Game Preview: Checkers at Manitoba (March 10, 2017)

The Checkers are looking for the sweep as they finish a quick two-game trip to Manitoba tonight. Here are 11 things to know about the game.

1. PLAYOFF PICTURE

Despite their win last night, the Checkers still find themselves in sixth place in the Central Division playoff race. The three teams in the running for what will likely be the fourth and final postseason spot are all now equal in terms of games played with 58, with Iowa currently holding the playoff spot with 62 points, Cleveland checking in just behind with 61 and Charlotte trailing with 58. Cleveland is off tonight, while Iowa visits Texas at 8:30 Eastern.

The Checkers, who have 18 games remaining on their schedule, play Cleveland and Iowa twice more each. All four of those games will take place in March.

2. AGAINST THE MOOSE

Last night’s victory continued the Checkers’ recent success against Manitoba. Since the Moose rejoined the league last season, Charlotte holds a 10-5-0 record in the head-to-head series, including a 4-3-0 mark in Manitoba. The Checkers are 5-2-0 in this season’s series that concludes tonight.

Charlotte defenseman Jake Chelios has enjoyed the most offensive success of any player in the series with eight points (1g, 7a), which accounts for more than a third of his point total for the entire season. Three different Checkers goaltenders have defeated the Moose this season, with Daniel Altshuller improving to 2-0-0 last night.

3. GOALIES READY FOR ACTION

After missing last night’s game when his equipment did not arrive to Manitoba on time, recent loan acquisition Tom McCollum will be available to make his Checkers debut tonight. McCollum, a 27-year-old veteran of 227 AHL games, has only played six times this season, most recently in the ECHL on Feb. 25. Meanwhile, established Checkers goaltender Daniel Altshuller is coming off a season-high, 35-save effort in last night’s victory.

4. TEAM DEFENSE

The Checkers have allowed at least three goals in seven of their last eight games, with last night’s game bringing their average goals allowed during that period down to 4.25. In their 10 games prior to this stretch, the Checkers had allowed three or more goals just twice, averaging just 1.7 goals per contest.

5. ROAD WARRIORS

Though they still rank 28th in the AHL with a .350 points percentage on the road this season (9-18-3), the Checkers have managed to steady the ship of late by going 5-3-1 in their last nine contests dating back to Jan. 6. Charlotte’s current three-game point streak on the road (2-0-1) is their longest of the season.

6. WALLMARK HITS 20

Checkers center Lucas Wallmark scored his 20th goal of the season last night, which leads the team and ranks third among AHL rookies. Wallmark, 21, is just the second Checkers rookie to ever hit the 20-goal mark and trails Zac Dalpe (23 in 2010-11) for the most by a first-year Charlotte skater in a single season.

7. POWER OUTAGE

Though the Checkers were able to hit the four-goal mark last night without connecting on the man advantage, they did go 0-for-3 on the power play to extend their drought to a season-long nine games (0-for-24) dating back to Feb. 18. Charlotte, which has scored a power-play goal in just three of its last 20 games, ranks 30th in the AHL with a 10.33 percent success rate on the man advantage. The lowest-ever percentage by an AHL team for a full season is 10.36, which was set by Rochester during the 2001-02 campaign. Charlotte is 13-5-1 when it scores a power-play goal this season and 14-22-4 when it does not.

8. SHORTHANDED SUCCESS

The other side of the special teams situation was much kinder to the Checkers last night as the team killed both of its penalties and scored the eventual game-winning goal while shorthanded. The shorthanded goal was Charlotte’s sixth of the season and the third of Danny Kristo’s career.

9. WELCOME TO THE CLUB

Kristo also picked up an assist last night, marking his third multi-point game in seven outings since joining the Checkers on Feb. 23. Since that time, he ranks third on the team with six points (2g, 4a), trailing Andrew Miller (nine points) and Andrew Poturalski (seven).

10. MILLER TIME

With a goal and an assist last night, Miller continued the late-season, post-injury surge that has seen him post 12 points (3g, 9a) in his last eight games dating back to Feb. 19. Miller now ranks fourth on the Checkers in scoring with 24 points despite playing in only 37 of the team’s 58 contests.

11. BRICKLEY CHIPS IN

Though he has yet to record a multi-point game this season, Checkers forward Connor Brickley’s offensive contributions have increased of late. Including last night’s goal, Brickley has a point in five of his last six games (2g, 3a). Since Feb. 23, the third-year forward has posted a pair of four-game point streaks that have accounted for over half of his point total this season (nine of 16).