Weekly Report: November 9, 2015

After spending their first 10 games of the season on the road, the Checkers finally made their return to Bojangles' Coliseum for their opening weekend. They split two games with the Manitoba Moose, rebounding after a tough loss Saturday to clinch a last-minute win on Sunday.

The team will enjoy a day off Monday before getting back to work preparing for a pair of contests this weekend against the Milwaukee Admirals.

Week in Review

Manitoba 3, Checkers 0

A huge crowd packed Bojangles' Coliseum Saturday night to witness the Checkers' long-awaited return to their original home. Unfortunately, the Checkers were unable to break through a tough Manitoba defense, falling to the Moose by a score of 3-0. The two teams battled through a scoreless tie before the Moose finally broke the deadlock, scoring in the waning moments of the second and then doubling their lead midway through the third. The Checkers continued to create pressure, but could not find a way to put anything past Connor Hellebuyck, who turned aside all 30 shots that he faced. Manitoba put the final nail in the coffin with an empty netter, sealing the shutout win. Full recap

Checkers 3, Manitoba 2

Facing a quick turnaround, the Checkers jumped out early on the Moose in Sunday's rematch thanks to a pair of power-play goals from Derek Ryan and Joakim Nordstrom . The Moose wouldn't go away, notching a power-play goal of their own followed by a shorthanded tally to even the score midway through the third. But it was the Checkers' power play that had the last laugh, striking for the third time when Jake Chelios ripped a one-timer top shelf with 25 seconds left to lift the Checkers to their first win at Bojangles' Coliseum. Full recap

Three Stars Of The Week

Notables

Cardiac Checkers

The Checkers have shown a flair for the dramatic this season. Sunday marked the fourth time in the first 12 games that the Checkers have scored the game-tying or game-winning goal inside the final two minutes of regulation.

Roller Coaster Offense

Production for Charlotte thus far has been feast or famine. The Checkers roared out of the gates with 21 goals in the first four games of the season, but then were held to just 10 through their next five. They seemed to snap out of it with a six-goal performance in Lake Erie, but followed that up by getting shut out in their home opener. But despite its up and down nature, the Checkers' attack stands as one of the strongest in the league, with the team ranking fifth overall in terms of goals per game.

Power-Play Prowess

After beginning last season with near-historic struggles on the man advantage, the Checkers have rebounded nicely this season with an electric power play. They have recorded 12 power-play goals in 12 games with a percentage of 20.7, good for ninth overall in the league. Including Sunday's three-goal performance, they have notched more than one power-play goal in a game three times this season. Last year they were only able to accomplish that seven times in 76 games, with the first instance not occuring until January.

Deja Vu For Shugg

After leading the Checkers in scoring a season ago, Justin Shugg is having a very similar start to the 2015-16 campaign. Last season, Shugg played in the first three games before suffering an injury that sidelined him for the next eight games. When he returned to the lineup, he continued to shine and finished with six points in his first seven games overall. This season, Shugg was again sidelined after the first three games, this time for the next seven contests. Returning for this weekend's games, Shugg has again continued to have the hot hand and now has five points in his first five games this season.

Building A Lead

Of their seven wins this season, they Checkers scored the first goal in six of them. Additionally, they have not lost a game in which they were leading at either intermission.

Much of the team's success can be traced back to their ability to put pucks on net. The Checkers are second in the AHL with 34.25 shots per game and have outshot their opponent in six of their seven wins.

Ranks

• Kyle Hagel is fourth in the AHL in penalty minutes (34) and is tied for the lead in major penalties (4)
• Zach Boychuk ranks fourth in the AHL in shots (42)
• T.J. Hensick leads the league in shootout-winning goals and is tied for the lead in shootoutgoals
• Drew MacIntyre ranks second in the AHL in minutes (608:59) and fifth in saves (248)
• T.J. Hensick leads the league with two shootout goals and two shootout-winning goals
• Drew MacIntyre leads the league in minutes and shootout wins and ranks second in saves
• Jaccob Slavin is tied for 16th among AHL rookies in scoring, tied for third in assists and tied for first in shorthanded assists and points
• Trevor Carrick ranks third among league defensemen in goals (4)
• Rasmus Rissanen is tied for second among AHL defensemen in minor penalties (8)

Injuries

• Danny Biega missed two games starting 11/7
• Tyler Ganly missed one game starting 11/8

Milestones

• Rasmus Rissanen played his 250th AHL game on 11/7
• Justin Shugg played his 250th pro game on 11/8
• Justin Agosta made his AHL on 11/8

Transactions

Incoming

• November 8 - (D) Justin Agosta recalled from Florida (ECHL)

Outgoing

• November 8 - (LW) Joakim Nordstrom recalled from conditioning stint by Carolina (NHL)

Coming Up

By the Numbers

Team Statistics
CATEGORY	RECORD	AHL RANK	LAST WEEK
Power play	20.7%	9th	12th
Penalty kill	81.8%	18th	t-20th
Goals per game	3.33	5th	4th
Shots per game	34.25	2nd	4th
Goals allowed per game	3.17	t-22nd	24th
Shots allowed per game	26.92	9th	12th
Penalty minutes per game	13.92	16th	15th

Team Leaders
CATEGORY	LEADER(S)
Points	Phil Di Giuseppe (10), Derek Ryan (9), Four tied(7)
Goals	Derek Ryan (7), Phil Di Giuseppe, Trevor Carrick (4)
Assists	Jaccob Slavin (7), Phil Di Giuseppe, Zach Boychuk, T.J. Hensick (6)
Power play goals	Phil Di Giuseppe, Derek Ryan (3), Trevor Carrick (2)
Shorthanded goals	Patrick Brown (1)
Game-winning goals	Patrick Brown, Derek Ryan, Jake Chelios (1)
Shots on goal	Zach Boychuk (42), Phil Di Giuseppe, Derek Ryan (39)
Penalty minutes	Kyle Hagel (34), Brendan Woods (17), Rasmus Rissanen (16)
Plus/minus	Jaccob Slavin (+7), Brendan Woods (+5), Brody Sutter (+3)
Wins	Drew MacIntyre (5)
Goals-against average	Rasmus Tirronen (3.03)
Save percentage	Drew MacIntyre (.889)