Weekly Report: Moving On

It proved to be a tough weekend for the Checkers, who ran into the gauntlet that is the red-hot defending champion Bears.

Charlotte couldn’t put a dent in Hershey’s nine-game winning streak, as the Bears came into town and pulled off a two-game sweep of the home team.

That brought an end to a home stand to forget for the Checkers, who will look to shake it off and turn things around on the road - kicking off a four-game trip Friday in Rochester.

IN CASE YOU MISSED IT

Bears 4, Checkers 2

The Checkers found themselves in a 2-0 hole against the Bears in the first period of their initial matchup, and they couldn’t quite pry the lead away from the defending champs from there. Patrick Khodorenko cut that deficit in half in the middle frame, but another two-goal burst was too much for Charlotte to overcome - even with Mackie Samoskevich’s tally in the third period, the Checkers couldn’t muster any more of a comeback.

Bears 5, Checkers 2

The Checkers avoided a similar rough start in the next night’s rematch, even claiming a lead through 20 minutes thanks to a snipe from Uvis Balinskis in his debut with the team. Unfortunately the Bears turned in a monster middle frame, notching three straight goals to blow the game open, then locked up Charlotte’s rally attempt to clinch the weekend sweep.

QUICK HITS

NOTHING TO WRITE HOME ABOUT

These two losses to Hershey capped off a monster six-game home stand for the Checkers that took place across just a 13-day stretch. Charlotte finished the home stand with a 1-5-0-0 mark, a tough skid that comes immediately after a 4-1-0-0 start on home ice this season.

SINKING IN THE ATLANTIC

With three wins in their last nine contests, the Checkers sit just above a .500 points percentage but have fallen to seventh place in the highly competitive Atlantic Division. The good news for the Checkers is that - aside from Hershey and Hartford at the top and Bridgeport in the cellar - the bulk of the division is locked in a traffic jam. In fact, Charlotte is just five points behind the third-place Bruins. The Checkers have also played the fewest number of games in the division, holding two or three games in hand over the four teams immediately ahead of them.

SEARCHING FOR OFFENSE

The Checkers have had a tough time finding the back of the net as of late. They have registered two or fewer goals in seven of their last nine contests and currently rank 23rd in the league in goals per game.

SAMO STAYS HOT

A bright spot for the Charlotte offense has been the play of Mackie Samoskevich. The rookie forward found the scoresheet in both contests against Hershey and now has four points in his last four games.

HIGHLIGHT OF THE WEEK

Uvis Balinskis was only here for one game, but he made it count!

Welcome to the club! pic.twitter.com/uKEaIlmQSq

— Charlotte Checkers (@CheckersHockey) December 2, 2023

Transactions

Incoming

• None

Outgoing

• Dec. 4 – Uvis Balinskis recalled by Florida (NHL)

By the Numbers

CATEGORY	RECORD	AHL RANK
Power play	14.6%	28th
Penalty kill	87.5%	2nd
Goals per game	2.84	23rd
Shots per game	31.32	t-8th
Goals allowed per game	3.05	t-16th
Shots allowed per game	26.68	3rd
Penalty minutes per game	12.42	19th

LEADERS

CATEGORY	LEADER(S)
Points	Lucas Carlsson (17), Santtu Kinnunen, Patrick Khodorenko (12)
Goals	Lucas Carlsson (8), Ryan McAllister, Patrick Khodorenko (5)
Assists	Santtu Kinnunen (10), Lucas Carlsson (9), four tied (7)
Power play goals	Jake Wise, Mike Benning, Zac Dalpe (2)
Shorthanded goals	Justin Sourdif (1)
Game-winning goals	Lucas Carlsson (4), Gerry Mayhew, Patrick Khodorenko (2)
Shots on goal	Lucas Carlsson (78), Zac Dalpe (49), Santtu Kinnunen (38)
Penalty minutes	Lucas Carlsson (30), Justin Sourdif (20), Casey Fitzgerald (19)
Plus/minus	Patrick Khodorenko (+7), Brendan Perlini (+4), Matt Kiersted, Jake Wise (+3)
Wins	Spencer Knight (5)
Goals-against average	Mack Guzda (2.02), Ludovic Waeber (2.46), Spencer Knight (2.93)
Save percentage	Mack Guzda (.930), Ludovic Waeber (.905), Spencer Knight (.891),