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The Checkers continued to roll through the 2013 portion of their schedule last week, taking two of three games to regain sole possession of first place in the AHL.

Despite missing a handful of top players that started the season in the NHL with the Carolina Hurricanes, the Checkers have won seven of their last eight games, including victories against Grand Rapids and Norfolk last week. A home loss to Grand Rapids on Thursday marked their only regulation loss of the new year and broke a franchise-record, six-game win streak.

The team will play three more games this week, starting with the continuation of a home-and-home series with the Admirals at Norfolk on Wednesday and back-to-back home games against the Abbotsford Heat on Friday and Saturday.

Week in Review

Checkers 1, Grand Rapids 0

Justin Peters made 28 saves to earn his third shutouts in four starts and Luke Pither scored the game’s only goal in his Checkers debut as Charlotte beat Grand Rapids by a 1-0 score on Wednesday. The win was the Checkers’ sixth in a row dating back to Jan. 4, setting a new franchise record, and also improved them to 6-0-0 all-time against the Griffins. Charlotte set a new franchise record for fewest shots in a game as they were out-shot 28-17 on the night. Full recap

Grand Rapids 5, Checkers 3

Despite two goals from All-Star defenseman Michal Jordan and 36 saves from All-Star goaltender Justin Peters, the Checkers’ franchise-record, six-game win streak came to an end via a 5-3 loss to Grand Rapids on Thursday. Justin Shugg had the other goal for Charlotte, which was out-shot 47-17, tying a franchise record for fewest shots in a single game that was set just one night earlier. Riley Nash and Brett Sutter, who returned from Carolina’s training camp earlier in the week, each had two assists. Full recap

Checkers 6, Norfolk 1

Luke Pither led the way with a career-high three points (2g, 1a), giving him five in his first three games as a Checker, and Justin Peters made 31 saves as Charlotte topped Norfolk for the third time in as many meetings this season on Sunday. Riley Nash, Tim Wallace, Chris Terry and Michal Jordan also scored for Charlotte, while Andreas Nodl picked up his first two points as a Checker by assisting on two goals. Charlotte was 3-for-5 on the power play during the game, marking the most the most man-advantage goals they’ve scored in a single game since Oct. 26. Full recap

Notables

Pither's Dream Debut

In his first three games as a Checker last week, center Luke Pither, who the Carolina Hurricanes acquired in a Jan. 13 trade that sent goaltender Brian Boucher to Philadelphia, has five points (3g, 2a). That includes at least one point in all three games and a career-high, three-point performance (2g, 1a) against Norfolk on Sunday.

The games were the first AHL outings of the season for Pither, who scored 22 points (9g, 13a) in 24 games for the ECHL's Wheeling Nailers prior to the trade. In 109 career AHL games with Adirondack and Charlotte, Pither now has 35 points (14g, 21a).

Another Big Win

The Checkers' 6-1 win over Norfolk on Sunday marked the sixth time they have won by four or more goals this season, which ties them with Toronto for the most four-plus goal victories in the AHL. Two of those have come in the Checkers' last five games, including a 7-0 victory at Oklahoma City on Jan. 12 that tied a team record for largest margin of victory.

The win over Norfolk was the Checkers' biggest at home since they won by six in an 8-2 win on March 27, 2011, also against Norfolk. The team has won by five or more goals on home ice a total of four times, with three coming during the team's inaugural season in 2010-11.

Wallace Goes Wild

Dating back to Jan. 4, Checkers forward Tim Wallace has nine points (3g, 6a) during an active-four game point streak that took place on either side of a recall to Carolina Hurricanes training camp. During that time, he has exactly doubled his output from his first 34 games of the season.

Wallace's streak marks the most productive four-game stretch of any Charlotte skater this season, narrowly edging out an eight-points-in-four-games performance by Zac Dalpe earlier in the month (Jan. 4-12). It includes a four-point performance at Oklahoma City on Jan. 11 that marked a personal career high and tied a team record set on eight previous occasions.

All-Star Performances

Since their selections to the 2013 All-Star Classic less than two hours before Thursday's game, defenseman Michal Jordan and goalie Justin Peters have enjoyed two standout games.

Jordan, an All-Star for the first time in his three professional seasons, has three goals in his last two games, including his first career multi-goal game against Grand Rapids on Wednesday. Jordan, who had nine goals in his previous 182 AHL games, now has four points (3g, 1a) during an active three-game point streak while improving his plus/minus rating to plus-14, which is tied for first on the team and tied for fifth among AHL defensemen.

Peters, set to make his second All-Star appearance and first as a Checker, has stopped 67 of 71 shots, including a 36-save performance that tied his season high on Thursday, since the selection. Dating back to Dec. 11, he is 9-3-1 with a 1.53 goals-against average, .944 save percentage and four shutouts. For the season, he ranks ninth in the AHL with a 2.27 goals-against average, tied for 10th with a .920 save percentage and second with five shutouts.

Nash Approaching Career Highs

Checkers center Riley Nash has 10 points (4g, 6a) in his last eight games, marking his most productive eight-game stretch in three professional seasons. That run started with a three-point performance at Lake Erie on Jan. 4 that tied his career high.

With 25 points on the season (8g, 17a), Nash has already surpassed his total from last season (20) despite playing 17 fewer games. He would need just seven points in the season's final 34 games to match his career high of 32 points set during his rookie season in 2010-11. He only needs one assist to match his career high in that category, also set during his first pro campaign. Three of those helpers have come while shorthanded, tying him for first in the league.

Nash currently ranks fourth on the team and second among active players in scoring. His plus-9 rating is third-highest among all Checkers skaters.

Streaks End

The Checkers' six-game win streak from Jan. 4-16, which ended with a 5-3 loss to Grand Rapids on Thursday, set a new franchise record, topping the old mark of five set from Nov. 20-30, 2011. It was tied for the third-longest streak posted in the AHL this season.

Having been preceded by an overtime loss, the win streak gave the team points in seven consecutive games, tying a franchise record set on two previous occasions, including once this season from Dec. 11-21. It marked the third point streak of six or more games the Checkers had set in 40 games this season.

The Checkers, who also set a team record with five consecutive losses this season, had previously not lost in regulation since Dec. 30. They are now 7-1-1 in 2013.

Well Rounded

The Checkers currently rank in the AHL's top 10 in goals scored per game (3.14 - 8th), goals allowed per game (2.48 - 5th), power-play percentage (20.6% - 7th) and penalty-killing percentage (86.7% - 4th). Only two other AHL teams, Springfield and Toronto, rank in the top 10 in all four categories. All three clubs currently lead their respective divisions.

Welcome to the Club

Due to a combination of injuries and recalls to NHL training camp in Carolina, a total of eight players - Forwards Matt Beca, Andreas Nodl, Matthew Pistilli, Luke Pither, David Rutherford and Leigh Salters, defenseman Beau Schmitz and goaltender John Muse - have made their season debuts with Charlotte in the last 11 days. Two of those players, Rutherford and Schmitz, played their first-ever AHL games and earned their first professional points with assists on Jan. 12. Nodl, Pither and Salters played their first-ever games as Checkers during that time.

In the Driver's Seat

The Checkers have began each day holding at least a share of the top spot in the South Division since winning at Rockford on Oct. 20, a span of 91 days. They currently enjoy a two-point lead over second-place Texas, which has played one fewer game. Charlotte is 9-4-3 in divisional play this season, having played the fewest inter-divisional games of any South team to this point.

Player Streaks

• Justin Shugg has points in each of his last five games (Jan. 12-20; 1g, 4a)
• Tim Wallace has points in each of his last four games (Jan. 4-20; 3g, 6a), assists in each of his last three (Jan. 6-20; 2g, 6a) and goals in each of his last two (Jan. 11-20; 2g, 4a)
• Marc-Andre Gragnani has points in each of his last four games (Dec. 14-Jan. 20; 1g, 3a)
• Michal Jordan has points in each of his last three games (Jan. 16-20; 3g, 1a) and goals in each of his last two (Jan. 17-20; 3g, 0a)
• Luke Pither has points in each of his last three games (Jan. 16-20; 3g, 2a)
• Riley Nash has assists and points in each of his last two games (Jan. 17-20; 1g, 3a)
• Chris Terry has assists and points in each of his last two games (Jan. 17-20; 1g, 2a)
• Jerome Samson has points in each of his last two games (Jan. 4-6; 1g, 1a)

Injuries

• A.J. Jenks (upper body, Jan. 17) - missed one game
• Jerome Samson (upper body, Jan. 6) - missed six games
• Nicolas Blanchard (upper body, Jan. 3) - missed eight games

Transactions

Incoming

• Jan. 18 - (RW) Tim Wallace reassigned to Charlotte from Carolina (NHL)
• Jan. 17 - (RW) Andreas Nodl assigned to Charlotte from Carolina (NHL)
• Jan. 17 - (F) Brett Sutter reassigned to Charlotte from Carolina (NHL)
• Jan. 16 - (RW) Matt Beca recalled to Charlotte from South Carolina (ECHL)
• Jan. 15 - (C) Riley Nash reassigned to Charlotte from Carolina (NHL)

Outgoing

• Jan. 18 - (D) Tommi Kivisto reassigned to Florida (ECHL) from Charlotte
• Jan. 18 - (RW) Matthew Pistilli released from professional tryout contract
• Jan. 18 - (C) Jeremy Welsh recalled to Carolina (NHL) from Charlotte
• Jan. 16 - (LW) Leigh Salters released from professional tryout contract

Coming Up

By the Numbers

Team Statistics
CATEGORY	RECORD	AHL RANK	LAST WEEK
Power play	20.6%	7th	20.0% (6th)
Penalty kill	86.7%	4th	85.7% (t-4th)
Goals per game	3.14	8th	3.13 (9th)
Shots per game	32.1	5th	32.9 (5th)
Goals allowed per game	2.48	5th	2.51 (6th)
Shots allowed per game	29.9	13th	29.6 (10th)
Penalty minutes per game	13.4	6th	13.6 (5th)

Team Leaders
CATEGORY	LEADER(S)
Points	Zach Boychuk (32), Zac Dalpe (28), Chris Terry (27)
Goals	Zach Boychuk (16), Drayson Bowman (14), Zac Dalpe, Chris Terry (13)
Assists	Justin Faulk (19), Riley Nash (17), Zach Boychuk (16)
Power play goals	Zach Boychuk (7), Drayson Bowman (6), Zac Dalpe (4)
Shorthanded goals	Nicolas Blanchard, Drayson Bowman, Zac Dalpe, Michal Jordan, Chris Terry, Tim Wallace (1)
Game-winning goals	Zach Boychuk, Chris Terry (5), Drayson Bowman (3)
Shots on goal	Zac Dalpe (124), Drayson Bowman (117), Jerome Samson (109)
Penalty minutes	Nicolas Blanchard (75), Brett Bellemore (65), Brett Sutter, Tim Wallace (42)
Plus/minus	Zac Dalpe, Michal Jordan (+14), Riley Nash (+9)
Wins	Justin Peters (16), Dan Ellis (8), John Muse (1)
Goals-against average	Justin Peters (2.27), Dan Ellis (2.46)
Save percentage	Dan Ellis (.922), Justin Peters (.920)

Checkers in the ECHL

Florida Everblades
Player	POS	GP	G	A	PTS	PIM	+/-	NOTES
A.J. Jenks	LW	14	1	2	3	9	+2	Recalled to Charlotte 1/10
Tommi Kivisto	D	33	3	10	13	29	-4
David Rutherford	C	31	14	18	32	42	+2	Recalled to Charlotte 1/11
Beau Schmitz	D	31	0	2	2	25	-15	Recalled to Charlotte 1/12
Justin Shugg	F	19	11	11	22	20	-2	Recalled to Charlotte 12/10
Brody Sutter	F	24	3	5	8	9	-4

Goaltender	GP	RECORD	GAA	SV%	SO	NOTES
John Muse	21	9-8-4	3.61	.886	0	Recalled to Charlotte 1/12
Rob Madore	17	6-8-2	3.19	.903	1	34-save shutout on 1/19

South Carolina Stingrays
Player	POS	GP	G	A	PTS	PIM	+/-	NOTES
Matt Beca	F	36	9	18	27	18	-7	Recalled to Charlotte 1/16

San Francisco Bulls
Player	POS	GP	G	A	PTS	PIM	+/-	NOTES
Joe Sova	D	25	0	2	2	22	-14