The Carolina Hurricanes rewarded Checkers captain Derek Ryan for his recent hot streak by handing him his second recall of the season on Monday.
Ryan, who scored in his NHL debut with Carolina on March 1, leads the Checkers with 21 goals and 46 points. He is responsible for four of the team’s last five goals, including all three that it scored over its last two games.
Ryan, who played two games with Carolina in his last NHL stint, will join the Hurricanes as they prepare to face the Buffalo Sabres at home on Tuesday. Should he remain with the Checkers’ parent club after that, Charlotte may need to summon its own reinforcements for its next game in Chicago on Wednesday unless someone from an ever-growing group of injured forwards that currently features Anthony Camara, Dane Fox, Brock McGinn, Justin Shugg and Valentin Zykov is able to return by then.
In Ryan’s absence, recent acquisition Andrew Miller, who has three points in eight games as a Checker, takes over as the team’s highest active scorer with 42 points, with defenseman Trevor Carrick, who has also missed recent games while in Carolina, checks in at third with 37.
Charlotte enters the last three games of its road trip sitting just outside of playoff position. Teams to watch over the least 11 games of the season include San Jose and Bakersfield, who are the Checkers’ chief competition in qualifying for a spot in the Pacific Division bracket on the AHL’s crossover rule.
