January 24, 2012 7:42 AM
The Checkers (24-15-4) wrap up a grueling period of travel with the third of a three-game road swing tonight in Norfolk (25-14-3).
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GAME INFORMATION |
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VIDEO: www.AHLLive.com |
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RADIO: WBCN 1660 AM | www.AHLLIVE.com |
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TWITTER: @CheckersInGame | @PaulBranecky |
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SEASON SERIES |
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Friday, Oct. 7: Norfolk 6, Chalotte 5 (OT) |
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Saturday, Oct. 8: Norfolk 4, Charlotte 3
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Sunday, Oct. 23: Charlotte 3, Norfolk 1
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Wednesday, Nov. 23: Charlotte 6, Norfolk 3
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Tuesday, Jan. 24 at 7:15 p.m. (Norfolk) |
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Sunday, Feb. 12 at 6 p.m. (Charlotte) |
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Friday, March 16 at 7 p.m. (Charlotte) |
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Sunday, March 18 at 3 p.m. (Charlotte) |
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CHECKERS STATS |
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RECORD
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24-15-4 |
2nd Western Conference
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GOALS / GAME
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2.86 |
16th AHL |
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GOALS ALLOWED / GAME
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2.67
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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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83.6% |
7th AHL |
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PIM / GAME
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14.2 |
5th AHL |
Tonight’s game is the fifth in the eight-game season series between the former division rivals, with the Checkers holding a 2-1-1 record that includes regulation victories in each of the last two meetings. That gives them a one-point lead over the Admirals (2-2-0) for the GEICO Challenge Cup, which will be awarded to the team that finishes the season with the most head-to-head points.
Following the game, which is the final match in a trip that also took the Checkers across the continent to Abbotsford over the weekend, the team will return home for a two-game set against Rockford that will conclude the pre-All-Star-break portion of the schedule.
CHARLOTTE
The Checkers will continue to try to work new faces into the lineup following a pair of trades made by the Carolina Hurricanes last week, with defenseman Joe Sova set for his debut. Sova, a 23-year-old who arrives from the Albany River Rats as part of New Jersey’s acquisition of Alexei Ponikarovsky from Carolina, has played 14 AHL games this season, recording 4 points (2g, 2a) and a minus-1 rating.
Sova gives the Checkers seven defensemen on the roster for tonight’s game, with Ryan Donald coming up from ECHL Florida last week to replace the injured Chris Murray. Other Charlotte skaters on the injured list include fellow blueliner Mathieu Roy as well as forwards Chris Durno and Justin Shugg. Forward Matt Beca was reassigned to Florida on Monday evening.
Though the other new trade additions to the lineup, forwards Evgenii Dadonov and A.J. Jenks, did not record their first points as Checkers during the two-game set in Abbotsford, the team’s established stars did their best to carry the load.
Chris Terry leads the way with 11 points (4g, 7a) in his last five games, including a career-best 4-assist night on Friday that tied team records for most points and most helpers in a single game. Defenseman Bobby Sanguinetti, who was still looking for his first goal of the season at this time last week, now has a goal in three consecutive games as part of his own five-game point streak (3g, 5a). Riley Nash, elevated to the No. 1 center role in Abbotsford with the trade of Jon Matsumoto and the recall of Zac Dalpe, also did well by chipping in three points (1g, 2a) in his last two contests.
The Checkers will also carry hot special teams play into their match-up in Norfolk, having scored 7 power-play goals in their last 20 opportunities (35 percent) while killing all 10 penalties over their last four games. That helped their season power-play percentage jump into a fifth-place tie with none other than Norfolk at 20.6 percent.
Update: The Hurricanes, now on their week-long All-Star break, reassigned Zac Dalpe to the Checkers late Tuesday morning. He will be in the lineup tonight.
NORFOLK
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NORFOLK STATS |
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RECORD
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25-14-3 |
5th Eastern Conference
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GOALS / GAME
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3.60 |
2nd AHL |
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GOALS ALLOWED / GAME
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2.90
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15th 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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80.7% |
22nd AHL |
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PIM / GAME
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21.1 |
29th AHL
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The Admirals enter tonight’s match-up having won four of their last five games, most recently a 5-4 shootout decision in Connecticut on Saturday. Though they rank third in a tough East Division behind Wilkes-Barre/Scranton and Hershey, they are one of just seven AHL teams with better records than the Midwest-Division-leading Checkers. Abbotsford, whom the Checkers earned a road split with over the weekend, is another.
Led by three of the AHL’s top 16 scorers in Cory Conacher, Trevor Smith and Mark Barberio, the Admirals boast the league’s second-best offense at 3.6 goals per game. The fewest amount of shots they’ve taken against the Checkers this season was 37 in the last meeting, a 6-3 Checkers win in Norfolk on Nov. 23. In the first three meetings, they fired 44, 44 and 45 shots, respectively, which represent the three highest single-game totals that Charlotte has allowed all season.
Conacher, the league’s top rookie with 46 points (24g, 22a), holds the No. 5 spot in league scoring. Smith is not far behind at No. 7 with 44, though he is currently on NHL assignment with the Tampa Bay Lightning. Barberio, the AHL’s highest-scoring defenseman with 37 points (5g, 32a) ranks tied for 14th overall. All three, who have more points than any Checker (Barberio has a one-point lead over Terry), are headed to the AHL All-Star Classic.
A fourth Checkers nemesis from earlier in the season, rookie Carter Ashton, has slowed considerably from his blazing start that burned Charlotte in October. After posting 11 goals in his first 12 games, he has just 5 in his last 30.
Goaltending has been an issue in Norfolk’s last two games, with both Jaroslav Janus and Dustin Tokarski pulled from their last start. Tokarski, who has started five of the team’s last six games and ranks second in the AHL in wins (17), allowed three goals on three shots Saturday.
Update: Tampa Bay has recalled Norfolk captain Mike Angelidis, a former Carolina prospect, and defenseman Evan Oberg.
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 against him this season was new teammate Evgenii Dadonov, who spoiled Muse’s shutout bid with 1:03 remaining on Jan. 4 as a member of the San Antonio Rampage. 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.
• 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. Sanguinetti went on to score goals in his next two contests, tying Chris Terry’s season-long streak set just last week. The goals by Rissanen and Krueger were the first of their professional careers.
• THIRD PERIODS: The Checkers have five regulation losses when leading after two periods, more than any other AHL team. Each of their last two regulation losses, against Hershey on Jan. 12 and at Abbotsford on Jan. 21, came with the team holding a 2-1 lead at the second intermission. The third period is the only period in which the Checkers have a negative goal differential (-11).
• CLOSE CALLS: The Checkers have played 23 one-goal games this season, tied for third most in the league. They have earned 32 out of a possible 46 points on those contests (.696), tying them for the fourth-best record of any AHL team in one-goal games.
STREAKS
• Zac Dalpe has points in each of his last six games (Jan. 7-17; 5g, 3a).
• Bobby Sanguinetti has points in each of his last five games (Jan. 12-21; 3g, 5a) and goals in his last three (Jan. 17-21, 3g).
• Chris Terry has points in each of his last five games (Jan. 12-21; 4g, 7a).
• John Muse has won each of his last three games (Dec. 16-Jan. 20).
• Riley Nash has points in each of his last two games (Jan. 20-21; 1g, 2a).
• Zach Boychuk has assists and points in each of his last two games (Jan. 20-21; 2a).
RECENT TRANSACTIONS
• Jan. 23 – (RW) Matt Beca reassigned to Florida (ECHL) from 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 |
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