Bojangles Game Preview: March 28 vs Wilkes-Barre/Scranton

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Written by Nicholas Niedzielski
Before the Checkers take the ice this season, we’re breaking down everything fans need to know with the Bojangles Game Preview!
Charlotte’s massively important home stand rolls on as they host the team currently tied with them in the standings for a pair of contests over the weekend.

THE MATCHUP

    Record/Standings
  • CLT - 37-19-3-3 (2nd Atlantic)
  • WBS - 36-18-7-1 (3rd Atlantic)
    Power Play / Penalty Kill
  • CLT - 22.6% / 87.0%
  • WBS - 22.7% / 83.6%
    Offense / Defense
  • CLT - 3.21 GF/Game / 2.58 GA/Game
  • WBS - 3.52 GF/Game / 2.95 GA/Game
    Head-To-Head
  • 4-2-0-0

THE STORYLINES

THE BATTLE FOR THE ATLANTIC

The Checkers made a splash this week by sweeping a two-game set against the Bruins. Those four points have catapulted Charlotte into a deadlock with the Penguins - with the Checkers holding second place to the Pens’ third by virtue of the regulation-wins tiebreaker. Those two squads - who both officially clinched playoff spots this week - now face off for a pair of tilts that could provide some separation in the standings.
Claiming one of the top two seeds in the division comes with a huge benefit - a bye past the opening round of the playoffs. Charlotte and Wilkes-Barre/Scranton both trail the first-place Bears by five points, with each team having 10 games left on the schedule.

LEONARD LIGHTS THE LAMP

John Leonard found the back of the net once again in Wednesday’s win, becoming the sixth player in franchise history to hit the 30-goal mark in a season. Charlotte’s leading scorer has 11 goals in his last 17 contests and has leaned into the playmaking side of his game as of late as well, with four helpers in his last three games.

OFFENSIVE EXPLOSION

After pushing through some ups and downs, Charlotte’s offense has come to life over the most recent stretch of schedule. In fact, the Checkers have scored at least four goals eight times over the last 18 contests - an uptick from a total of five through the 19 games immediately preceding that run. That includes a pair of outbursts against Providence this week in which the Checkers hung six and five goals on the Bruins in the two games, respectively.

THE MILESTONES

  • John Leonard and Rasmus Asplund are both one shy of setting single-season franchise records for shorthanded goals and shorthanded points
  • Trevor Carrick is 3 shy of becoming the third defenseman in franchise history to record 50 points in a season
  • Trevor Carrick is 2 shy of 100 AHL goals

THE PLAYERS TO WATCH

    Charlotte
  • Rasmus Asplund - 7 points (2g, 5a) in six games this season against Wilkes-Barre/Scranton
  • John Leonard - 13 points (7g, 6a) in last 11 games
  • Justin Sourdif - 10 points (3g, 7a) in last 8 games
    Wilkes-Barre/Scranton
  • Boris Katchouk - Five points (4g, 1a) in last six games against the Checkers this season
  • Valtteri Puustinen - 13 points (7g, 6a) in last 13 games
  • Sam Poulin - Eight points (2g, 6a) in last five games

THE INFO

Saturday's game is our annual Pooch Party presented by Nutrisource, in which fans can bring their dogs to the game.

Sunday's game is Margaritaville Day presented by World Travel Mates, which includes special packages that include a ticket and a special edition straw hat. World Travel Mates will also be handing out color-changing cups to the first 1,000 fans.

If you can't make it to the Coliseum this weekend, the 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!