Game Preview: Checkers vs. Oklahoma City (March 30, 2014)

The Checkers look to earn their fourth straight victory and another huge win against a fellow playoff hopeful when they finish a weekend set against the Oklahoma City Barons this afternoon.

Charlotte opened up a three-point lead over its West Division rival with a 3-2 shootout victory on Saturday night – a game in which the Checkers led 2-0 with three minutes remaining in regulation before the Barons rallied late. That allowed the home team to retain the eighth spot in the Western Conference and be in a position to move up to seventh depending on their game today and Rockford’s contest in Chicago.

The Checkers are 7-1-1 this season against the Barons, who they play twice more as part of a three-in-three road trip that also takes them through San Antonio next weekend.

Charlotte

On the verge of picking up a regulation victory on Saturday, the Checkers allowed Oklahoma City to score on a power play redirection with 2:39 remaining and to find the back of the net off a faceoff in their zone with just six seconds left to tie the game. They had to go all the way to the sixth round of the shootout to ensure they earned maximum points and carry some momentum into today’s rematch.

“Our objective right now is to get as many wins as we can,” said goalie John Muse, who made 32 saves in regulation and overtime and stopped five of six in the shootout. “Obviously it’s disappointing to give up the point there, but at the same time it’s a big two points for us.”

Muse came just minutes away from posting consecutive shutouts for the second time this season, having to settle for a shutout streak of 144:23 over parts of the last three games that marked the third-longest in franchise history, trailing his own record by 10 minutes. He showed no signs of panic after giving up the two late tallies with an excellent performance to win a duel with Richard Bachman in the shootout.

“He’s very professional, very focused and doesn’t get rattled,” said coach Jeff Daniels of Muse. “He’s able to move on after a goal, whether it’s a good goal or a bad goal, and I think that’s a key quality in a goalie.”

The win improved Muse to 8-1-0 with a 2.19 goals-against average and .933 save percentage in a month of March that is now the most successful month in team history in terms of total wins (11-4-0). The short time between night game and day game would normally call on a team to change goaltenders, but Daniels would not rule out the possibility of sticking with Muse instead of Mike Murphy.

“Show up at 1:30 and you’ll find out,” he said.

“I want to play every game,” said Muse, who has won each of his last four starts. “It’s JD’s decision, so we’ll see what happens.”

With the team’s big guns in Zach Boychuk, Chris Terry and Brett Sutter relatively quiet on Saturday – one assist by Boychuk which allowed him to tie his career high and the franchise record for most points in a single season (65) was the only point between the three – an unlikely hero emerged in fourth-line forward Matt Marquardt. The former Baron scored the game’s first goal and the extra-round winner in just the second shootout attempt of his 261 game AHL career. Victor Rask, a rookie center who started the season with the hot hand offensively but has settled into more of a depth role late in the season, scored for the second straight game and third time in his last four outings.

The Checkers will be without Aaron Palushaj, who ranks third on the team in scoring behind Boychuk and Terry and has 12 points in eight games against Oklahoma City this season, as well as Greg Nemisz and Brendan Woods due to injury. After sitting out as healthy extras on Saturday, recent college signing Phil Di Giuseppe is available at forward, as are defensemen Keegan Lowe and Dennis Robertson on defense.

Oklahoma City

Though they lost ground on the Checkers, the Barons moved from 10th to ninth in the Western Conference race by way of their single point earned on Saturday. They’ll likely be quite pleased with that result, having broken through on those two late goals after Muse stymied them for much of the game.

The late tallies came courtesy of two players thrust from secondary to primary scoring roles due to the absence of a handful of key players. With the white-hot Mark Arcobello (28 points in 15 games this season), scoring leader and captain Anton Lander (48 points) and Roman Horak (47 points) all out of the lineup due to injury or NHL recall, the Barons were playing without arguably their three most dangerous offensive players. A trio of depth forwards in Tyler Pitlick (in the NHL with Edmonton), Kale Kessey and Ryan Hamilton (injury) were also missing.

Filling that void were Matthew Ford, a former ECHL Checker who scored his 21st of the season to extend his goal streak to a club record five games, and Taylor Fedun, one of two high-scoring Oklahoma City defensemen along with active points leader Brad Hunt.

Playing for the 20th time in 22 games, Bachman finished with 30 saves and stopped four of six in the shootout as part of an excellent performance that kept the Checkers at bay when they showed signs of scoring a third goal that would have put the game away, giving his team a chance to earn that point with their late heroics.

Coach Todd Nelson is now faced with the same decision as Daniels has with Muse, though he suggested earlier in the week that he would hand today’s start to Ty Rimmer, a member of this year’s CHL All-Rookie team who has played just four career AHL games. Another option is Finnish import Frans Tuohimaa, a late-round Oilers draft pick who joined the Barons earlier this week upon the conclusion of his domestic season.

Checkers Notes

Against the Barons

The Checkers' 12-game season series against Oklahoma City, which has three games remaining, ties the longest in team history (Norfolk in 2010-11). Of Charlotte's eight remaining games, three of those will come against the Barons, who trail them by just three points in the standings with one game in hand.

Not including playoffs (Oklahoma City defeated the Checkers 3-2 in last season's first round), Charlotte holds an all-time record of 16-6-3 against the Barons, including a 7-1-1 mark this season. The Checkers can today set a club record for most-ever wins in a head-to-head series, one that was previously set when the team went 7-3-2 against Norfolk in 2010-11 and 7-0-1 against Peoria in 2012-13.

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.

Playoff Picture

The Checkers have occupied the eighth and final spot in the Western Conference since earning a 7-0 win over Iowa on March 26. Prior to that, they had been outside of playoff position since Nov. 2, which marked the first of what became a franchise-record, seven-game losing streak.

Charlotte can move up to seventh today depending on the result of their game against nine-seed Oklahoma City and Rockford's game at Chicago. Charlotte and Rockford are currently tied with 73 points, though Rockford holds the tiebreaker regardless of Sunday's results by way of one fewer game played. With 32 regulation/overtime wins, the Checkers hold the next tiebreaker over every other team in the race.

Of the Checkers' eight remaining games, three will be played against Oklahoma City and one will be played against Rockford.

All He Does Is Win

Checkers goalie John Muse has gone 8-1-0 during the month of March with a 2.19 goals-against average, .933 save percentage and one shutout. During that time, he set a new single-season club record with 25 victories (4th AHL), three more than the previous record initially set by Justin Pogge in 2010-11 and later tied by Justin Peters in 2012-13. He is only one away from tying the club's all-time wins record of 43 held by teammate Mike Murphy.

A winner of two NCAA National Championships with Boston College and an ECHL Kelly Cup with the Florida Everblades, Muse, who rejoined the Checkers on a PTO in October before upgrading to an AHL deal, has an all-time AHL record of 43-22-3. He has won each of his last four starts since March 21, marking his fourth winning streak of four or more games this season.

Over a three-game span from March 25-29, Muse put together a shutout streak of 144:23 that marked the third longest in team history. He set the franchise record of 154:03 starting with his debut this season.

Record Seasons

Zach Boychuk and Chris Terry, currently tied for fourth in the AHL scoring race, have tied the franchise record for most points in a single season (65). Terry accomplished the feat with three assists in a 7-0 win at Iowa on March 26 that extended his since-snapped point streak to nine games, while Boychuk, who set a club record with five points in that game against Iowa, hit that mark with an assist against Oklahoma City on March 29.

Terry has already eclipsed his career high of 64 points set in the 2010-11 season, while Boychuk, who set the club record during that same campaign, has tied his AHL career high.

Boychuk is tied for second in the AHL with 31 goals, one off the league lead held by former junior hockey teammate Colton Sceviour and three away from the team record set by Terry in 2010-11. His previous career high was 23, set last season.

Murphy's Streak Ends

Checkers defenseman Ryan Murphy's 12-game assist/point streak (1g, 14a) came to an end with a scoreless outing against Oklahoma City on March 29. His point streak set a new club record, eclipsing an 11-game run by fellow blueliner Bobby Sanguinetti in 2011-12, while his assist streak was the longest by an AHL player since Keith Aucoin (14) in 2011-12 and longest by an AHL defenseman since Mattias Karlsson (12) in 2007-08.

Since joining the Checkers from the Carolina Hurricanes for the first time this season on Jan. 24, Murphy has 19 points (1g, 18a) in 18 games. He currently has the second-most assists among Charlotte defensemen for the entire season and has set a new club record for most by a rookie blueliner in a single campaign (Michal Jordan had 14 in 2010-11).

Murphy, the Hurricanes' first-round pick (12th overall) in 2011, now has 23 points in 26 career AHL games dating back to last season, including five Calder Cup Playoff games. Thirteen of those points came on the power play.

Unlikely Hero

Matt Marquardt's winning goal in the sixth round of the shootout against Oklahoma City on March 29 came on just the second attempt of his 261 AHL games. He missed his first attempt while playing for Oklahoma City in the eighth round of a game against Peoria on Feb. 4, 2011. By scoring against the Barons, Marquardt became the second Checker to score his first AHL shootout goal this season, joining Brody Sutter.

Marquardt also scored a regulation goal during the March 29 game against Oklahoma City, giving him five points (2g, 3a) in his last nine games. He had eight points in his first 45 games of the season prior to that.

Marching On

With one game remaining, the Checkers have already set a new franchise record for most wins in a single month with their 11th in a 3-2 shootout victory over Oklahoma City on March 29. By going 11-4-0 this month, they topped the previous record set during the second month of their inaugural season in November of 2010 (10-2-2).

Four Checkers forwards are averaging a point-per-game in March. They are: Zach Boychuk (20 points in 15 games), Chris Terry (19 points in 15 games), Brett Sutter (15 points in 15 games) and Aaron Palushaj (13 points in 12 games). John Muse has gone 8-1-0 with a 2.19 goals-against average, .933 save percentage and one shutout during the month.

Murphy's Law

Mike Murphy lost for the seventh time in his last eight decisions by way of a 4-2 defeat against San Antonio on March 23. Murphy has received five total goals of support in his last four starts, all losses, while partner John Muse has gone 9-1-0 while receiving three or more goals of support in eight of his last 10 starts.

Sutter Moving Up

While scoring 28 points (12g, 16a) in his last 29 games dating back to Jan. 23, Checkers captain Brett Sutter passed Zac Dalpe for the third-most points in the Checkers' AHL history (140 in 246 games). Only Chris Terry (248) and Zach Boychuk (217) have more.

Sutter, who played his 500th professional game on March 2, has averaged 0.73 points per game in his last two seasons with the Checkers compared to 0.33 points per game in his first five AHL campaigns with Quad City, Abbotsford and Charlotte. Despite missing 14 games while on NHL duty with Carolina this season, he ranks fourth on the Checkers in scoring with 42 points (14g, 28a) in 54 games.

Power Players

Both Zach Boychuk (1st AHL with 16) and Chris Terry (t-3rd with 14) have broken the franchise record for most power-play goals in a single season previously held by Jacob Micflikier (12 goals in 2010-11). Meanwhile, Mark Flood's seven power-play goals are tied for third among AHL defensemen and tied for the most ever by a Checkers blueliner in a single season (Bobby Sanguinetti in 2011-12).

The 30 total goals by Boychuk and Terry are the most of any two teammates in the league, with the 27 by Texas' Chris Mueller (14) and Colton Sceviour (13) coming in second. Boychuk, Flood and Terry are responsible for 37 of the Checkers' 69 power-play goals (53.6 percent) with no other player on the team scoring more than five.

The Checkers currently rank second in the AHL with a 22.6 percent success rate on the power play, a mark that, if sustained for the final nine games of the season, would mark the highest of their four AHL campaigns. The team has never converted at a rate lower than 19.8 percent over the course an entire season.

Quick Hits

• Charlotte's three-game winning streak ties the second-longest active streak in the AHL behind Binghamton's four. The Checkers have won three in a row on six seperate occasions this season, including a trio season-long, four-game streaks.
• The 3-2 shootout win over Oklahoma City on March 29 improved the Checkers to 4-21-2 when scoring two or fewer goals this season, with two of those wins coming in their last three games. John Muse was in goal for all four wins, including 2-1 victories over San Antonio on Dec. 10, over Oklahoma City on Jan. 11 and over Iowa on March 25.
• Victor Rask has goals in consecutive games for the first time since a three-game streak from Oct. 30-Nov. 2.
• The Checkers (currently 17-17-1) can go above the .500 mark at home for the first time all season with a win today. They began the season with losses in each of their first six games at Time Warner Cable Arena.
• Aaron Palushaj's 20th goal of the season on March 9 was also his sixth game winner, putting him into an eight-way tie for most in the AHL.
• Mark Flood ranks tied for third among AHL defensemen with 12 goals. That sets a career high and is the most ever by a Charlotte defenseman in a single season.
• The Checkers' nine overtime games (6-3) and five shootouts (3-2) are the fewest in the league. They rank second in shootout shooting percentage at 42.3 percent (11-for-26).
• The Checkers' three shorthanded goals are the fewest in the AHL. They have never scored fewer than six in a single season.
• Charlotte is 16-10-2 against fellow West Division teams this season. Each of their next four games will be played against divisonal opponents, with their final four played against teams in the Midwest (10-9-1).

Player Streaks

• John Muse has won each of his last four games (March 21-29)
• Zach Boychuk has assists and points in each of his last three games (March 25-29: 3g, 5a)
• Victor Rask has goals and points in each of his last two games (March 26-29: 2g, 1a)
• Brody Sutter has assists and points in each of his last two games (March 26-29: 0g, 2a)

Milestones

• Brett Sutter is one shy of 200 AHL points
• Sean Dolan is one shy of 100 professional penalty minutes
• Zach Boychuk is two shy of 100 Checkers goals
• Chris Terry is two shy of 250 Checkers points
• Jared Staal is three shy of 200 professional games played
• Chris Terry is four shy of 300 professional points
• Chris Terry is four shy of 150 Checkers assists
• Chris Terry is five shy of 300 AHL points
• Zach Boychuk recorded his 250th AHL point on March 26
• Nicolas Blanchard recorded his 800th AHL penalty minute on March 26

Injuries

• Aaron Palushaj - missed three games starting March 25
• Greg Nemisz - missed 12 games starting March 8
• Brendan Woods - missed 18 games starting Feb. 22

Transactions

Incoming

• March 28 - (LW) Phil Di Giuseppe (University of Michigan) signed with Carolina (NHL) and assigned to Charlotte
• March 25 - (D) Ryan Murphy reassigned from Carolina (NHL) to Charlotte
• March 23 - (RW) Matthew Pistilli signed to PTO from Florida (ECHL)

Outgoing

• March 24 - (G) Trevor Cann released from PTO and returned to Florida (ECHL)