April 14, 2012 7:09 AM
Now halfway through a week of games crucial to their playoff chances, the Checkers only hope their finish is as good as their start.
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GAME INFORMATION |
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WATCH: www.AHLLive.com |
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LISTEN: WFNZ 610AM | www.AHLLIVE.com |
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TWITTER: @CheckersInGame | @PaulBranecky |
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SEASON SERIES |
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Sunday, Nov. 6: Charlotte 4, Rockford 2 |
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Friday, Nov. 18: Rockford 3, Charlotte 2 (SO) |
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Sunday, Nov. 20: Charlotte 4, Rockford 3 |
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Friday, Dec. 30: Charlotte 4, Rockford 3 (SO) |
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Thursday, Jan. 26: Charlotte 4, Rockford 3 (SO) |
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Friday, Jan. 27: Rockford 3, Charlotte 2
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Tuesday, April 10: Charlotte 3, Rockford 0
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Saturday, April 14 at 8 p.m. (Rockford) |
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CHECKERS STATS |
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RECORD
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37-28-9 |
9th Western Conference
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GOALS / GAME
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2.76 |
17th AHL |
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GOALS ALLOWED / GAME
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2.77
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t-11th AHL |
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POWER PLAY |
19.6%
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4th AHL |
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PENALTY KILL
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84.5% |
4th AHL |
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PIM / GAME
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14.0 |
6th AHL |
Friday’s 6-1 win over Peoria that tied season highs for most goals scored and largest winning margin gave Charlotte (37-28-9) a perfect 2-0-0 start to a season-long, four-game road trip that concludes the regular season. More importantly, it allowed them to jump from 11th to ninth place in the Western Conference, as they are now tied on points with eighth-place Milwaukee and trail fifth-place San Antonio by just two points.
Tonight’s game against the IceHogs (35-32-8 and eliminated from playoff contention), will mark their second trip to Rockford in five days, with Justin Peters making 22 saves in a 3-0 shutout on Tuesday. On Sunday, the Checkers visit Milwaukee to conclude the three-in-three set.
CHARLOTTE
As bleak as things seemed after last week’s four-game losing streak at home, the Checkers could potentially seal their spot in the postseason tonight should one of the following scenarios occur:
• a regulation/OT win at Rockford
AND a Houston loss (reg/OT/SO) vs. San Antonio
• a shootout win at Rockford
AND a Houston loss (reg/OT/SO) vs. San Antonio
AND a Lake Erie win or regulation loss vs. Rochester
Should the Checkers win and not get the required amount of help, a single point earned in Sunday’s finale with Milwaukee would be enough to get them in. They got to this point by way of a convincing win against Peoria, another playoff hopeful who they out-scored 16-4 in three straight head-to-head victories dating back to March 21.
“I don’t know what it is with this matchup,” defenseman Bobby Sanguinetti, who tied his career high with four points (1g, 3a) and posted a plus-5 rating on Friday, told the Peoria Journal-Star. “We came in here that one night and got pushed around and pounded by those guys (a 5-2 Rivermen win on Feb. 11), and it maybe caused some bad blood. We just never forgot it.
“We wanted to get that first goal tonight. And that second goal, it was like a huge weight coming off our shoulders.”
Though Justin Peters appears to have taken a foothold on the Checkers goalie situation by starting four of the team’s last five games and stopping 53 of 54 shots in two straight wins, Mike Murphy could get the start tonight as the team plays the middle game of a three-games-in-three nights set.
Defenseman Brian Dumoulin could potentially make his professional debut on defense after sitting out Friday’s game as a healthy scratch, while forwards Sean Dolan and A.J. Jenks will remain out of the lineup due to injury.
ROCKFORD
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ROCKFORD STATS |
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RECORD
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35-32-8 |
12th Western Conference
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GOALS / GAME
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2.72 |
19th AHL |
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GOALS ALLOWED / GAME
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2.99
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22nd AHL |
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POWER PLAY |
15.0%
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t-25th AHL |
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PENALTY KILL
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80.6% |
t-24th AHL |
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PIM / GAME
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18.4 |
27th AHL
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While the Checkers aren’t expecting any favors from Rockford in their season finale tonight, the IceHogs did help them out on Friday by holding Milwaukee to a single point in a 2-1 shootout victory.
Two players who did not play against the Checkers on Tuesday factored in on the team’s lone goal, with Rob Flick (suspension) and leading scorer Brandon Pirri (personal) teaming up on Flick’s seventh of the season to tie the game with 4:30 remaining. NHL veteran Rostislav Olesz (41 points in 50 games) remained out due to injury.
With established starting goalie Carter Hutton reportedly sitting out the last few games of the season to give others a chance, the IceHogs could hand Kent Simpson his professional debut tonight. The 2010 second-round draft choice of the parent Chicago Blackhawks recently joined Rockford following the conclusion of his junior career with Everett of the Western Hockey League, where he was teammates with Charlotte defenseman Rasmus Rissanen.
Simpson was the backup on Friday, as Alexander Salak stopped 15 of 16 shots and four of five in the shootout for the victory – Rockford’s first in four games.
Forward Peter LeBlanc, who signed his first NHL contract with the Blackhawks earlier in the day, scored the shootout winner against Milwaukee. LeBlanc had four goals in two games against Charlotte on Jan. 26 and 27.
CHECKERS NOTES
 SANGUINETTI STARS: Defenseman Bobby Sanguinetti recorded four points (1g, 3a) on Wednesday, tying his career high set with Hartford on Oct. 31, 2009 (2g, 2a). Though he has missed 16 games this season, Sanguinetti ranks tied for second on the Checkers in scoring with 48 points (10g, 38a) in 58 games while setting new career highs in goals, assists and points. Among AHL defensemen, he ranks third in points and tied for second in power-play points (21).
OFFENSIVE OUTBURST: Charlotte’s six goals against Peoria on Friday tied four previous occurrences for the most they’ve scored in a single game this season and tied the team’s 5-0 win in Abbotsford on Jan. 20 for the team’s largest winning margin. The Checkers record for most goals scored in a single game is 10, set in a 10-3 win over Syracuse on Dec. 6, 2010.
THREE IN THREES: The Checkers are in the midst of playing three games in three nights for the eighth time this season and the fifth time of playing all three games on the road. During the current campaign, Charlotte is 11-10-1 in games that are a part of a three-in-three set, including a 4-4-0 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 four games away from Charlotte, tying their longest streak of the season and improving their road record to 19-12-5. 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. Together with a 31-save performance on Friday, Peters has stopped 53 of the last 54 shots against.
THE MAGIC NUMBER: The Checkers are 31-4-2 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 19-0-1 when scoring four or more. When the Checkers score two or fewer goals, they are 6-24-7.
STREAKS
• (D) Bobby Sanguinetti has assists and points in each of his last three games (April 8-14; 1g, 5a)
• (RW) Evgenii Dadonov has assists and points in each of his last three games (April 8-14; 3a)
• (D) Justin Krueger has points in each of his last two games (April 10-13; 1g, 1a)
• (RW) Matthew Pistilli has points in each of his last two games (April 10-13; 1g, 1a)
• (G) Justin Peters has won each his last two starts (April 10-13)
INJURIES
• (C) Sean Dolan – missed four games; last played April 5 vs. Milwaukee
• (LW) A.J. Jenks – missed six games, last played March 31 at Peoria
• (LW) Justin Soryal – missed 14 games, last played March 11 vs. Chicago (out for season)
RECENT TRANSACTIONS
Charlotte
• April 12 – (D) Joe Sova reassigned to Florida (ECHL) from Charlotte
• April 11 – (D) Brian Dumoulin signed to amateur tryout contract
Rockford
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