The Checkers are back on home ice and kicking off a busy week with a pair of divisional battles against the Thunderbirds.
THE MATCHUP
- Record/Standings
- CLT - 29-15-3-3 (4th Atlantic)
- SPR - 27-19-2-4 (6th Atlantic)
- Power Play / Penalty Kill
- CLT - 21.4% (4th) / 86.7% (1st)
- SPR - 20.7% (7th) / 77.5% (28th)
- Offense / Defense
- CLT - 3.22 GF/Game (13th) / 2.62 GA/Game (t-3rd)
- SPR - 3.33 GF/Game (7th) / 3.17 GA/Game (21st)
- Head-To-Head
- 2-1-1-0
THE STORYLINES
COMING IN HOT
Both squads enter this series on a roll - with Springfield logging 14 points over its last 10 games and Charlotte collecting 13 points over that same stretch. The Thunderbirds are riding a five-game point streak - the hottest active run in the division - while the Checkers have points in two straight and are 4-1-0-1 over the last six contests.LOCKDOWN
Charlotte has excelled at keeping opponents in check as of late - in fact, the team has gone four straight games without allowing more than two goals and has given up a total of nine goals over the last six games.With Chris Driedger currently in the NHL with Florida, the tandem of Ken Appleby and Cooper Black is in charge in Charlotte. The veteran Appleby has allowed six total goals over his last four games (though he was saddled with the loss in three of those) and leads the AHL in goals-against average, while Black is undefeated in his last six starts while surrendering eight total goals over that stretch.
LEONARD LIGHTS THE LAMP
With a tally in each of the contests in Cleveland, John Leonard enters this series with goals in each of his last two games and in four of his last five. The AHL All Star now has 23 on the season, a mark that ties him for sixth in the AHL.Across franchise history 11 skaters have recorded 25 goals and only five have hit the 30-goal mark, while the high mark remains Zach Boychuk’s 36 from the 2013-14 campaign.
POWERING UP
Justin Sourdif’s clutch game winner in Cleveland came on a 5-on-3 advantage for Charlotte and was the lone breakthrough on six opportunities that night for the visitors - snapping a three-game drought on the power play for the team. The Checkers now have two power-play goals over the last 11 contests - a stretch that includes 38 man advantages.THE MILESTONES
- Wilmer Skoog is one shy of 100 AHL games
THE PLAYERS TO WATCH
- Charlotte
- Trevor Carrick - Six points (1g, 5a) in four games against SPR this season
- John Leonard - Goals in four of last five games
- Rasmus Asplund - 11 points (4g, 7a) in last 12 games
- Springfield
- Matt Luff - Four points (2g, 2a) in four games against CLT this season
- Nikita Alexandrov - 19 points (9g, 10a) in last 13 games
- Matthew Peca - 18 points (10g, 8a) in last 15 games
THE INFO
Wednesday is Winning Wednesday, featuring $1 draught beer and the chance to get a free ticket to the next Winning Wednessday if the Checkers win.If you can't make it to the Coliseum this week, both games - along with every game this season - are available via the new AHLTV on FloHockey! Click here to get a subscription.
You can also listen live on the Charlotte Checkers App for iOS and Android!
For the full list of broadcast options, click here!
