During the season, Checkers broadcaster TJ Chillot checks in with a weekly blog highlighting everything Checkers hockey, presented by Charlotte Eye Ear Nose & Throat Associates!
Does it feel like the playoffs yet? I think so. After a commanding two-game sweep of the Toronto Marlies this past weekend, the Checkers are clicking on all cylinders and, at the time of this writing, sit with a magic number of just nine standings points to clinch a postseason berth. Let’s head In the Trapezoid with me, TJ Chillot, as we look at this past weekend’s successes, the upcoming stretch run, and more!
TOUGH VS. THE TOP TIER
After this weekend’s sweep of Toronto, I got curious as to how well the Checkers have done collectively against the top teams in the Eastern Conference. In my mind, that feels like a good litmus test as we head into the postseason. Breaking things out, the Checkers are a staggering 12-6-2-0 against the current top two teams in each of the Eastern Conference’s divisions. That’s Providence and Hershey in the Atlantic and Toronto and Utica in the North. Here are Charlotte’s records against each team:
Providence - 2-3-0-1
Hershey - 4-2-0-0
Toronto - 3-1-0-0
Utica - 3-0-1-0
As we get down the final 11 games, we can officially say that the Checkers won their series against both teams from the North. Providence has proved to be their toughest opponent in this context, which puts a lot of meaning behind the upcoming games at Bojangles Coliseum this weekend. The possibility is still on that table that the Checkers could finish with winning records against the top two teams from Atlantic and North Divisions.
BUNNY'S BACK
Connor Bunnaman made his return to the lineup on Friday against Toronto after missing almost a month due to injury. The sixth-year pro burst back onto the scene with a three-point weekend against the Marlies including two goals and an assist. With a total of 12 goals on the season, Bunnaman is seven off his career high of 19 set in 2018-19, his rookie campaign.
FIRST-GOAL FAVORITES
I’ve been talking about it ad nauseam during the broadcasts over the last couple weeks, but getting the first goal of the game has been huge for the Checkers. As good as this team is at battling back and erasing late-game deficits, we went a while between games in which Charlotte scored the first goal. I knew how good this Checkers team is when scoring first, and statistically the team that scores first has better odds overall to win the game, but I didn’t know exactly how good. It was brought to my attention on Saturday that the Checkers have the best points percentage of any team in the AHL when scoring first (H/T to Nick Niedzielski and Zac Harvey for the info). The Checkers and Abbotsford Canucks are the only two teams in the league that have a points percentage in the 80’s with Charlotte topping out at 85.2% to the Canucks 81%.
FINISH WITH FIVE
The Checkers begin their final homestand of the regular season this weekend with their games against Providence on Saturday and Sunday, followed by a three game set with the Springfield Thunderbirds. All said, the Checkers wrap up their regular-season home schedule on April 1. The team will then embark on a six-game roadie through Pennsylvania to finish out the regular season. Home cooking has been positive for the Checkers, who sit with a 17-11-1-2 record at the Coliseum. Coming up, there are fantastic promos for all fans to enjoy including Caturday on March 25, Pooch Party on March 26, our final Winning Wednesday on March 29, 811 Night with $11 tickets for March 31, and everyone’s favorite Fan Appreciation Day on April 1. To see the full list of promos, available ticket packages, and more, head to charlottecheckers.com. You don’t want to miss the final push for the playoffs!
TROUBLE WITH THE T-BIRDS
The current Florida Panthers affiliate, Charlotte, has struggled mightily against the former Florida Panthers affiliate, Springfield, in the last two seasons. With a huge three-game series coming up at Bojangles, the Checkers will look to right the ship with playoff seeding likely on the line for those games. The Checkers are a meager 3-6-1-1 against the Thunderbirds in the last two seasons, and coming off back-to-back losses against Springfield in this year’s season-series. The good news is that in the past five years, the Checkers have earned points in seven of 10 games played in Charlotte against the Thunderbirds. With the T-Birds currently five points behind the Checkers, this series will be paramount in determining the Atlantic Division playoff picture.
SKILL ON THE KILL
The Checkers penalty kill has been rolling as of late, and thanks to their efforts, Charlotte is the best PK in the Eastern Conference going into this weekend. Overall, the Checkers are converting at 84.2 percent on the kill and have only allowed two goals against in their last 23 opportunities. What’s more, the Checkers have a conference-low 38 power-play goals against on the year, proving their success has been sustained all season long.
NIFTY FIFTY
After a solid weekend in Toronto where he logged two points, Checkers forward Riley Nash now has 50 points on the season. Nash is the first 50-point scorer for the Checkers since 2018-19 when the trio of Andrew Poturalski, Aleksi Saarela, and Martin Necas all crested the half-century mark.
