The Checkers are back on home ice for the final two times this regular season, welcoming the Utica Comets to town for the first time and looking to continue ascending the Atlantic Division standings.
THE MATCHUP
- Record/Standings
- CLT - 40-21-3-3 (2nd Atlantic)
- UTC - 29-22-4-3 (7th North)
- Power Play / Penalty Kill
- CLT - 21.7% / 86.3% (1st)
- UTC - 17.3% / 78.4%
- Offense / Defense
- CLT - 3.21 GF/Game / 2.61 GA/Game
- UTC - 2.73 GF/Game / 3.06 GA/Game
- Head-To-Head
- 1-1-0-0
THE STORYLINES
TIGHT RACE
With five games left on their regular-season schedule, the Checkers are right in the thick of what has been a narrow race at the top of the Atlantic Division. They currently hold the number-two spot with 86 points through 67 games - leading the Bruins (84 points in 69 games) and the Penguins (82 points in 67 games) and sitting seven points back of the division-leading Bears with a game in hand.Should the Checkers finish in the top two in the Atlantic, they would earn a coveted bye past the opening round of the Calder Cup playoffs.
LEONARD CHASES HISTORY
With five goals in his last six games, John Leonard has rocketed into a tie for second in the AHL with 34 goals on the season. That total leaves the forward three away from breaking Zach Boychuk’s single-season franchise record of 36 with five games left on the slate.Leonard has already put his name in the franchise record books this season, setting new high marks in shorthanded goals (5) and points (7).
KAAPO IN THE CREASE
Since coming over in a trade at the deadline, Kaapo Kahkonen has handled the bulk of the workload in Charlotte - starting eight of the last 13 games and appearing in one other. The veteran netminder has earned the win in six of those starts - equaling his 22-game total while backstopping the last-pace Moose to start the year - and has boasted a 2.39 goals-against average and a .906 save percentage in a Charlotte sweater. Kahkonen also became the first Charlotte goalie to start on consecutive nights since February of last season and the first to win starts on consecutive nights since 2023.AGAINST THE COMETS
Utica dwells in the cellar of the North Division, but it has been a pesky opponent for Charlotte this season. The two sides didn’t meet for the first time this season until late March in Utica - the first matchup saw the Checkers fall into a 3-1 hole before the midway point of the first and never escape, ultimately falling 4-3. In the rematch three days later, the Checkers again found themselves trailing, this time 2-0 halfway through regulation, but the visitors were able to mount a comeback and eventually prevail in overtime 3-2.Heading into this weekend the Comets hold the second-best streak in the Eastern Conference with a 5-0-1-0 run.
THE QUOTES
Forward Kyle Criscuolo on this weekend's seriesWe’ve known where we are in the standings and every game has been super important the last couple of weeks. We’re going into it with the same mentality we’ve had the last couple of weeks. It doesn’t matter who we have in the lineup, we’re going to play the same way. We’re worried about the first one first, then we’ll go from there.
Criscuolo on young skaters joining the lineup and contributing
I think it starts at the top from the beginning of the year. It’s been a next-man-up mentality and I think that the guys they bring in here are a certain type of person that we all mesh really well. We’re here to win. It doesn’t matter who you are or how short of a stint you’ve had - if you’re going to play the right way and be a team-first guy, you’re going to be right in the mix with us no matter what.
Criscuolo on the team's mindset heading into this final stretch of the regular season
I think it’s the confidence that we have in each other - the “never quit” attitude. There’s a lot of grit in that locker room. It’s not always been the easiest road or the easiest path, but we’ve played a lot of tight games and we’re comfortable in those games. That’s the important thing right now, we know it’s not going to be easy - no matter who you’re playing or what the situation is, we’re going to keep coming until the very end.
Criscuolo on the Comets
I think it’s just having a good start. They’ve been playing really, really well. Probably one of the hottest teams in the league to be honest. They’re scoring a lot of goals so I think we just need to stifle them early and keep coming for three periods. We went there and they played us really tough and kind of dominated for portions of it, so we have a little bit of a revenge weekend for us. We’re going to have to come out strong because they’re going to put up a really good fight. They’re feeling good about themselves.
THE MILESTONES
- John Leonard is three away from breaking the franchise single-season goals record (Zach Boychuk's 36 in 2013-14)
- Trevor Carrick is two away from becoming the third defenseman in franchise history with 50 points in a season
- John Leonard is two shy of 100 pro assists
- Ken Appleby is one sht of 300 pro games
THE PLAYERS TO WATCH
- Charlotte
- Mike Benning - 3 points (2g, 1a) in two games this season against Utica
- Ben Steeves - Three points (1g, 2a) in last two games
- C.J. Smith - 13 points (5g, 8a) in last 14 games
- Utica
- Austin Strand - Three points (1g, 2a) in two games this season against the Checkers
- Max Willman - 10 points (4g, 6a) in last five games
- Ryan Schmelzer - Eight points (5g, 3a) in last six games
THE INFO
Saturday is 811 Night presented by Piedmont Natural Gas - featuring $11 tickets available here..Sunday is Fan Appreciation Day presented by Novant Health - featuring a Trevor Carrick bobblehead giveaway for the first 1,000 fans (doors will open at 11:30, get here early if you want one!).
Sunday is also Chubby's Birthday and a Family Day presented by Fairfield Inn and Suites - featuring $10 off per ticket when purchasing at least four.
If you can't make it to the Coliseum, this weekend's games - along with every game this season - are available via the new AHLTV on FloHockey! Click here to get a subscription.
For the full list of broadcast options, click here!
