greg Nemisz scored his first goal as a Checker on Jan. 19
• 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
• Zach Boychuk is four goals shy of 100 AHL goals

Injuries

• Sean Dolan - missed 19 games starting Dec. 1
• Jared Staal - missed six games starting Jan. 3
• Nicolas Blanchard - missed three games starting Jan. 17
• Brendan Woods - missed three games starting Jan. 17

Transactions

Incoming

• none

Outgoing

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