Game Preview: Checkers at Oklahoma City (Dec. 28, 2014)

The Checkers tough road back from the holidays continues with this evening's contest in Oklahoma City.

After heading into the holiday break on a high note, the Checkers returned to the ice against Texas last night in dissapointing fashion, falling by a score of 4-2. They now will have a quick turnaround as they prepare for an early contest with the West Division leaders in the second half of a back-to-back stint.

Following tonight, the Checkers will face this same Barons team on New Year's Eve before going home to Charlotte to kick of 2015.

Charlotte

The Checkers came out hot offensively in their first game after the holiday break, trading goals early with the Texas Stars but ultimately falling short. But the hot hands continued to produce. Chad LaRose snapped his three-game goal streak, but notched an assist, giving him points in four consecutive contests and six points in his last six games. Jared Staal put the Checkers on the board first, giving him five goals in his last six games and establishing a new career-high in points. Phil Di Giuseppe, who pulled the team to within one goal at the end of the first frame, now has goals in each of his last two games.

Last night's lineup looked a little different than it has been lately, as Keegan Lowe returned to the ice after missing four games due to taking a puck to the head during the team's last trip to Texas. The Checkers were also forced to make do at the center position after the Hurricanes' recall of Brendan Woods. To compensate, Justin Shugg was shifted over to fill that slot and seemed fairly at home, firing four shots on goal, the second highest total for the team.

With Drew MacIntyre in Switzerland for the Spengler Cup, John Muse got the start last night and should be expected to get the nod again today, with rookie Daniel Altshuller, who has yet to make his AHL debut, backing him up. If Muse were to be tonight's starter, it would be his first back-to-back starts this season.

Oklahoma City

Taking the ice for the first time since the winter break, the Barons were locked in a tight battle last night, prevailing over the San Antonio Rampage in overtime by a score of 2-1. Laurent Brossoit turned aside 27 of the 28 shots that he faced and earned his ninth win of the season.

Jason Williams (12-17-29) and Anton Lander (8-20-28) continue to pace the Barons offensively. Both forwards rank in the top 10 in scoring in the AHL, making Oklahoma City one of only two teams to have more than one player on that list. Lander also has nine points (2g, 7a) in his last five game, while Ryan Hamilton has six (2g, 4a) in his last six games. Hamilton has been red hot as of late, shooting at a 23.9 clip, good for fifth in the AHL in shooting percentage.

After Richard Bachman was injured late in the Barons' contest against the Checkers on Dec. 18, Laurent Brossoit has taken the majority of the workload in net. Brossoit has started the last four Oklahoma City games and is on a three-game win streak. During said streak, Brossoit has allowed just four goals despite being peppered with a combined 87 shots.

Checkers Notes

Against Oklahoma City

Tonight marks the fifth of 12 meetings between the Checkers and Texas this season, with the Barons taking the first three contests this season. In 32 all-time contests between the two clubs, the Checkers hold a 18-11-3 record, including a 10-6-0 mark at Cox Convention Center in Oklahoma City.

Brock McGinn and Ryan Murphy have had success against the Barons this season, with McGinn registering five points (2g, 3a) and Murphy four points (0g, 4a) in four matchups this season. Anton Lander and Jason Williams pace Oklahoma City, each putting up four points in the four games this season.

In goal, Drew MacIntyre and John Muse have each gotten two starts against the Barons. With MacIntyre in Switzerland for the Spengler Cup, it is expected that Muse will earn his second straight start tonight. His backup, rookie Daniel Altshuller, has yet to make his AHL debut. For Oklahoma City, Richard Bachman and Laurent Brossoit have split the four starts against Charlotte, with Bachman going 2-0-0 and Brossoit going 1-1-0.

Murphy's Helping Hand

Defenseman Ryan Murphy leads the Checkers with 16 assists on the season, at least double that of any other Charlotte skater. He also leads the team in points, making him the only AHL player to do so without scoring a single goal. Murphy, who has played just 21 of the Checkers' 29 games after starting the season in Carolina, is one of seven AHL defensmen to hold at least a share of his team's lead in scoring. He ranks third among AHL defensemen in assists, just three off the league lead, and is tied for 13th in points by defensemen. He leads the Checkers in power-play assists and points (7).

Murphy, a 21-year-old who the Hurricanes drafted 12th overall in 2011, now has 40 points (3g, 37a) in 46 career AHL games. Last season, he posted a 12-game assist/point streak that marked the longest in franchise history and was the longest by an AHL defenseman since the 2008-09 campaign. He currently has assists in each of his last four games (5a).

LaRose Finding His Legs

Veteran forward Chad LaRose has recorded a goal in three of his last four games, with his goal streak ending just one shy of the team's longest goal streak this season set by Justin Shugg from Nov. 18-21. He also has points in each of his last four games. The streak has propelled LaRose to second on the team in points (16) and third in goals (7). After scoring just two goals in his first 21 games after taking last season away from hockey, the longtime Carolina Hurricane has five goals in his last nine contests.

LaRose leads the AHL in shorthanded assists (3) and is tied for second in the league shorthanded points (3).

Career Stretch For Staal

Jared Staal's opening goal against Oklahoma City on Dec. 18 was his fifth of the campaign, marking a career high for a single season. Since then, he added an assist against San Antonio on Dec. 19, giving him a career-best four-game point streak (2g, 2a - since ended) and a goal last night that set a new career high for points in a single season (8).

Now in his fifth professional season, all with the Checkers, Staal has posted 33 points (16g, 17a) in 192 career AHL contests. Along with Zach Boychuk, Michal Jordan, Rasmus Rissanen and Chris Terry, Staal is one of just five players to play at least one game for the Checkers in all five of their AHL seasons.

Quick Hits

• Charlotte is in the midst of a stretch in which it plays 11 consecutive games agains the West Division. The Checkers are 6-9-2 in divisional play this season
• The Checkers' 15 shots on goal vs. San Antonio on Dec. 22 tied a franchise record for fewest in a single game set earlier this season
• Kyle Hagel leads the league in major penalties (11)
• Ryan Murphy is tied for second among AHL defensemen in assists (17) and is tied for 12th in points
• Defenseman Trevor Carrick is tied for third among AHL rookies in major penalties (4)
• Forward Justin Shugg ranks 14th in the AHL with a shooting percentage of 22.0%

Streaks

• Ryan Murphy has assists and points in each of his last five games (Dec. 16-27: 0g, 6a)
• Chad LaRose has points in each of his last four games (Dec. 18-27: 3g, 2a)
• Phil Di Giuseppe has goals and points in each of his last two games (Dec. 21-27: 2g, 0a)

Injuries

• Beau Schmitz - missed eight games starting 12/10
• Greg Nemisz - missed nine games starting 12/8 (out for season)
• Brody Sutter - missed 18 games starting 11/15

Milestones

• Keegan Lowe is four shy of 150 AHL/pro penalty minutes
• Ryan Murphy is one shy of 50 pro assists
• Justin Shugg is one shy of 200 pro games
• A.J. Jenks is one shy of 50 pro assists
• Chad LaRose is one shy of 150 pro goals

Transactions

Incoming

• Dec. 27 - (LW) Gabriel Desjardins signed to professional tryout contract from Florida (ECHL)
• Dec. 27 - (G) Daniel Altshuller recalled to Charlotte from Florida (ECHL)

Outgoing

• Dec. 26 - (C) Brendan Woods recalled to Carolina (NHL) from Charlotte