The Checkers are hitting the road for a two-game visit to Cleveland this weekend that kick starts a whirlwind stretch of the schedule.
THE MATCHUP
- Record/Standings
- CLT - 28-15-3-2 (4th Atlantic)
- CLE - 26-15-5-5 (4th North)
- Power Play / Penalty Kill
- CLT - 22.7% (t-2nd) / 86.5% (1st)
- CLE - 17.7% (20th) / 83.4% (10th)
- Offense / Defense
- CLT - 3.25 GF/Game (t-9th) / 2.67 GA/Game (5th)
- CLE - 2.96 GF/Game (21st) / 3.08 GA/Game (16th)
- Head-To-Head
- 1-1-0-0
THE STORYLINES
HEATING UP
The Checkers roll into this weekend with some momentum on their side, holding a 7-3-0-0 record over their last 10 games - the third-best mark in the Atlantic Division. Their most recent outing didn’t go their way - a 2-0 loss to Hershey - but the Checkers have made a habit of quickly righting the ship as of late, with their most recent consecutive regulation losses coming on Jan. 11 and 14.They’ll face a Cleveland team that similarly sits in fourth place in their respective division but has hit a bit of a rough patch, going 4-4-4-2 over the last 14 games.
LOCKING IT UP
The defensive side of Charlotte’s game has been thriving as of late. The Checkers - who rank fifth in the AHL in goals allowed per game - have surrendered six total goals over the last four games, going 3-1-0-0 over that stretch.One pillar of that defensive surge has been the team’s continued shot suppression. The Checkers are surrendering the fewest shots per game in the AHL by nearly three whole shots and are 25-12-2-2 when outshooting their opponents - compared to 3-3-1-0 when the totals are flipped.
BETWEEN THE PIPES
Another piece of Charlotte’s defensive prowess has been the play between the pipes from the three-man goaltending unit.Cooper Black has won each of his last five starts - including two shutouts - and has given up a total of seven goals over that stretch, Chris Driedger stopped 17 of 18 on Saturday to earn his second win in his last three starts and Ken Appleby currently leads the AHL with a 2.00 goals-against average.
The Checkers will face a test in Cleveland, as the Monsters’ attack is led by the formidable trio of Trey Fix-Wolansky, Rocco Grimaldi and Luca Del Bel Belluz.
THE MILESTONES
- Jesse Puljujarvi is one shy of 600 pro games
- Rasmus Asplund is one shy of 100 AHL assists
- Riley Bezeau is one shy of 100 AHL games
- C.J. Smith is one shy of 100 pro goals
THE PLAYERS TO WATCH
- Charlotte
- Kyle Criscuolo - Four points (0g, 4a) in two games against CLE this season
- Mike Benning - Four points (3g, 1a) in last four games
- Justin Sourdif - 10 points (6g, 4a) in last 11 games
- Cleveland
- Owen Sillinger - Three points (1g, 2a) in two games against CLT this season
- Trey Fix-Wolansky - Three points (2g, 1a) in last three games
- Rocco Grimaldi - Seven points (1g, 6a) in last six games
THE INFO
Both games in Cleveland - 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!
