Game Preview: Checkers vs. Toronto (Jan. 16, 2015)

The Checkers hope to continue a season-long trend of bounce-back performances as they host the second of back-to-back games against the Toronto Marlies tonight.

A 4-1 loss to the Marlies on Thursday that saw the Checkers fall to a perfectly imperfect 0-5-0 in five all-time meetings with Toronto dropped Charlotte's record to 3-8-4 in the first of consecutive games against the same opponent. In the second halves of those sets, the Checkers are a much-improved 8-6-1.

Charlotte, which will enjoy a four-day break following tonight's game, will have to slow down a red-hot Marlies team that has earned points in each of its last 10 games (7-0-3) dating back to Dec. 21.

Charlotte

Thursday's game was a familiar story for the Checkers, who played a closer game than the final score might suggest but made a few key mistakes that were too much for their often-struggling offense to overcome.

Those mistakes included breakdowns on each of the Marlies three non-empty-net goals, most notably a pair of situations in which Josh Leivo was able to go in alone on an otherwise stalwart Drew MacIntyre.

"We can’t beat ourselves," said coach Jeff Daniels. "We’re not in a position where we can count on scoring three, four or five goals a night. It just hasn’t happened throughout the year. When you make mistakes that end up in the back of your net it’s tough to recover."

Thursday's performance marked the 26th time the team has scored two goals or fewer in 39 games this season, including the ninth time in their last 10 outings. They remain last in the league in terms of goals per game with a record of 2.18.

It could have been a shutout if not for the return of Zach Boychuk, whose second-period strike tied him with Chris Terry for first on the franchise's all-time goals list (104). The reigning Willie Marshall award winner as the AHL's top goal scorer with 36 last season also hit a post in the first period and saw Marlies netminder Antoine Bibeau rob him with a glove save on a late power play.

Even though only one of those chances went in, it was an encouraging sign for a dynamic player that seems to completing the transition from fringe NHL player to crucial piece of the AHL puzzle and the sudden increase of minutes that comes with it.

"It's a huge addition," said MacIntyre, who stopped 20 of 23 shots on Thursday. "Chucky scored tonight and it's no secret we've had a lot of trouble scoring goals. To get a guy like that is going to help a lot."

Daniels will have an interesting call to make regarding MacIntyre for tonight's rematch. Though teams might normally use both goaltenders over the course of a back-to-back, MacIntyre has recorded 12 of the Checkers' 14 wins this season and would again relish the chance to face his former team. Though he would have plenty of time to rest before the Checkers return to action in Norfolk on Wednesday, tonight would mark his third start in four days with travel involved.

Toronto

As the Checkers aim to string wins together and begin what needs to be a desperate attempt to march up the standings, they need look no further than tonight's opponent for inspiration.

The Marlies' 10-game point streak is the longest active streak in the AHL and just one game shy of tying the longest posted by any team at any point this season (Springfield and San Antonio each put together 11-game streaks beginning in November and running until early December). Since Dec. 21, they have gone from having a 10-15-3 record identical to Charlotte's at the time and being eight points out of a playoff spot to their current mark of 17-15-6 with just two points to make up in the race.

"It gives us hope," said Boychuk. "We didn't start the way we wanted to the first half of the season but that's the beauty of it. There's another 37 games left and you never know what can happen."

The Marlies' makeup has been similar to the Checkers to this point, with both teams struggling mightily to score goals during the bad times. Even after netting four against Charlotte on Thursday, Toronto still ranks 28th in the league in goals per game 2.29, while their power play is also two spots ahead of Charlotte's with a season-long success rate of 12.8 percent.

Similar to how Boychuk and Michal Jordan recently returned to Charlotte from Carolina, the Marlies are making the most of having Carter Ashton, Leivo, Greg McKegg and Stuart Percy back in their lineup at the same time after NHL stints. With the exception of McKegg, who miss part of Thursday's game after getting hit in the face with a puck, all of those players factored in on Thursday's scoring.

One key difference between the two teams is in goal, where the Marlies replaced MacIntyre's veteran presence with a pair of younger options in Bibeau (20) and tonight's likely starter, Christopher Gibson (22). Despite their relative youth, the two have formed a solid tandem this season.

Checkers Notes

Against Toronto

Tonight's game marks the second of a four-game season series between Charlotte and Toronto.
The Checkers have an all-time record of 0-5-0 against the Marlies, 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.

Zach Boychuk leads all Checkers skaters with three goals and four points in five games against Toronto. No other Checker has multiple points against the Marlies. For Toronto, Greg McKegg leads all skaters with three goals and seven points in five games 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. In his lone start against his former team, Drew MacIntyre stopped 20 of 23 shots on Jan. 15. For the Marlies, Antoine Bibeau stopped 28 of 29 to earn one victory this season, while Christopher Gibson won his only start against the Checkers by stopping 32 of 33 last season.

Boychuk's Goals

Zach Boychuk's goal against Toronto on Jan. 15 tied him with former teammate Chris Terry for first on the franchise's all-time goals list (104). It was Boychuk's first goal since returning to the Checkers' lineup on Jan. 9 and his second in five AHL games this season.

The reigning Willie Marshall award winner as the AHL's top goal scorer with 36 last season, Boychuk also led the league with 18 power-play goals and took home Second-Team All Star honors. One of five players to appear in at least one Checkers game in all five of the team's AHL seasons (Michal Jordan, Rasmus Rissanen, Jared Staal and Terry), he ranks second on the team's all-time list in points (228) and assists (124) and is fifth in games played (248). He is currently five shy of 300 professional points.

We Meet Again

The Checkers have faced the same opponent in consecutive games 15 times this season. They are a combined 3-8-4 in the first halves of those series and a combined 8-6-1 in the second, including one instance where they won both games (against Milwaukee on Nov. 29 and 30) and three where they lost both (Grand Rapids on Oct. 17-18, San Antonio on Nov. 14-15 and Oklahoma City on Nov. 21-22).

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 four 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 61 career AHL games with Springfield and Charlotte. He has 40 points (21g, 19a) in 38 career ECHL contests, including 17 points (7g, 10a) in 15 games with the Everblades this season.

Offensive Challenges

For the season, the Checkers rank last in the AHL with an average of 2.18 goals per game. Excluding goals awarded for shootout victories, they have scored two goals or fewer in 26 of their 39 games this season (5-16-5 record in those games), including nine of their last 10 (3-4-3).

LaRose Takes Over

With an assist on Jan. 15, Chad LaRose became the first Checker to hit the 20-point mark this season. In addition to being the team's overall points leader, 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 (91). Seven of LaRose's nine goals on the season have come in his last 17 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 103 points (50g, 54a) in 166 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 204-127-24 record, 2.43 goals-against average, .936 save percentage and 16 shutouts in 378 career AHL games dating back to the 2004-05 season. He currently ranks fourth in the league with 722 saves this season.

The Checkers have earned points in sixof MacIntyre's last seven starts dating back to Dec. 19 (4-1-2). 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-41 on the power play (2.4 percent) over their last 11 games dating back to Dec. 21. During that time, they have fallen to 30th in the AHL with a season-long percentage of 8.3. 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

• Brendan Woods' 18 points (8g, 10a) in 37 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.
• Entering this season, Jared Staal had 10 goals in 169 career AHL games. Has seven in 32 games this season.

Streaks

• None

Injuries

• Gabriel Desjardins - missed six games starting 1/4
• Beau Schmitz - missed 17 games starting 12/10
• Greg Nemisz - missed 18 games starting 12/8 (out for season)

Milestones

• Alex Aleardi is one shy of 100 professional games
• Justin Shugg is one shy of 50 AHL assists
• Zach Boychuk is five shy of 300 professional points
• Jared Staal played his 200th AHL game on 1/13

Transactions

Incoming

• None

Outgoing

• Jan. 15 - (LW) Andrew Rowe released from professional tryout contract and returned to South Carolina (ECHL)
• Jan. 14 - (C) Andrej Nestrasil recalled to Carolina (NHL) from conditioning stint with Charlotte