April 09, 2012 7:34 AM
Overall record: 35-28-9 (Home: 18-16-4 | Road: 17-12-5)
Last week’s record: 0-4-0 | Last 10 games: 3-6-1
Standings: 4th Midwest Division | 11th Western Conference
Though their final home stand of the season didn’t go anywhere near as well as they had hoped, the Checkers still have four road games left as they try to rejoin the playoff race.
 Despite losing four games in a row, two to Milwaukee and two to Abbotsford that culminated in an 8-2 loss on Sunday, the Checkers still control their own destiny due to games in hand. Should they win each game of their longest road trip of the season, they will make the playoffs regardless of what other teams accomplish down the stretch. However, should they drop just one point, they’ll need some assistance from around the league.
The trip starts with Tuesday’s game against Rockford (12th Western Conference) and continues with a three-in-three set that begins Friday in Peoria (7th) and continues with another game in Rockford before the regular-season finale in Milwaukee (5th) on Sunday.
 Milwaukee 4, Checkers 0 - Recap
Milwaukee’s Jeremy Smith made 31 saves in a 4-0 win at Time Warner Cable Arena on Tuesday, becoming the sixth goalie to shut out the Checkers this season. The loss ended the Checkers’ two-game winning streak and also their four-game winning streak in the season series with Milwaukee. Mike Murphy made 34 saves in the losing effort.
Milwaukee 4, Checkers 2 - Recap
Zach Boychuk and Drayson Bowman scored for the Checkers but it wasn’t enough to secure the victory in a 4-2 loss to Milwaukee on Thursday. For the second straight game, Milwaukee, which got 33 saves from backup goalie Atte Engren, broke the game open with a three-goal second period, setting up a lead the Checkers could not overcome. Justin Peters made 19 saves for the Checkers, who fell to 4-3-0 in their season series with Milwaukee.
Abbotsford 2, Checkers 1 - Recap
Despite taking a 1-0 first period lead on defenseman Mathieu Roy’s power-play goal, the Checkers allowed a goal to Krys Kolanos in each subsequent period of an eventual 2-1 loss to Abbotsford at Time Warner Cable Arena on Saturday. The loss, which came in Abbotsford’s first-ever visit to Charlotte, was the Checkers’ third in a row at home, tying a team record set in March. Justin Peters made 38 saves for Charlotte, his most since the first game of the season in Norfolk on Oct. 7.
Abbotsford 8, Checkers 2 - Recap
The Checkers capped off an 0-4 home stand with the most lopsided loss in team history on Sunday, as the Abbotsford Heat scored five second-period goals in an 8-2 rout in Charlotte. The loss set a new team record for longest home losing streak (four games) and tied the longest overall losing streak in the team’s two seasons of existence (also four games). Riley Nash and Brett Sutter scored for the Checkers, who got 19 saves from starter Mike Murphy and 13 from Justin Peters.
 Forest gets his wheels
Wheels for Forest a success as Checkers present new van to local teen.
Black jerseys up for auction now
Jerseys worn by Checkers players this season up for bid on eBay
Bowman returns with confidence
Forward ready to resume scoring role with Checkers after successful NHL stint
Sutter set for Checkers' debut
Injuried give rookie center his first taste of professional hockey
Sanguinetti named Checkers' Man of the Year
Defenseman awarded for his outstanding contributions to the Charlotte community during the 2011-12 season.
 TROUBLE AT HOME: By losing each game of last week’s four-game home stand by a combined score of 18-5, the Checkers set a new team record for the longest home losing streak in their two-year history. Prior to losing seven of their last eight games at Time Warner Cable Arena, 17-9-4 at home this season.
ONE TO FORGET: The Checkers’ 8-2 loss to Abbotsford on Sunday marked the most lopsided defeat in the team’s two-year history, as they had never before lost by more than five goals. They had previously lost by five goals twice, with both instances coming earlier this season (7-2 to Norfolk on March 16; 5-0 to Norfolk on March 18). The eight goals against were also the most the team has allowed in its history, topping three previous instances of seven goals against.
SLUGGISH SECONDS: Of the 18 goals the Checkers allowed in their last four games, 12 of those came in the second period. Prior to being out-scored by a combined total of 12-2 in the second periods of those games, the second period was statistically the Checkers’ best of the season with a goal differential of plus-15. Heading into the new week, the first period now sports the highest differential at plus-10, while the third period checks in at minus-21.
BOWMAN’S BACK: Now in his third professional season, forward Drayson Bowman has posted the highest scoring pace of his career at both the NHL and AHL levels. In just 38 games with the Checkers this season, Bowman, who has two points (1g, 1a) in three games since returning from the Carolina Hurricanes last week, has exceeded his total from 51 games last season. In his last 10 games with Charlotte, Bowman has 10 points (4g, 6a).
THE MAGIC NUMBER: The Checkers are 29-4-2 when scoring three or more goals this season. All four of those regulation losses were the result of games in which the team scored exactly three goals, making them 18-0-1 when scoring four or more. When the Checkers score two or fewer goals, as they have done in each game of an active four-game losing streak, they are 6-24-7.
STREAKS
• (D) Mathieu Roy has points in each of his last two games (April 7-8; 1g, 1a)
INJURIES
• (C) Sean Dolan – missed two games; last played April 5 vs. Milwaukee
• (LW) A.J. Jenks – missed four games, last played March 31 at Peoria
• (RW) Nicolas Blanchard – missed seven games, last played March 24 at Hershey
• (LW) Justin Soryal – missed 12 games, last played March 11 vs. Chicago (out for season)
| CATEGORY |
RECORD |
AHL RANK |
LAST WEEK |
| Power play: |
19.8% |
4 |
4 |
| Penalty kill: |
85.4% |
t-6 |
2 |
| Goals per game: |
2.71 |
19 |
t-16 |
| Shots per game: |
32.2 |
6 |
5 |
| Goals allowed per game: |
2.83 |
14 |
t-9 |
| Shots allowed per game: |
30.6 |
16 |
15 |
| Penalty minutes per game: |
14.1 |
8 |
7 |
| CATEGORY |
LEADER(S) |
| Points: |
Chris Terry (57), Bobby Sanguinetti (43), Zach Boychuk (41) |
| Goals: |
Zach Boychuk (20), Jerome Samson (19), Zac Dalpe (18) |
| Assists: |
Chris Terry (42), Bobby Sanguinetti (34), Zach Boychuk (21) |
| Power play goals: |
Jerome Samson (8), Zach Boychuk, Bobby Sanguinetti (7) |
| Shorthanded goals: |
Zac Dalpe (2) |
| Game-winning goals: |
Five tied at (3) |
| Shots on goal: |
Jerome Samson (210), Chris Terry (190), Zac Dalpe (174) |
| Penalty minutes: |
Justin Soryal (164), Nicolas Blanchard (101), Chris Terry (63) |
| Plus/minus: |
Justin Krueger (+14), Justin Shugg (+3), Drayson Bowman (+1) |
| Wins: |
Mike Murphy (18), John Muse (10), Justin Peters (7) |
| Goals-against average: |
John Muse (1.81), Mike Murphy (2.74), Justin Peters (2.87) |
| Save percentage: |
John Muse (.941), Mike Murphy (.908), Justin Peters (.904) |
• April 6 – (D) Ryan Donald reassigned to Florida (ECHL) from Charlotte
• April 4 – (LW) Drayson Bowman reassigned to Charlotte from Carolina (NHL)
• Tuesday, April 10 at Rockford (8 p.m.)
• Friday, April 13 at Peoria (8 p.m.)
• Saturday, April 14 at Rockford (8 p.m.)
• Sunday, April 15 at Milwaukee (4 p.m.)
Start your week off with a cup of Magnolia Coffee, the official coffee of the Checkers. For more information, visit their website, call Magnolia Coffee at 704-654-5393 or email jay@magnoliacoffeeco.com. |
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