Game Preview: Checkers vs. Toronto (Jan. 15, 2015)

After enduring a tough road swing, the Checkers return to Charlotte looking to continue that success and claw their way back up the standings.

The Checkers enter tonight’s game on a positive note, having grabbed five of a possible eight points during a road trip that saw them face three of the Western Conference’s top seven teams. In order to keep that success going, they will have to slow down a red-hot Toronto team that is on a nine-game points streak.

Following tonight, the two squads will take the ice again tomorrow night for a rematch.

Charlotte

After struggling mightily away from Charlotte this season, the Checkers turned in their best road performance of the year, earning five of a possible eight points during a brutal four-game road trip that saw them face three of the conference’s best teams.

The stretch was capped off with a huge shootout win over the Midwest Division-leading Rockford IceHogs, with Drew MacIntyre leading the way, making 41 saves and stopping all three shootout attempts to clinch the win. The victory moved the veteran above .500 for the first time this season and put him in sole possession of 10th place on the AHL’s all-time wins list.

The Checkers struggling offense didn’t see much of an improvement in terms of the amount of goals scored (seven goals combined in the four games), but they did start to find the back of the net at opportune times. In their 2-1 victory over the Griffins on Jan. 9, the Checkers erased a third period deficit and held on for a win for just the second time this season in 19 chances. In the game prior, the Checkers again where able to come back and take a lead after surrendering the first tally, but ultimately allowed the Griffins to rally and take the game into overtime, where they prevailed.

This weekend’s series will be the first glimpse that Charlotte fans have had in a while of reinforcements Zach Boychuk and Michal Jordan, who joined the team for the final three games of the road trip after having been assigned by Carolina. Boychuk, who enters tonight’s contest just one away from tying Chris Terry for the franchise’s all-time goals leader, was kept off the score sheet on the road, but he should undoubtedly help provide a boost to the Checkers’ floundering attack, especially in front of a home crowd that reveres him.

On the blue line, Jordan should not only help solidify a young corps of defensemen by eating up big minutes, but help restore some leadership to the locker room, as the captain will be making his first appearance back in Charlotte since Nov. 22.

Toronto

The Marlies come to Charlotte riding a nine-game points streak, the longest active streak in the AHL. That stretch of success has propelled them from the bottom of the standings back into contention, as they now sit just four points out of the eighth and final playoff spot in the Western Conference.

Tonight marks the fifth consecutive game in which the Marlies have played an opponent from the West Division. Other than one contest in Cedar Park, where they dropped the Texas Stars with a big overtime victory, three of those games have come against the San Antonio Rampage. The Marlies took five of the six available points in those tilts, including a 3-0 shutout in their most recent game.

To get to this point, the Marlies have ridden the hot hand of Connor Brown, who ranks second among AHL rookies in scoring. During this nine game stretch, the rookie has pitched in seven points. They have also been boosted as of late by the play of Byron Froese, who was recently signed by the team to an AHL contract. The forward has recorded a point in each of his last four games and in six of his last seven games.

The Marlies will also get some help in the form of highly touted rookie William Nylander, who is expected to make his AHL debut tonight. The number eight overall pick in the 2014 Draft, Nylander was recalled by the Maple Leafs from Modo of the SHL and assigned him to the Marlies, presumably for the rest of the season. The 18-year-old Swede had put up 20 points (8g, 12a) in 21 games for Modo, as well as producing 10 points (3g, 7a) in seven games for Sweden in this month’s World Junior Championship.

Checkers Notes

Against Toronto

Tonight's game begins the four-game season series between Charlotte and Toronto. After tonight, the only team on Charlotte's schedule it has yet to face this season will be Lake Erie, which it first faces on Feb. 10.

The Checkers have an all-time record of 0-4-0 against Toronto, with the teams just meeting for the first time last season. That makes Toronto the only team on Charlotte's schedule that it has never defeated.

Of players remaining from last season's roster, Zach Boychuk led all Checkers skaters with two goals and three points against Toronto. No other returning Checker recorded multiple points in the season series. For Toronto, Greg McKegg led all skaters with three goals and seven points against the Checkers.

Charlotte's John Muse played three games against Toronto last season, going 0-3-0 with a 3.40 goals-against average and .892 save percentage. His current Checkers teammate, Drew MacIntyre, picked up three of the Marlies' victories against Charlotte last season while posting a 1.67 GAA and .942 SV%.

Aleardi's Return

Since the Checkers recalled him from the ECHL's Florida Everblades on Jan. 4, forward Alex Aleardi has scored four points (2g, 2a) and recorded a shootout-winning goal in just three games. In doing so, he has nearly matched his total from his first 13 AHL games of the season (2g, 3a) that preceded his assignment to Florida on Nov. 25.

Aleardi, a 22-year-old who the Checkers signed to an AHL contract this summer, now has 27 points (12g, 15a) in 60 career AHL games with Springfield and Charlotte. A junior hockey teammate of current Checkers defensemen Austin Levi and Beau Schmitz with the OHL's Plymouth Whalers, he has 40 points (21g, 19a) in 38 career ECHL contests, including 17 points (7g, 10a) in 15 games with the Everblades this seaosn.

Offensive Challenges

For the season, the Checkers rank last in the AHL with an average of 2.91 goals per game. Excluding goals awarded for shootout victories, they have scored two goals or fewer in 25 of their 38 games this season (5-15-5 record in those games), including eight of their last nine (3-3-3).

LaRose Takes Over

Chad LaRose has goals in two of his last four games dating back to Jan. 7, which coincides with his taking sole possession of the team's scoring lead. He now has 19 points on the season, breaking what had been a three-way tie with Ryan Murphy and Justin Shugg. He also leads the team in shorthanded points (three - t-3rd AHL), is tied for second in power-play points (four) and leads the team in shots on goal (89). Seven of LaRose's nine goals on the season have come in his last 16 games.

LaRose, a 32-year-old veteran of 508 NHL games with Carolina, is playing in the AHL for the first time since 2005-06 after taking last year away from hockey. He now has 102 points (50g, 52a) in 162 career AHL games with Lowell and Charlotte.

MacIntyre Cracks Top 10

Since becoming the 12th goaltender in the AHL's 78-year history to reach 200 wins on Dec. 13, Checkers goalie Drew MacIntyre, who has picked up 12 of the Checkers' 14 wins this season, has picked up four more victories to take sole possession of 10th on the league's all-time wins list.

MacIntyre, a 31-year-old veteran now playing his 12th professional season with his eighth AHL club, is just 28 wins away from tying Frederic Cassivi for fifth on the all-time list. He has a 204-126-24 record, 2.44 goals-against average, .937 save percentage and 16 shutouts in 377 career AHL games dating back to the 2004-05 season. He currently ranks fifth in the league with 702 saves this season.

The Checkers have earned points in each of MacIntyre's last six starts dating back to Dec. 19 (4-0-2). Including a perfect 3-for-3 performance in Rockford on Jan. 13, he has stopped 13 of 14 shootout attempts this season, helping the Checkers to a 2-1 record despite just two total goals of support.

Power Outage

The Checkers are 1-for-38 on the power play (2.6 percent) over their last 10 games dating back to Dec. 21. During that time, they have fallen to 30th in the AHL with a season-long percentage of 8.4. With Ryan Murphy (seven points, all assists) in the NHL, no active Checker has more than four points on the power play this season (Chad LaRose, Brock McGinn and Justin Shugg).

In their previous four AHL seasons, the Checkers 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. The lowest recorded power-play percentage for a season in AHL history is 10.4, set by the Rochester Americans in 2001-02.

Quick Hits

• The Checkers have earned points in nine of their last 13 home games dating back to Nov. 10 (8-4-1).
• The Checkers have earned points in each of Drew MacIntyre's last six starts (4-0-3) dating back to Dec. 19 and are winless in each of John Muse's last five starts (0-4-1) dating back to Dec. 27.
• Brendan Woods' 18 points (8g, 10a) in 36 games are more than double what he produced in 42 games last season.
• Charlotte's six shorthanded goals are tied for third in the league and are three more than its league-low total from all of last season.
• All five of the Checkers' shorthanded goals have come at home, giving them more at home than any other AHL team.
• The Checkers are one of just two teams (Iowa) that have yet to record a shutout this season.
• Kyle Hagel leads the AHL with 13 major penalties.
• Charlotte is the only AHL team without a 20-point scorer
• Entering this season, Jared Staal had 10 goals in 169 career AHL games. Has seven in 31 games this season.

Streaks

• The Checkers have earned points in each of Drew MacIntyre's last six starts (Dec. 19-Jan. 13: 4-0-2)
• Alex Aleardi has goals and points in each of his last three games (Jan. 4-13: 2g, 2a)

Injuries

• Gabriel Desjardins - missed five games starting 1/4
• Beau Schmitz - missed 16 games starting 12/10
• Greg Nemisz - missed 17 games starting 12/8 (out for season)
• Brody Sutter - missed 26 games starting 11/15

Milestones

• Justin Shugg is one shy of 50 AHL assists
• Zach Boychuk is one shy of tying Chris Terry for the franchise's all-time goals lead (104)
• Andrew Rowe is two shy of 100 pro assists
• Alex Aleardi is two shy of 100 professional games
• Jared Staal played his 200th AHL game on 1/13
• Zach Boychuk played his 300th AHL game on 1/10

Transactions

Incoming

• Jan. 8 - (LW) Zach Boychuk assigned to Charlotte from Carolina (NHL)
• Jan. 8 - (D) Michal Jordan assigned to Charlotte from Carolina (NHL)

Outgoing

• Jan. 14 - (C) Andrej Nestrasil recalled to Carolina (NHL) from conditioning stint with Charlotte