The Checkers are in Hartford for a critical two-game set as they look to avenge their last meeting and climb up the Atlantic Division standings.
THE MATCHUP
- Record/Standings
- CLT - 37-21-5-0 (3rd Atlantic)
- HFD - 24-32-4-2 (8th Atlantic)
- Power Play / Penalty Kill
- CLT - 14.1% / 84.5%
- HFD - 14.1% / 81.3%
- Offense / Defense
- CLT - 3.33 GF/Game / 2.75 GA/Game
- HFD - 2.71 GF/Game / 3.45 GA/Game
- Head-To-Head
- 2-4-0-0
THE STORYLINES
JOCKEYING FOR POSITION
their ticket to the Calder Cup Playoffs - becoming the third team in the Atlantic Division to clinch a berth.There remains plenty to play for for Charlotte, though. With a win of any kind on Saturday and a Bridgeport regulation loss to Providence, the Checkers will secure a top four spot in the division standings, meaning they would host the entirety of a best-of-three first-round series as the third or fourth seed. They still have their sights set on catching the Penguins for the second seed as well, which would earn them a bye past the first round. With nine games remaining on each team’s slate, Charlotte trails Wilkes-Barre/Scranton by seven points.
LAST TIME OUT
The Wolf Pack may be dwelling in the cellar of the Atlantic Division, but they have given the Checkers plenty of trouble this season. After alternating victories across the first four tilts, Charlotte found itself on the wrong end of back-to-back 5-2 finals on home ice earlier this month. The Checkers bounced back with a decisive sweep of Lehigh Valley and are 2-1-0-0 since those meetings, while Hartford dropped consecutive 6-3 contests to Toronto and Rochester in the week-and-a-half since.POWER OUTAGE
The Checkers were finally able to snap what had been a 15-game drought without a power-play goal by converting in last Saturday’s win over Lehigh Valley. Even with that tally, though, they are 1-for-45 on the power play since Feb. 16.On the other side of things, the Checkers have successfully killed 13 of their last 14 times shorthanded.
THE PLAYERS TO WATCH
- Charlotte
- Ben Steeves - 4 points in last 4 games
- Brian Pinho - 5 points in last 3 games
- Tobias Bjornfot - 4 points in last 3 games
- Hartford
- Carey Terrance - 4 points in last 4 games
- Bryce McConnell-Barker - 4 points in last 3 games
- Scott Morrow - 4 points in last 2 games
THE INFO
Both of this weekend's 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.
