The Checkers are back in the friendly confines of Bojangles Coliseum for the first time in 2026 and ready to host the division-leading Penguins for a pair of weekend tilts.
THE MATCHUP
- Record/Standings
- CLT - 18-11-2-0 (4th Atlantic)
- WBS - 22-9-1-2 (1st Atlantic)
- Power Play / Penalty Kill
- CLT - 16.3% / 85.7%
- WBS - 13.4% / 83.5%
- Offense / Defense
- CLT - 2.97 GF/Game / 2.77 GA/Game
- WBS - 3.21 GF/Game / 2.56 GA/Game
- Head-To-Head
- 3-1-1-0
THE STORYLINES
THE BIG THREE
The trio of Nolan Foote, Brian Pinho and newcomer Nate Smith has been lights out for the Checkers as of late. After going scoreless in his first two games with his new team, Smith has recorded at least one point in each of his last five contests, Foote is riding a six-game point streak of his own and Pinho has five points in his last four games. Overall, at least two members of Charlotte’s top line have factored into each of the four goals the team has scored over the last two games.HEAVYWEIGHT BOUT
The Penguins enter the weekend tied for first place in the Eastern Conference and tied for the second-highest point total in the AHL. But despite their early-season success, they have had some battles with the Checkers thus far. The two sides have already met five times coming into this series, and Charlotte has earned at least a point in four of them (3-1-1-0). The Checkers have had success lately at breaking through one of the Penguins’ biggest strengths. Wilkes-Barre/Scranton boasts a top-five defense, but the Checkers have hung six goals on them in two of the last three meetings.CONSISTENCY IN THE COLISEUM
The Checkers are back at Bojangles Coliseum after kicking off the new year on the road. They’ll be looking to gain some momentum on home ice over the upcoming six-game stand, as they closed out 2025 with some up-and-down showings in the Queen City. Since winning three straight at home in November, the Checkers have gone 3-4-0-0 at home and have not logged consecutive victories.THE PLAYERS TO WATCH
- Charlotte
- Nate Smith - 8 points in last 5 games
- Brian Pinho - 5 points in last 4 games
- Nolan Foote - 10 points in last 9 games
- Wilkes-Barre/Scranton
- Joona Koppanen - 7 points in last 7 games
- Owen Pickering - 4 points in last 6 games
- Ville Koivunen - 9 points in last 4 games
THE INFO
Friday is NASCAR Night! The Checkers will host a pregame autograph session in the East Charlotte Room featuring Joey Logano, John Hunter Nemechek, Daniel Suarez, Landen Lewis, Ty Dillon and Ross Chastain. The autograph session will run from 5:45 - 6:30 and doors to the Connector will open at 5:30 for the autograph session.Saturday is Fox Night At The Rink! Enjoy a night of fun and preview three new shows premeiring in January!
Saturday is also a Family Game, in which fans can save $10 per ticket when purchasing four or more through this link.
If you can't make it to the Coliseum, both games are available to stream via AHLTV on FloHockey! Click here to watch.
Fans can also listen to the radio broadcast on the Checkers App or online.
