April 13, 2012 6:16 AM
The Checkers enter a weekend of must-win games with tonight’s contest in Peoria.
With just three games to go, Charlotte (36-28-9) currently sits in 11th place in the Western Conference, though they are just one point behind a group of five teams tied with 82 points that occupy spots six through 12. One of those teams is Peoria (39-31-4), which should be all the information necessary to underscore the importance of tonight’s match-up.
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GAME INFORMATION |
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WATCH: www.AHLLive.com |
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LISTEN: WBCN 1660AM | www.AHLLive.com |
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TWITTER: @CheckersInGame | @PaulBranecky |
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SEASON SERIES |
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Saturday, Oct. 15: Checkers 4, Peoria 3 (SO) |
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Sunday, Oct. 16: Checkers 3, Peoria 1
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Saturday, Feb. 11: Peoria 5, Checkers 2
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Monday, Feb. 17: Checkers 4, Peoria 2 |
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Tuesday, March 20: Peoria 5, Checkers 2
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Wednesday, March 21: Checkers 6, Peoria 2
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Saturday, March 31: Checkers 4, Peoria 1
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Friday, April 13 at 8 p.m. (Peoria) |
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CHECKERS STATS |
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RECORD
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36-28-9 |
11th Western Conference
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GOALS / GAME
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2.71 |
19th AHL |
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GOALS ALLOWED / GAME
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2.79
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t-13th AHL |
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POWER PLAY |
19.6%
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5th AHL |
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PENALTY KILL
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84.7% |
t-4th AHL |
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PIM / GAME
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14.1 |
7th AHL |
The game is the first of a three-in-three set for Charlotte, which heads to Rockford on Saturday before concluding the regular season in Milwaukee on Sunday. The Checkers lead the season series against the Rivermen with a record of 5-2-0, including a 4-1 win in their last trip to Peoria on March 31.
CHARLOTTE
Due to a damaging four-game losing streak during last week’s home stand, anything less than three wins in the Checkers’ last three games would mean that they would require help to make the postseason. Having broken that streak with a 3-0 shutout win over Rockford on Tuesday, the Checkers will hope to bring a renewed sense of confidence to Peoria.
“We knew we had to get four wins to get to the playoffs, and getting that first one under our belt was a good start,” said coach Jeff Daniels.
Bucking a trend that saw each of the Checkers’ two goalies receive two starts in a row, Justin Peters got the nod on Tuesday and turned in a 22-save performance for his seventh career shutout and first at the AHL level this season. Though both he and Mike Murphy will likely feature during the three-in-three set, Peters could very well get another start tonight after a three-day break.
Update: Peters will start
Even if the goalie situation remains the same, there will definitely be one change on defense. Twenty-year-old Brian Dumoulin, who recently signed with the NHL’s Carolina Hurricanes, is expected to make his professional debut for Charlotte. Dumoulin, a second-round draft pick in 2009, captured his second NCAA championship in his three-year career with Boston College just last weekend.
“He’s accustomed to playing in high-level and intense games, and he’s handled it well,” said Ron Francis, an NHL Hall of Fame player and the Hurricanes’ current director of hockey operations. “The bigger the game, he tends to play his best hockey, so I think he’ll be able to contribute with Charlotte.”
Dumoulin, who checks in at 6-foot-4 and 210 pounds, finished his college career with 83 points (11g, 72a) and a plus-90 rating in 123 career games.
Update: Dumoulin will be a healthy scratch
At forward, Nicolas Blanchard could play for the first time since suffering an upper-body injury in Hershey on March 24. Two other injured players, Sean Dolan and A.J. Jenks, did not travel with the team.
PEORIA
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RIVERMEN STATS |
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RECORD
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39-31-4 |
8th Western Conference
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GOALS / GAME
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2.89 |
11th AHL |
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GOALS ALLOWED / GAME
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2.66
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t-6th AHL |
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POWER PLAY |
19.1%
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t-8th AHL |
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PENALTY KILL
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84.7% |
t-4th AHL |
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PIM / GAME
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14.5 |
11th AHL
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The Rivermen have been off for a few days longer than Charlotte, having not played since their three-game winning streak was snapped against Houston on Saturday. Prior to that run, they were winless in five games – a streak that started and ended with losses to the Checkers on March 21 and 31.
After a week of drama concerning the availability of their top two goalies, it appears the Rivermen could be back at full strength in time for the game. Jake Allen, who has appeared in 18 of the team’s last 19 games, is back after practicing with the NHL’s St. Louis Blues prior to their first playoff game on Thursday. Additionally, backup Alex Stalock practiced for the first time on Wednesday after breaking his finger on April 5.
Until those two developments, the Rivermen were left with rookie Jordan Binnington, who the team signed to an amateur tryout contract on April 6. Binnington, who could still back up tonight depending on the health of Stalock, has yet to make his professional debut.
NHL veteran Jonathan Cheechoo has been the team’s best scorer of late, posting five goals in his last seven games. However, his formidable top line with Adam Cracknell and former Hurricane Patrick O’Sullivan slumped during the 4-2 loss to Houston, with each player posting a minus-3 rating and no points.
Cracknell, the Rivermen captain, received game misconduct penalties and subsequent ejections in each of the last two meetings in Charlotte – the first for an elbow to the head of Dolan that resulted in a two-game suspension, and the second for a check to the head of Jenks that resulted in the player’s ongoing injury.
CHECKERS NOTES
 THREE IN THREES: Starting tonight, the Checkers will play three games in three nights for the eighth time this season. It will also mark the fifth time they’ve played all three games on the road. During the current campaign, Charlotte is 10-10-1 in games that are a part of a three-in-three set, including a 3-4-0 record in Game One, a 5-1-1 record in Game Two and a 2-5-0 record in Game Three. Their-best ever finish in a three-in-three set is 2-0-1 – a mark set twice last season.
COMFORTS OF THE ROAD: After a six-game road winless streak that marked their longest of the season, the Checkers have won each of their last three games away from Charlotte, improving their season mark to 18-12-5. A win tonight would tie their longest road winning streak of the season. Conversely, the Checkers concluded the home portion of the regular season with four straight losses.
SHUTTING THE DOOR: Justin Peters’ 22-save effort on Tuesday marked his first shutout as a Checker but second of the season, as he earned his first at the NHL level with Carolina on Feb. 20. Prior to Tuesday, Peters had not earned a shutout at the AHL level since March 22, 2009. The Checkers now have four shutouts this season, with John Muse earning two and Mike Murphy one.
ROY GETS OFFENSIVE: Defenseman Mathieu Roy leads the Checkers with an active three-game point streak dating back to the team’s 2-1 loss to Abbotsford on April 7. Despite scoring just six goals this season, he is responsible for two of the Checkers’ last six tallies during that span. Roy’s six goals tie his AHL career high set with Hamilton during the 2006-07 season.
THE MAGIC NUMBER: The Checkers are 30-4-2 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, they are 6-24-7.
STREAKS
• (D) Mathieu Roy has points in each of his last three games (April 7-10; 2g, 1a)
• (D) Bobby Sanguinetti has assists and points in each of his last two games (April 8-10; 2a)
• (RW) Evgenii Dadonov has assists and points in each of his last two games (April 8-10; 2a)
INJURIES
• (C) Sean Dolan – missed three games; last played April 5 vs. Milwaukee
• (LW) A.J. Jenks – missed five games, last played March 31 at Peoria
• (RW) Nicolas Blanchard – missed eight games, last played March 24 at Hershey
• (LW) Justin Soryal – missed 13 games, last played March 11 vs. Chicago (out for season)
TRANSACTIONS
Charlotte
• April 12 – (D) Joe Sova reassigned to Florida (ECHL) from Charlotte
• April 11 – (D) Brian Dumoulin signed to amateur tryout contract
• April 6 – (D) Ryan Donald reassigned to Florida (ECHL) from Charlotte
Peoria
• April 12 – (G) Jake Allen reassigned to Peoria from St. Louis (NHL)
• April 6 – (G) Jordan Binnington signed to amateur tryout contract |
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