January 07, 2012 8:28 AM
The Checkers are back on the road for two games this weekend, the first of which comes against their strongest competition in the Midwest Division.
| |
 |
| |
|
| |
GAME INFORMATION |
| |
WATCH: www.AHLLive.com |
| |
RADIO: www.AHLLIVE.com |
| |
TWITTER: @CheckersInGame | @PaulBranecky |
| |
|
| |
SEASON SERIES |
| |
Friday, Nov. 4: Milwaukee 3, Checkers 1 |
| |
Saturday, Nov. 26: Checkers 3, Milwaukee 2 |
| |
Sunday, Nov. 27: Checkers 5, Milwaukee 1 |
| |
Saturday, Jan. 7 at 8 p.m. (Milwaukee) |
| |
Friday, Feb. 10 at 8 p.m. (Milwaukee) |
| |
Tuesday, April 3 at 7 p.m. (Charlotte) |
| |
Thursday, April 5 at 7 p.m. (Charlotte) |
| |
Sunday, April 15 at 4 p.m. (Milwaukee) |
| |
|
| |
CHECKERS STATS |
| |
RECORD
|
20-12-3 |
2nd Western Conference
|
| |
GOALS / GAME
|
2.71 |
22nd AHL |
| |
GOALS ALLOWED / GAME
|
2.51
|
3rd AHL |
| |
POWER PLAY |
19.6%
|
11th AHL |
| |
PENALTY KILL
|
84.3% |
6th AHL |
| |
PIM / GAME
|
14.4 |
6th AHL |
Charlotte (20-12-3) is in Milwaukee to take on an Admirals team (20-10-1) that trails them by just two points in the standings with four games in hand. The teams have been neck and neck for the divisional lead all season, with the Admirals surging ahead during the Checkers’ league-long holiday break only to see Charlotte reclaim the lead by winning three of four games since Christmas Day.
Tonight’s meeting between the two clubs will be the first since Nov. 27, which ended a two-game sweep of the Admirals in Charlotte. The Checkers lost their only game in Milwaukee this season.
Today will mark the second time this season that the Checkers and Hurricanes have faced off against the same organization, with Carolina visiting Milwaukee's parent club in Nashville tonight.
CHARLOTTE
At a time when their forward ranks were as thin as they had been all season due to injuries and NHL recalls, Drayson Bowman’s return from the Carolina Hurricanes couldn’t have come at a better time.
Despite missing the Checkers’ last nine games, Bowman, whose last AHL contest came on Dec. 9, still ranks tied for third on the team with 8 goals and fifth in scoring with 14 points in 23 games. He’ll immediately factor back into a main offensive role on a Charlotte team that will still be missing Brett Sutter due to recall and could be without all three of Chris Durno, Riley Nash and Justin Shugg due to injury.
Of the three injured Checkers, Riley Nash likely has the best chance to play, having returned to play the second and third periods of Wednesday’s 2-1 win over San Antonio and score the game-winning goal after getting banged up late in the first. However, Nash did not take part in the team’s final pre-departure skate on Thursday.
Should they be required, ECHL reinforcements are available in the form of Matt Beca, who has played one game and sat out another since joining the team from the Florida Everblades last week, and Sean Dolan, a rookie from the University of Wisconsin who signed a professional tryout agreement with the Checkers on Friday.
Dolan, who was teammates with Hurricanes defenseman Jamie McBain, not to mention current NHL players Craig Smith, Derek Stepan, Jake Gardiner, Ryan McDonagh and Kyle Turris during his four years at Wisconsin, would be making his AHL debut if in the lineup tonight. In 32 games with the ECHL’s South Carolina Stingrays this season, Dolan is tied for first in team scoring with 20 points (7g, 13a).
MILWAUKEE
| |
 |
| |
|
| |
ADMIRALS STATS |
| |
RECORD
|
16-15-2 |
6th Western Conference
|
| |
GOALS / GAME
|
3.19 |
5th AHL |
| |
GOALS ALLOWED / GAME
|
2.55
|
5th AHL |
| |
POWER PLAY |
20.2%
|
8th AHL |
| |
PENALTY KILL
|
77.1% |
27th AHL |
| |
PIM / GAME
|
13.2 |
2nd AHL
|
Though they lost their coach following two consecutive defeats to Charlotte in late November that ended their AHL record road point streak at 23 games, the Admirals have done more than keep the pace in the Midwest. Since Kirk Muller departed for the head coaching job in Carolina, the Admirals have gone 10-4-0 under Ian Herbes, which is actually a slight improvement than the 10-6-1 mark they posted during Muller’s tenure.
The Admirals will be at a slight disadvantage to Charlotte, having beaten Lake Erie 6-3 on Friday night to end a two-game losing streak that matched their longest of the season while the Checkers remained idle and waiting in Milwaukee. The Admirals’ win was their first since Peoria ended their run of nine consecutive home victories last Sunday. They have the most dramatic home/road power-play split of any AHL team, ranking second in the league at home (24.3 percent) and 26th on the road (14.0 percent)
Countering Bowman’s return to the AHL, Milwaukee will have goalie Anders Lindback and defenseman Jonathon Blum at its disposal following reassignments from NHL Nashville on Friday. Lindback, on a conditioning stint of sorts as he has played just eight games with the Predators this season behind reigning Vezina Trophy finalist Pekka Rinne, made 30 saves against Lake Erie on Friday. Blum, a 2007 first-round pick of the Predators in 2007, chipped in two assists.
Lindback takes over for Jeremy Smith, who ranks tied for sixth in the AHL with a 2.30 goals-against average and leads the league with 16 victories. Now in the NHL, he joins Admirals defenseman Ryan Ellis, who was named to the AHL All-Star Classic earlier this week along with teammate and team scoring leader Chris Mueller.
The Admirals, who have played a league-low 31 games this season, are in the midst of a three-in-three set that will take them to Peoria following tonight’s game.
CHECKERS NOTES
 • DIVISIONAL DOMINANCE: The Checkers have taken 19 out of a possible 24 points (9-2-1) against fellow Midwest Division teams this season, good for the highest percentage (.792) of any AHL team against its own division. Meanwhile, seven of Milwaukee’s 10 losses have come against the Midwest.
• SAMSON SHOOTS, SCORES: Charlotte forward Jerome Samson, the AHL’s shots on goal leader once again with 151 in 35 games, has scored five goals in his last seven contests to reclaim the team lead in that category (15). Eight of Samson’s goals this season have come on the power play, tying him for third in the AHL. Samson, who was selected to the AHL All-Star Classic earlier this week along with teammate Jon Matsumoto, is on pace for 17 power-play goals, which would easily top his career high of 12 set during his rookie season with Albany in 2007-08.
• CHECKERS FIND MUSE: Rookie goalie John Muse stopped 42 shots in his first AHL start of the season, helping his team to a 2-1 win over San Antonio on Wednesday. In his three AHL appearances, which also include one relief appearance for the Checkers this season and a tryout start for Portland following the conclusion of his collegiate career last season, Muse now has a 1.07 goals-against average and .971 save percentage.
• HOME AND AWAY: The Checkers 26 points earned at home this season are tied with Milwaukee for most in the league. With a record of 12-5-2 this season, the AHL Checkers have improved to 34-18-6 all-time at Time Warner Cable Arena. The Checkers recently broke the .500 mark on the road for the first time since Dec. 9 and now have a season record of 8-7-1.
STREAKS
• None
RECENT TRANSACTIONS
Charlotte
• Jan. 7 – (LW) Drayson Bowman reassigned to Charlotte from Carolina (NHL)
• Jan. 6 – (F) Sean Dolan signed professional tryout agreement with Charlotte
• Jan. 5 – (D) Chris Murray reassigned to Florida (ECHL) from Charlotte
• Jan. 5 – (C) Brett Sutter recalled to Carolina (NHL) from Charlotte
• Jan. 4 - (C) Zac Dalpe reassigned to Charlotte from Carolina (NHL)
• Jan. 4 - (D) Derek Joslin assigned to Charlotte from Carolina (NHL)
• Jan. 3 – (RW) Matt Beca recalled to Charlotte from Florida (ECHL)
Milwaukee
• Jan. 6 – (G) Anders Lindback assigned to Milwaukee from Nashville (NHL)
• Jan. 6 – (D) Dave Leaderer reassigned to Cincinnati (ECHL) from Milwaukee
• Jan. 6 – (G) Jeremy Smith recalled to Nashville (NHL) from Milwaukee
• Jan. 6 – (D) Jonathon Blum reassigned to Milwaukee from Nashville (NHL)
• Jan. 5 – (LW) Joel Champagne recalled to Milwaukee from Cincinnati (ECHL) |
|
|
|
