Game Preview: Checkers at Milwaukee (Feb. 16, 2016)

The Checkers hit the road tonight in search of a way out of their nine-game winless skid, facing off with the Central Division power Milwaukee Admirals.

Here are 10 things to know about the matchup:

1. ON THE SKIDS

The Checkers’ franchise-record winless streak now sits at nine games, making it the longest active such streak in the AHL and tying it for the second-longest in the league this season. The only other teams to record nine-game winless streaks are Manitoba and Iowa, the bottom two teams in the AHL standings.

2. FREE FALLING

On Jan. 27, the Checkers faced off with the Rockford IceHogs with a chance to take sole possession of first place in the Central Division from them with a win. But Charlotte lost that game and have since fallen to their current spot of fifth in the division.

The good news for the Checkers, however, is that due to the new nature of the standings, they could still qualify for the playoffs at this position. While the top four teams in each division make the playoffs, if the fifth-place team in the Central or Pacific have a better winning percentage than the fourth-place team in the other conference, they would take their spot in the playoffs. As it stands, the Checkers would qualify for that crossover spot.

3. MILWAUKEE'S BEST

Milwaukee heads into tonight's contest on a hot streak. The Admirals have earned points in eight of their last 10 contests and a win tonight would spring them into a tie for first in the Central Division. On their home ice, they have won three straight and seven of their last nine.

Their biggest weapon thus far has been their goalie tandem of Marek Mazanec and Juuse Saros, who rank sixth and 12th in the AHL in goals against average, respectively. The third-year pro Mazanec has taken control of the crease as of late, getting tapped for six of the last seven starts, and has earned his team a point in the standings in each of his last seven starts.

4. AGAINST THE ADS

After blowing out the Admirals 7-2 in the first meeting this season, the Checkers have dropped two straight against Milwaukee, bringing their all-time record against their Central Division rivals to 12-14-1-0. The good news for Charlotte is that the road team has won every matchup between the two squads this season.

5. MAKING MOVES

Daniel Altshuller was recalled for the second time this season, heading to Raleigh to replace an injured Cam Ward. With the young netminder gone, the Checkers have brought in Anthony Peters from Florida to back up Drew MacIntyre tonight in Milwaukee. This marks the first recall for Peters, who signed with the Checkers this past offseason and is playing in his first professional season at age 25. The younger brother of former Checker Justin Peters, he is tied for second in the ECHL with 20 wins and ranks fourth with a 2.09 goals-against average.

In a seperate move, the Checkers assigned forward Carter Sandlak to Florida this morning. The move won't have much impact on Charlotte's lineup, as Sandlak has been a healthy extra since returning, but will garner the second-year pro some playing time. Sandlak has not dressed for the Checkers since Dec. 15.

6. OFFENSIVE ISSUES

Saturday’s four-goal outburst was just the second time in their last nine games that the Checkers have scored more than two goals in a game. By comparison, in the 18 games immediately prior to this stretch, they hit the three-goals or more mark 16 times.

7. POWERING BACK UP

After a season-worst three-game drought, the Checkers have notched a power-play goal in each of their last five contests. They are 6-for-26 (23.1%) on the man advantage over that stretch, and are still the second-ranked power-play unit in the AHL with a 22.3% on the season.

8. NO LOVE IN FEBRUARY

The Checkers have yet to record a win in February this year, starting off 0-5-1. It marks the third consecutive season in which they have hit a rough patch during the month, as they have a combined 8-17-3 record over the last three Februarys.

9. APPROACHING MILESTONES

Rasmus Rissanen is one shy of 50 AHL/pro points ... Derek Ryan is two shy of 300 pro points ... Jake Chelios is four shy of 50 pro points ... David Wohlberg is three shy of 50 AHL/pro points

10. WATCH PARTY

Head to the Queen City Q in Matthews at 8 p.m. to catch the game at our official Watch Party! The first 30 fans to arrive to watch the game will receive a pint glass autographed by Checkers defenseman Trevor Carrick and all fans can enjoy Queen City Q’s weekly Wednesday drink special of half-priced pints of most available craft beers.