I don’t know if you’ve noticed, but MAN the Boplex has been rocking these last couple series. From our sellout game on Hockey 101 Night, to 7,000 and 8,000 plus in other games against the Wolf Pack and Penguins, it’s been an incredible environment for the Checkers to make their postseason push. As we’ve officially crested over the halfway mark and have 16 games remaining on the home slate, I wanted to look back at our most-recent four pack of games. Welcome back to In the Trapezoid, let’s dive in!
D Getting It Done
The Checkers have seen an outburst of offensive contributions from their blue-liners as of late and it’s a great development to see. When teams can score from all positions on the ice, it forces their opponents to approach their counter-attack in different ways. It also allows for more creativity in the offensive end and becomes increasingly tiring to defend. Against the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins, the Checkers had four total goals from defensemen - one from Kiersted and Kinnunen, two from Carlsson - and that’s exactly what they need as they make the playoff push.Ludvig Leaves It On The Line
Remember when Johnny Ludvig sacrificed his body and took a shot to the face back in November? It wasn’t a comfortable sight to see as the young defenseman skated off the ice toward the end of the game, but you had to respect his toughness, his loyalty, and his dedication to his team. Ludvig went on to miss 18 games recovering from his injuries, and when he came back right before the Christmas break, any thoughts of Ludvig playing a watered down game out of fear or shyness, was immediately gone. Exhibit A? This past weekend against the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins. Ludvig not only got involved offensively with a two-assist night on Saturday, but he blocked shots, out-raced Penguins to loose pucks, and shut down odd-man rushes to help the Checkers earn three out of a possible four points against their divisional rivals. I love what I’m seeing from Ludvig, he’s blooming into a leader and a go-to defenseman right before our eyes.Dalpe's Back
It wasn’t a surprise that when starting lineups were announced on Sunday that Zac Dalpe would get the largest ovation from the crowd. The captain has been in the NHL since early December, causing him to miss 15 Checkers games. Charlotte went 7-8 in those contests without their leader, and it’s no surprise that in his first game back he registered his sixth assist of the year. He’s up to 16 points in 20 total games played in the AHL this season. Not only that, he helped the Checkers in the shootout on Sunday as the team tried to claw out a win, even if that didn’t come to fruition. He gets it done on and off the ice, there’s no other two ways about it.PK Prowess
Penalties, intentional or not, aren’t ideal. The one saving grace is when you have a penalty-killing unit as strong as the Checkers. At the time of this writing, Charlotte ranks fourth in the league in PK conversion, killing off just shy of 85% of their opportunities. More recently, though, the Checkers have killed off 39 of 43 opponent’s power plays since returning from the holiday break. That’s a 91% conversion rate and proof that Charlotte has things on lock. With six shorthanded goals on the year, the Checkers are even getting some offensive production out of their kill-teams.The Most Important Goal
The most important goal? It’s the first one. Especially this season for the Checkers. Through 37 games, Charlotte has tallied the games’ first goal 15 times, a little less than half of their games. The more telling stat however, is the fact that they’re 12-2-1 in those games. That’s standings points in 13-of-15 games and clearly indicative of how they react to starting with the lead.Non-Divisional Importance
The Checkers next nine games come against non-divisional opponents and they become huge when looking at the bigger playoff picture. Not only is there a possible 18 points on the table, but these are games Charlotte needs to keep in line with the rest of the Atlantic Division - most of whom are playing against one another in the coming weeks. Let’s play pretend for a second, and say you’re the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins. It’s easy to root for any of the Checkers upcoming opponents including the Monsters, Comets, Americans, and Marlies. The reason being, you don’t have to worry about those teams earning points. If the Checkers were playing Providence, let’s say, and you’re the Penguins, sure you’re happy that the Checkers lost but you’d have the downside of the Bruins earning points and continuing to rise in the standings as well. So even though these games aren’t against direct rivals in the division, they’re incredibly important nonetheless.We’re back at Bojangles Coliseum this weekend for a pair of afternoon matinees against the Cleveland Monsters. Join us on Saturday for a 4 P.M. puck drop as we celebrate the great state of North Carolina! The Checkers will be wearing a North Carolina-inspired custom jersey which will be available to purchase via online auction and we’re injecting the game with some NC flair! Then on Sunday at 1 P.M., it’s Country Music Day presented by Charlotte Eye, Ear, Nose and Throat Associates ! Enjoy a postgame party at Tipsy Burro with live music, food and drink discounts and more. See y’all at the Boplex for some more great times!
