February 04, 2012 7:50 AM
The Checkers look to build on one of their most impressive wins of the season when they conclude a two-game road trip against Texas tonight.
Charlotte (27-16-4) emerged victorious in a Friday night match-up against Oklahoma City, ending the Barons’ league-best, seven-game win streak in the process. They’ll go from facing the Western Conference’s No. 1 team to its No. 15 seed tonight as they take on the Stars (20-21-3).
Though the Checkers improved to 4-1-1 against Oklahoma City, making them virtually the only AHL team to have any kind of sustained success against the Barons, they’ve had a difficult time with Texas. The Stars have taken two of the three meetings this season, including each of the last two. Tonight concludes the four-game season series.
CHARLOTTE
In a game that ended a few streaks for both teams on Friday, the Checkers were able to keep a few impressive runs going.
Defenseman Bobby Sanguinetti continued his blistering scoring pace, setting a new team record by earning a point for the ninth consecutive game when he put the Checkers up 3-1 on a power play early in the third period. Sanguinetti has 13 points (5g, 8a) during that run, which ties him for the longest active streak in the AHL.
Only 13 players in the league have posted a streak of that length this season, with Hershey’s Keith Aucoin scoring in a league-best 16 consecutive games last month. Just one defenseman, St. John’s Paul Postma, has had a longer streak than Sanguinetti this season (10 games in December). The Checkers’ fourth-year blueliner now ranks tied for 10th in AHL scoring by defensemen (25 points in 36 games) and tied for second in power-play points (19).
Sanguinetti’s goal also marked the ninth consecutive game in which the Checkers have scored on the power play, extending a team record. They are 15-for-43 (34.9 percent) and have climbed from 12th to second in the league during that span.
In other streak news, recent trade acquisition A.J. Jenks ended a team-long, 34-game goal drought, while Chris Terry’s eight-game point streak that tied a personal best also came to a halt.
Defenseman Mathieu Roy is expected to make his return to the lineup tonight following a 12-game absence due to a lower-body injury. Rookie John Muse, who is now 6-1-0 with a 1.48 goals-against average and .953 save percentage at the AHL level this season, will make his fifth consecutive start.
TEXAS
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STARS STATS |
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RECORD
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20-21-3 |
15th Western Conference
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GOALS / GAME
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2.93 |
t-12th AHL |
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GOALS ALLOWED / GAME
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3.07
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25th AHL |
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POWER PLAY |
20.8%
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5th AHL |
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PENALTY KILL
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82.7% |
15th AHL |
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PIM / GAME
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13.6 |
4th AHL
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The Stars, off since a 3-1 road loss in Houston on Thursday, have lost three games in a row entering tonight’s contest. However, they have won three straight and seven of their last nine contests on home ice, a streak that started with a 3-0 shutout of the Checkers on Dec. 9.
A win tonight would seal season-series victory over the Checkers, as they can do no worse than tie thanks to taking each of the last two meetings after dropping the initial contest 3-2 in Charlotte on Nov. 30. Of note in the prior meetings, the Checkers have yet to score a power-play goal in 15 chances against the Stars, though Sanguinetti missed them all with a broken foot.
Goalie Tyler Beskorowany has been in net for all three games against Charlotte this season, including the 29-save shutout. However, NHL veteran Andrew Raycroft has started 12 of the team’s last 13 contests since the parent Dallas Stars assigned him to Texas. Raycroft, the NHL’s top rookie in 2004 who lost his backup job to Texas’ Richard Bachman this season, is 6-4-1 with a 2.61 goals-against average and .913 save percentage in those contests.
Leading scorer Travis Morin (38 points in 44 games) ranks fourth in the AHL with 33 assists, while All-Star Matt Fraser is third among rookies with 21 goals.
CHECKERS NOTES
 • RECORD STREAK: Defenseman Bobby Sanguinetti has recorded at least one point in each of his last nine games, setting a new team record. He has 13 points (45, 8a) dating back to the Checkers’ Jan. 12 game against Hershey, which is tied for the longest active streak by any AHL player and is one game shy of tying the longest posted by a defenseman this season. Twelve of those points have come on the power play, as he is now tied for second among all AHL defensemen with 19.
Despite missing 11 games this season, Sanguinetti, in his fourth AHL campaign, is on pace to tie his career highs in assists (36) while setting a new career high in points (45). He ranks fourth on the team and is tied for 10th among league defensemen in points.
• POWER SURGE: The Checkers have scored at least one power-play goal in each of their last nine games, setting a new team record. During that span, which dates back to Jan. 12, they have converted 15 of 43 chances (34.9 percent) to pull into second in the AHL with a season mark of 22 percent. Bobby Sanguinetti (12 power-play points), Chris Terry (9) and Drayson Bowman (7) have been the top individual contributors as the team has scored multiple power-play goals in four of those contests, twice tying a single-game season record with three.
• FINDING MUSE: Prior to suffering a 3-2 loss against Rockford on Friday, John Muse began his AHL career with wins in each of his first six appearances. Starting with his professional debut with Portland at the conclusion of his college career last season and continuing through seven Checkers games this season, Muse is now 7-1-0 with a 1.53 goals-against average and .952 save percentage at the AHL level. Muse, a 23-year-old undrafted free agent signed by the Checkers this offseason, began the season with the ECHL’s Florida Everblades, where he posted a 7-3-2 record, 2.31 goals-against average and .927 save percentage.
• DIVISIONAL RACE: Despite winning six of their last eight games, the Checkers could still potentially be caught by the Chicago Wolves, who trail by four points with two games in hand. The Wolves have won four games in a row to keep applying pressure, while Milwaukee, previously the Checkers’ biggest threat, has dropped to fourth in the Midwest with a record of 2-7-1 in its last 10 contests.
STREAKS
• Bobby Sanguinetti has points in each of his last nine games (Jan. 12-Feb. 3; 5g, 8a).
• John Muse has started four consecutive games (Jan. 24-Feb. 3; 3-1-0).
• Justin Soryal has assists and points in each of his last two games (Jan. 27-Feb. 3; 2a).
RECENT TRANSACTIONS
Charlotte
• Feb. 2 – (G) Scott Darling signed to a professional tryout contract
• Feb. 1 – (LW) Drayson Bowman recalled to Carolina (NHL) from Charlotte
• Jan. 31 – (RW) Jerome Samson reassigned to Charlotte from Carolina (NHL)
• Jan. 30 – (C) Riley Nash recalled to Carolina (NHL) from Charlotte
• Jan. 28 - (G) Pier-Olivier Pelletier released from professional tryout contract
Texas
• Feb. 3 – (RW) Tomas Vincour recalled to Dallas (NHL) from Texas
• Feb. 1 – (D) Jace Coyle recalled to Texas from Idaho (ECHL)
• Jan. 30 – (D) Philip Larsen recalled to Dallas (NHL) from Texas
• Jan. 29 – (RW) Jake Hauswirth reassigned to Rio Grande (CHL) from Texas |
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