January 21, 2012 9:14 AM
The Checkers return to the site of their most lopsided victory of the season as they take on the Abbotsford Heat for the second time in as many nights.
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GAME INFORMATION |
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WATCH: www.AHLLive.com |
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LISTEN: WBCN 1660 AM | www.AHLLIVE.com |
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TWITTER: @CheckersInGame | @PaulBranecky |
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SEASON SERIES |
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Friday, Jan. 20: Checkers 5, Abbotsford 0
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Saturday, Jan. 21 at 10 p.m. (Abbotsford) |
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Friday, April 6 at 7 p.m. (Charlotte) |
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Sunday, April 8 at 3 p.m. (Charlotte) |
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CHECKERS STATS |
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RECORD
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24-14-4 |
2nd Western Conference
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GOALS / GAME
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2.88 |
16th AHL |
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GOALS ALLOWED / GAME
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2.62
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7th AHL |
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POWER PLAY |
20.6%
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t-5th AHL |
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PENALTY KILL
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83.3% |
t-10th AHL |
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PIM / GAME
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14.3 |
6th AHL |
In the first-ever meeting between the two clubs on Friday, Charlotte (24-14-4) took away a 5-0 victory to extend their winning streak to three games. Rookie John Muse, in just the second AHL start of the season and third of his career, made 26 saves to record the team’s first shutout of the campaign, while Chris Terry tied a team record with 4 assists.
Following tonight’s match-up against Abbotsford (24-14-3), the Checkers head back east to visit the Norfolk Admirals on Tuesday.
CHARLOTTE
Friday’s game was the first contest decided by five or more goals for the Checkers this season, as they entered the game with more one-goal decisions (23) than all but two other AHL teams. Even when they score plenty of goals, as they did in their previous 6-5 win against Grand Rapids, wins as convincing as Friday’s had been rare.
“We struggle to get those backbreaking goals,” coach Jeff Daniels said last week. “Instead of scoring another one to put it away, we sometimes let the other team back into it. On the positive side, you’re going to have to win those games at the end of the season and in the playoffs.”
Against Abbotsford, the Checkers got that killer goal via defenseman Justin Krueger, who scored his first of the season to make it 3-0 with just 58 seconds left in the second period. Riley Nash, Nicolas Blanchard, Bobby Sanguinetti and Drayson Bowman also scored for the Checkers, who have 15 goals in their last three games. In less than a week, they’ve gone from the league’s No. 21 offense (2.72 goals per game) to No. 16 (2.88).
Krueger was the last Checkers regular to record his first goal of the season, with Matt Beca (six games played), Ryan Donald and A.J. Jenks (one game played) the only players on the roster still looking to find the back of the net for the first time this season. Sanguinetti and Bowman, who became the fifth Checkers player to hit the 10-goal mark on Friday, each have two-game goal streaks for Charlotte.
Though Muse improved his AHL season totals to 3-0-0 with a 0.37 goals-against average and .989 save percentage on Friday, regular starter Mike Murphy is likely to return to the net tonight. If new trade acquisition Joe Sova doesn’t make the long trip from Albany to Abbotsford in time for the game, the Checkers only potential lineup change would be Jared Staal returning after being a healthy scratch on Friday.
ABBOTSFORD
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ABBOTSFORD STATS |
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RECORD
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24-14-3 |
5th Western Conference
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GOALS / GAME
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2.49 |
t-26th AHL |
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GOALS ALLOWED / GAME
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2.39
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2nd AHL |
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POWER PLAY |
18.6%
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12th AHL |
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PENALTY KILL
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86.7% |
2nd AHL |
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PIM / GAME
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16.5 |
16th AHL
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Though Friday’s game marked the first five-goal decision for the Checkers this season, win or lose, it was the fifth such contest for Abbotsford, who fell to 1-4-0 in those situations. The contest against the Checkers was their third 5-0 defeat of the season.
The Checkers were one of the first teams to get to goalie Danny Taylor ever since he joined the Heat as a free agent in early December, scoring five times on 30 shots. Taylor, who was started 17 consecutive games with regular starter Leland Irving on NHL recall, still owns the league’s third-best save percentage at .928.
The Heat could have some NHL reinforcements for tonight’s rematch, with former Checker Brett Carson set to return to the lineup after being waived and reassigned by the Calgary Flames on Friday. Joining him on the trip west is center Paul Byron, who has 7 points (4g, 3a) in 18 games with Abbotsford this season. He has played the same number of contests with Calgary, scoring 3 points (2g, 1a).
In a rare off night, the Heat’s penalty kill gave up three goals on six chances to Charlotte on Friday, dropping them from No. 1 to No. 2 in the league overnight. They’re still converting at a healthy 86.7 percent rate, with Charlotte tied for 10th in that category at 83.3.
CHECKERS NOTES
 • FINDING MUSE: In 162 minutes of AHL hockey this season, Checkers rookie goaltender John Muse has allowed just one goal, including his first career shutout on Jan. 20. The only player to score on him this season was San Antonio’s Evgenii Dadonov, who recently joined the Checkers via trade, to spoil another Muse shutout bid with 1:03 remaining on Jan. 4. Muse, who started the season with ECHL Florida, is 3-0-0 with a 0.37 goals-against average and .989 save percentage with the Checkers.
• TERRY STREAKS AGAIN: Forward Chris Terry is currently on the most prolific four-game run by a Charlotte skater this season, recording 9 points (4g, 5a). By scoring a goal for the third consecutive game against Grand Rapids on Jan. 17, Terry now has the longest goal, assist (five games) and point (eight games) streaks of any Checkers player during the current campaign.
• BREAKING THE ICE: The Checkers entered the week with just three players – defensemen Rasmus Rissanen, Bobby Sanguinetti and Justin Krueger – still looking for their first goals of the season after spending the entire campaign in the AHL. They would go on to score in consecutive games, beginning with Rissanen on Jan. 15 and continuing with Sanguinetti on Jan. 17 and Krueger on Jan. 20.
• A MAJOR PLUS: Rookie defenseman Justin Krueger posted a combined plus-8 rating over his last five games, putting him in first place on the team with a season total of plus-12. Krueger is one of seven active Checkers players with a positive plus/minus rating, with Drayson Bowman (plus-6) in second place.
STREAKS
• The Checkers have won each of their last three games (Jan. 15-20).
• Bobby Sanguinetti has assists and points in each of his last four games (Jan. 12-20; 2g, 5a).
• Chris Terry has points in each of his last four games (Jan. 12-20; 4g, 5a).
• Nicolas Blanchard has points in each of his last four games (Jan. 12-10; 1g, 3a).
• John Muse has won each of his last three games (Dec. 16-Jan. 20).
• Mike Murphy has won each of his last two games (Jan. 15-17).
• Drayson Bowman has goals and points in each of his last two games (Jan. 17-20; 2g, 2a).
RECENT TRANSACTIONS
Charlotte
• Jan. 20 – (D) Joe Sova acquired from Albany
• Jan. 20 - (C) Cedric McNicoll assigned to Florida (ECHL) from Charlotte
• Jan. 18 – (RW) Evgenii Dadonov acquired from San Antonio
• Jan. 18 – (C) A.J. Jenks acquired from San Antonio
• Jan. 18 – (C) Jon Matsumoto traded to San Antonio
• Jan. 18 – (D) Ryan Donald recalled to Charlotte from Florida (ECHL)
• Jan. 18 – (C) Brett Sutter reassigned to Charlotte from Carolina (NHL)
• Jan. 18 – (C) Zac Dalpe recalled to Carolina (NHL) from Charlotte
• Jan. 15 – (G) John Muse recalled to Charlotte from Florida (ECHL)
Abbotsford
• Jan. 20 – (D) Brett Carson reassigned to Abbotsford from Calgary (NHL)
• Jan. 20 – (C) Paul Byron reassigned to Abbotsford from Calgary (NHL)
• Jan. 20 – (F) Robby Dee signed to professional tryout
• Jan. 14 – (D) Clay Wilson reassigned to Abbotsford from Calgary (NHL) |
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