Weekly Report: March 2, 2015

The Checkers' venture north of the border didn't yield the most ideal results, but they ended their road trip on the right foot.

After earning their best streak of the season the week before with three straight wins, the Checkers swung in the opposite direction on the road, dropping three consecutive contests to the Toronto Marlies and Hamilton Bulldogs while being outscored 14-4. The skid saw the Checkers recently blooming offense dry back up, including being shutout for the fifth time this season, but the team was able to turn it aroudn for the trip's finale, salvaging two points out of the swing.

The Checkers will now return home and look to continue their success at Time Warner Cable Arena, where they have won three straight.

Week in Review

Toronto 4, Checkers 1

Three days after their winning streak was snapped by the Marlies, the Checkers took the ice in Toronto once again. The Marlies came roaring out of the gate, scoring twice in the first six minutes of the game. They added another strike late in the second to secure a 3-0 lead heading into the final frame. Zach Boychuk broke up the shutout bid and pulled the Checkers within striking distance in the third, but it was too little, too late as Connor Brown found the empty net to ice a 4-1 Toronto victory and hand Charlotte its second consecutive loss. Full recap

Hamilton 4, Checkers 0

The Checkers then travled to Hamilton looking to get themselves back on track, but were once again derailed by a slow start. The Bulldogs lit up Charlotte right off the bat with four goals on 14 shots in the first period. The Checkers dug in and stopped the bleeding, not allowing another goal in the game, but could not muster up a comeback, falling by a final of 4-0. It marked the fifth time this season that the Checkers have been shut out, and extended their losing streak to three games. Full recap

Checkers 4, Hamilton 3 (OT)

The Checkers wrapped up what had been a brutal road trip through Canada by taking on the Bulldogs the next night. The visitors avoided falling into an early hole as they had the last three games, heading into the first intermission tied at one. The teams swaped goals in the second and Hamilton took a 3-2 lead into the third. But Boychuk pulled the Checkers back even just 13 seconds into the third and the game remained tied as the horn sounded. Both squads traded chances in overtime, but it was Justin Shugg who lit the lamp, his second of the game, to secure the two points in the standings for Charlotte and snap their skid. Full recap

Notables

Offensive Rollercoaster

The Checkers' struggling offense seems to have hit its stride as of late. The team has scored three or more goals in five of their last seven games, including four consecutive games from Feb. 16-22, their longest such stretch of the season. In the two games where they didn't, however, they failed to get anything going, marking just one goal in total.

Charlotte's 4-0 loss in Hamilton on Feb. 27 marked its fifth shutout of the season, one shy of the single-season franchise record set in 2011-12.

With the up-and-down nature of their production, the Checkers have fallen back into a tie for the worst goals-per-game average in the AHL (2.20).

Home And Road

By sweeping their most recent three-game home stand, the Checkers improved their record at Time Warner Cable Arena to 14-11-2 this season. Meanwhile, they have lost three-of-four road games and are now 7-18-4 on the road, with their 18 points earned away from home marking the fewest of any AHL team.

Important Games

The Checkers are nearing the end of a stretch in which 13 of 14 games played are against teams currently ranked between fifth and 15th in the Western Conference. Thus far during the stretch, which started Jan. 30 and ends March 5, the Checkers have posted a record of 4-8-0 against those teams. Two of the victories were against the only team trailing them in the conference, the Iowa Wild.

Killing It

The Checkers have killed 19 consecutive penalties since allowing their most recent power-play goal in the third period of a game at Lake Erie on Feb. 12. It ties the most consecutive games without a powerplay goal (7) by the team this season, matching a 25-for-25 stretch from Dec. 19-Jan. 7.

Charlotte's penalty kill ranks ninth in the league at 85.8 percent. The Checkers are tied for sixth in the league with seven shorthanded goals, which are two behind the league lead and four more than their AHL-low total from all of last season.

Brock's Breakout

After going 29 games without a goal (Nov. 30) and 20 games without a point (Dec. 29), Checkers rookie forward Brock McGinn has found the back of the net five times in his last eight games (5g, 1a). That stretch includes a four-game goal streak, tied for the longest by a Checkers player this season. McGinn has scored at least one goal in eight games this season, with the Checkers posting a 6-2-0 record in those contests.

McGinn, who scored 43 goals in his final junior hockey campaign with Guelph last season, has recorded two multi-goal games this season (Nov. 21 and Feb. 18). He is tied for third on the team with 10 goals and tied for fourth with 19 points in 54 games, leading all Checkers rookies.

Welcome Back Alex

Since returning from the ECHL's Florida Everblades on Jan. 4, forward Alex Aleardi has posted 14 points (8g, 6a) in 19 games, including eight in his last nine (5g, 3a). Even though Aleardi did not dress for four games since that recall, he is tied for the Checkers lead in scoring behind Chad LaRose (14 points in 20 games) during that time.

Aleardi, an undrafted forward who the Checkers signed to an AHL contract during the offseason, has 37 points (18g, 19a) in 75 career AHL contests with Springfield and Charlotte. He scored 19 points (8g, 11a) in 16 ECHL games with the Everblades this season.

We Meet Again

This past weekend's series against Hamilton marked the 22nd time the Checkers have faced the same opponent in two consecutive games this season. They are a combined 5-13-4 in the first halves of those series and are 12-9-1 in the second.

In those two-game series, the Checkers have won both games twice (against Milwaukee on Nov. 29 and 30 and agianst Iowa on Feb. 18 and 19) and have suffered five sweeps (vs. Grand Rapids on Oct. 17-18, at San Antonio on Nov. 14-15, at Oklahoma City on Nov. 21-22, vs. Chicago on Feb. 6-7 and at Toronto on Feb. 22 and 25).

Penalty Shot Party

Including one saved by John Muse in Toronto on Feb. 25, the Checkers have been involved in six penalty shot situations this season, tying their single-season record set during the inaugural 2010-11 campaign. In both seasons, those situations break down to four attempts for (with one goal scored) and two attemps against (with one goal scored).

In the three seasons between 2010-11 and this season, the team had been involved seven total penalty shot situations (three for, four against). Ben Holmstrom's goal in the team's first opportunity this season was the Checkers' first penalty shot goal since Jon Matsumoto scored against Oklahoma City on Dec. 20, 2011. A goal by Lake Erie's Troy Bourke against Drew MacIntyre on Feb. 12 marked the Checkers' first penalty shot goal allowed since Albany's Michael Swift scored against Justin Pogge on Jan. 7, 2011.

The Checkers were involved in two penalty shot situations in the same game for the first time in team history on Jan. 31 of this season, with Texas goalie Jussi Rynnas stopping attempts by Alex Aleardi and Zach Boychuk.

Ranks

• Kyle Hagel is tied for second in the AHL in major penalties (18)
• Chad LaRose is tied for the AHL lead in shorthanded assists (3) and shorthanded points (4)
• Greg Nemisz is tied for first in the AHL in shooting percentage (25.0%)
• Phil Di Giuseppe is seventh among AHL rookies in shots (125)
• Drew MacIntyre is tied for second in the AHL in saves (1036)
• Trevor Carrick is 12th among rookie defensemen in scoring (15)

Injuries

• Rasmus Rissanen - missed four games from 2/19-27
• Keegan Lowe - missed one game starting 2/27
• Chad LaRose - missed three games starting 2/25
• Gabriel Desjardins - missed 23 game starting 1/4
• Greg Nemisz - missed 35 games starting 12/8 (out for season)

Milestones

• Justin Shugg recorded his 100th AHL point on 2/28
• Jared Staal recorded his 100th pro PIM on 2/27
• Justin Shugg recorded his 100th pro PIM on 2/27
• Jared Staal played in his 250th pro game on 2/25
• John Muse played in his 100th AHL game on 2/25

Transactions

Incoming

• None

Outgoing

• Mar. 3 - (D) Rasmus Rissanen recalled by Carolina (NHL)

Coming Up

By the Numbers

Team Statistics
CATEGORY	RECORD	AHL RANK	LAST WEEK
Power play	10.8%	30th	30th
Penalty kill	85.8%	9th	9th
Goals per game	2.20	29th	t-29th
Shots per game	29.14	22nd	23rd
Goals allowed per game	3.02	22nd	22nd
Shots allowed per game	32.79	27th	27th
Penalty minutes per game	18.05	22nd	20th

Team Leaders
CATEGORY	LEADER(S)
Points	Chad LaRose (31), Justin Shugg (29), Brendan Woods (21)
Goals	Chad LaRose (16), Justin Shugg (15), Brock McGinn, Alex Aleardi (10)
Assists	Chad LaRose (15), Justin Shugg (14), Brendan Woods, Danny Biega (12)
Power play goals	Chad LaRose (6)
Shorthanded goals	Greg Nemisz, Brendan Woods (2)
Game-winning goals	Chad LaRose (3)
Shots on goal	Chad LaRose (144), Phil Di Giuseppe (125), Brock McGinn (122)
Penalty minutes	Kyle Hagel (128), Keegan Lowe (102), Brendan Woods, Mike Cornell (84)
Plus/minus	Dennis Robertson (+2), Greg Nemisz (+1), Beau Schmitz (E)
Wins	Drew MacIntyre (14)
Goals-against average	John Muse (2.68)
Save percentage	John Muse (.917)