Game Preview: Checkers vs. Texas (Jan. 4, 2015)

The Checkers hope to turn around their longest winless streak of the season as they host the second of back-to-back games against the Texas Stars this afternoon.

Having hit the holiday break playing some of their best hockey of the season, the Checkers have struggled by going 0-3-1 since. That includes a 4-1 loss to these same Texas Stars on Saturday night in which the visitors scored four times to more than overcome a 1-0 deficit heading into the third period.

Following today’s game, which features the opportunity for fans to skate with the team immediately afterwards, the Checkers depart for a four-game road trip that will not see them return home until Jan. 15.

Charlotte

The Checkers once again found themselves in a position to win on Saturday, taking a 1-0 lead into the third period thanks to a breakaway from goal-scoring leader Justin Shugg. But the Checkers folded under the Stars’ pressure in the third, allowing four unanswered strikes in the final frame.

The result hinged on the same problem that has plagued the Checkers all season: the inability to put points on the board.

“We turned the puck over a couple of times and they capitalized on chances,” said head coach Jeff Daniels. “We don’t, and that’s the bottom line right there.

“It comes down to we can’t score goals. You look at four two-on-ones and breakaways and you’ve got one goal. You’re not going to win a lot of games scoring one goal.”

Charlotte’s ever-thinning roster, which may have taken another hit after Gabriel Desjardins left last night’s contest with an injury, has made the search for those goals a struggle. Younger players like Phil di Giuseppe and Brock McGinn have shown flashes of offensive prowess, but getting those goals consistently will be key to turning around an attack that has scored just six times in the last four games.

“It’s not about one guy,” said Daniels. “They’ve got to recognize the opportunity they’re getting that normally they probably wouldn’t get this early in their career from the ice time to the power-play situations. It’s up to them to take advantage of it.”

If Desjardins or another player from Saturday’s lineup is unable to play for whatever reason, the Checkers would need to look outside of the roster to find another player as they had no available extras available for the first matchup against the Stars. Chad LaRose played despite being listed as questionable with an injury, while center Brody Sutter and defenseman Beau Schmitz are certain to remain sidelined.

Given the short turnaround, Drew MacIntyre, back from Spengler Cup duty in Switzerland with Team Canada, is likely to make his first start since the holidays. John Muse made each of the last four starts – three while MacIntyre was unavailable and one more with MacIntyre backing up on Saturday.

Texas

Texas’ 4-1 victory on Saturday was its third in as many games. With plenty of time to go, the Stars currently find themselves as a bubble team in the playoff picture, one point behind the eighth-place Milwaukee Admirals in the Western Conference race, that is trending in the right direction.

Brendan Ranford lit the lamp twice in Saturday’s game, including the game-tying goal just 1:41 into the third, and Derek Meech added two helpers to lift the Stars. A secondary scorer on last season’s Calder Cup winning Texas club, Ranford, who leads all Texas skaters with six points (3g, 3a) in six games against the Checkers this season, has emerged to lead all active Texas skaters with 22 points (7g, 15a) in 32 games.

Philadelphia’s seventh-round draft pick in 2010, the nephew of former NHL goaltender Bill Ranford has picked up some of the scoring that was lost when reigning AHL MVP Travis Morin and current Stars goal-scoring leader Brett Ritchie recently departed for the parent Dallas Stars. Imposing defenseman Jamie Oleksiak is expected to remain there, though fellow blueliner Jyrki Jokipakka, who has three assists in 16 NHL games this season, could be in today’s lineup after Dallas reassigned him just prior to Saturday’s game.

The Checkers have not been able to crack Stars goalie Jussi Rynnas, who made 24 saves on Saturday to improve his record to 3-0-0 with a 1.67 goals-against average and .943 save percentage against them this season. Charlotte fared better in its only game of the season against Jack Campbell, scoring twice on 31 shots en route to a 3-1 victory on Nov. 10.

Campbell, Dallas’ first-round pick in 2010, has not played since suffering a minor injury that kept him out of a game last week.

Checkers Notes

Against Texas

Today marks the seventh of eight meetings between the Checkers and Texas this season. Prior to Texas winning each of the last two match-ups on Dec. 27 and Jan. 3, no team had won consecutive games in the season series. In 26 all-time contests between the two clubs, the Checkers hold a 10-12-4 record, including a 6-6-1 mark at Time Warner Cable Arena.

Chad LaRose leads all Checkers skaters with four points (1g, 3a) in six games against the Stars this season, while Justin Shugg and Jared Staal paces the club with three goals. Texas forward Brendan Ranford leads the Stars with six points against the Checkers this season and is one of four players (Derek Hulak, Greg Rallo, Brett Ritchie) with three goals in the season series.

In goal, Charlotte's Drew MacIntyre has played four games against the Stars, going 2-2-0 with a 2.88 goals-against average and .920 save percentage. John Muse has played three games, including each of the last two starts, going 0-2-0 with a 3.55 GAA and .878 SV%. For the Stars, Jussi Rynnas is 3-0-0 with a 1.67 GAA and .943 SV%, while Jack Campbell is 0-1-0 with a 2.03 GAA and.935 SV%.

Winless Skid

The Checkers enter today's game on a four-game winless streak (0-3-1) that marks their longest of the season, eclipsing a pair of three-game winless streaks from Nov. 21-26 and Dec. 8-12 (both 0-3-0). Prior to the current streak, the Checkers had recorded at least one point in four of their last five games (3-1-1).

Charlotte's current streak is the second-longest active streak in the AHL, one behidn a five-game skid by Norfolk, and is its longest since a five-game streak (0-4-1) from Feb. 4-15 of last season.

Offensive Struggles

The Checkers' 4-1 loss to Texas on Jan. 3 marked the 13th time the club has scored one or fewer goals in their 33 games this season. No AHL team has fewer goals than the 72 scored by the Checkers, who rank 29th in the league in terms of goals per game (2.18).

The 17 points scored by Chad LaRose and Ryan Murphy is the lowest total of any players who lead their AHL team in scoring this season. The Checkers also rank 30th on the power play with an 8.8 percent success rate.

Shugg Leads the Way

Checkers forward Justin Shugg extended his team lead with his 11th goal of the season against Texas on Jan. 3. In just 22 games this season, the fourth-year forward, who has a goal in each of his last two outings, is now just five shy of his career high set in 75 games last season. He leads the team and ranks 11th in the AHL with a shooting percentage of 21.6.

Shugg, the Carolina Hurricanes' fourth-round pick in 2010, averaged 40 goals in each of his last two junior seasons with Windsor and Mississauga of the OHL. He won back-to-back Memorial Cups in 2009 and 2010 and, after losing in the 2011 Memorial Cup final, captured an ECHL Kelly Cup with the Florida Everblades in 2012.

Power Outage

The Checkers are 0-for-20 on the power play over their last five games since Dec. 21. It marks their second-longest drought in terms of consecutive opportunities (0-for-25 from Nov. 29-Dec. 12) and ties their longest of the season in terms of consecutive games played without scoring a power-play goal (Nov. 30-Dec. 10).

Charlotte is just 4-for-70 on the power play (5.7 percent) over its last 18 games dating back to Nov. 22. Over the course of that time, it has fallen to 30th in the league with a season-long percentage of 8.8. With Ryan Murphy (seven points, all assists) in the NHL, no active Checker has more than four points on the power play this season (Brock McGinn and Justin Shugg).

In their previous four AHL seasons, the team never finished lower than fifth in the league in terms of power-play percentage. Their lowest-ever percentage to finish a season was 19.8 percent.

Killing Success

The Checkers are a perfect 18-for-18 on the penalty kill over their last six games dating back to Dec. 19, marking their longest streak of the season in terms of consecutive games played without allowing a power-play goal. In terms of consecutive penalties killed, it still trails a 21-for-21 stretch from Dec. 2-12 for the team's longest of the season. During their current stretch, the Checkers have cracked the league's top 10 with an 85.6 percent success rate over the course of the entire season.

Charlotte has also been able to produce offense while shorthanded, with their five shorthanded goals tying them for third in the league and already putting them two ahead of their league-low total from all of last season. Chad LaRose leads the league in shorthanded assists and is tied for second in shorthanded points (3), while Greg Nemisz and Brendan Woods find themselves in a 13-way tie for second in the league with two shorthanded goals apiece.

The Checkers are one of just three AHL teams that have yet to allow a shorthanded goal.

Quick Hits

• The Checkers are one of just three AHL teams (Hamilton, Iowa) that have yet to record a shutout
• Charlotte has lost each of its last three overtime games after starting the season 2-1
• Today's game concludes a stretch in which Charlotte plays 11 consecutive games agains the West Division. The Checkers are 6-11-3 in divisional play this season
• Kyle Hagel ranks tied for second in the league in major penalties (11)
• Defenseman Trevor Carrick is tied for fifth among AHL rookies in major penalties (5)

Streaks

• Justin Shugg has goals and points in each of his last two games (Dec. 31-Jan. 3: 2g, 0a)

Injuries

• Beau Schmitz - missed 11 games starting 12/10
• Greg Nemisz - missed 12 games starting 12/8 (out for season)
• Brody Sutter - missed 21 games starting 11/15

Milestones

• Danny Biega is one shy of 100 AHL/pro games played
• Chad LaRose is one shy of 150 pro goals
• Andrew Rowe is three shy of 100 pro assists
• Keegan Lowe is four shy of 150 AHL/pro penalty minutes
• Justin Shugg played his 200th pro game on Dec. 28

Transactions

Incoming

• Dec. 31 - (D) Austin Levi recalled to Charlotte from Stockton (ECHL)
• Dec. 28 - (C) Brendan Woods reassigned to Charlotte from Carolina (NHL)

Outgoing

• Jan. 2 - (C) A.J. Jenks releaesd from PTO to Toledo (ECHL)
• Jan. 2 - (G) Daniel Altshuller reassigned to Florida (ECHL) from Charlotte
• Dec. 30 - (D) Ryan Murphy recalled to Carolina (NHL) from Charlotte
• Dec. 29 - (D) Mike Little released from professional tryout contract to Florida (ECHL)