One of the biggest issues that has hindered the Checkers thus far in this young season is the inability to put points on the board. The team finds themselves ranked last in the AHL in goals per game, and the eight goals scored so far is the lowest number through the first five games that the franchise has ever seen.
Head coach Jeff Daniels is still confident in his squad’s abilities, noting that the fix is simply taking advantage of the opportunities they get.
The offense that the team has generated has been powered by some unexpected names. Jared Staal has seen an offensive surge, leading the team in goals scored with two, which is his total from a season ago and halfway to his AHL career-high. In fact, Jared has more goals this season than all of his brothers (Eric, Jordan and Marc) combined. Then there is Brendan Woods, who leads the team in scoring with three points (0g, 3a), putting him nearly halfway to his previous season total of eight. While some of the Checkers’ more potent goal scorers are still trying to find their touch, Daniels sees it as a plus to have some secondary scorers going early, and points to it as indicative of how this group will have to put points on the board.
“It’s huge,” said Daniels. “As I’ve said right from day one, it’s going to be done by committee and Staal and Woods are a part of that committee. It’s good for them to chip in and feel good about their game, and when the other guys get going they’ll chip in also.”
Other news and notes from opening weekend:
KEEPING IT CLOSE
“Our guys are battling right until the end of the game,” said Daniels. “I think every game so far has been either tied or down one goal going into the third period.”
As Daniels noted, in the five games the team has played this season, the Checkers have entered the final frame tied three times. In the other two games, they were down by a single goal. The Checkers have been in a position to win every game this season, it is just a matter of finishing strong in the third period, where the Checkers have yet to score a goal.
“Our goalies are giving us a chance to win, both [MacIntyre] and [Muse],” said Daniels. “Now we’ve got to find a way to get in those third periods and those close games and find that second goal for us and maybe we can play with the lead.”
CHEMISTRY
All AHL teams have to deal with changing rosters throughout the season, with players coming and going. But the Checkers have been hit hard with those moves early in the season, and on a young team, it can throw a wrench into building lines and chemistry among linemates. For Saturday’s game against Grand Rapids, Daniels switched the line combinations completely, and while he mentions he did see some promising combos, he is still trying to find a lineup that works best.“Yeah I saw some guys together, but I’m still trying to piece together some units,” said Daniels. “We’re five games in and we’ve got to get some consistency in our lines so maybe they can gel a little bit. We’ll try to lock in some stuff for this weekend.”
Daniels uses similar terms when discussing how to fix the teams’ struggling power play, which is currently ranked 23rd in the league. The team spent time at this morning’s practice working on that power play, with Daniels trying to hammer out a group he trusts to produce.
“We just need some power play units, to be consistent in that way, and then it’s just the execution,” said Daniels. “You look at our chances for, throughout the game, we are getting some chances on the power play. It’s the same as five on five, we’ve got to be hungry to score goals. It’s no different from any other year, if we’ve got the shot, take it, and make sure there are bodies in front.”
The Checkers will get a chance to jumpstart that power play this weekend, as they face an Iowa team that is ranked in the bottom five of the league in penalty killing.
BETWEEN THE PIPES
“We’re very confident in both goalies, we just felt that Mac had a bit of a roll going there and was playing real well,” said Daniels.
That’s not to say John Muse, the other half of the Checkers’ tandem, hasn’t impressed Daniels.
“John Muse played great in his game too,” said Daniels. “John Muse gave us a great chance to win at Chicago.”
Daniels has stressed in the past that he will play the goalie situation as things go, game by game. Speaking to him this morning, that hasn’t seemed to change.
“I’m sure at some point they’re both get in again,” said Daniels.
ROSTER MOVES
The Checkers brought on rookie Mike Aviani on a PTO last week as an extra body heading into the weekend, as at that point they were still without both Brody Sutter and Patrick Brown. The two players returned on Friday for the game, however, and Aviani was not used. Now, as they head into a weekend road trip, Daniels will take a look at the roster situation, but points to the Hurricanes as the catalyst for anymore moves.“We’re going day to day right now,” said Daniels. “A lot will depend what happens up top. They bring a player up, we might need two players, they send us a player, we just don’t know.”
With the barrage of injuries the Hurricanes have faced, it has left the Checkers with some empty spots as well, but Daniels will wait to see how things end up shaking out for the NHL squad before he can see what exactly he will have heading into Iowa.
“We’re obviously looking to fill some holes, but at the same time we’re just going to wait and see what happens up top.”
