Game Preview: Checkers at Springfield (Feb. 23, 2018)

After racking up the points on home ice, the Checkers are back on the road to kick off a three-in-three weekend with a tilt against the Springfield Thunderbirds.

1. PREVIOUSLY ON

The Checkers head to Springfield to face off against the Thunderbirds for the seventh time this season. The two teams last met two weeks ago in Charlotte when the Checkers swept the Thunderbirds by a combined score of 12-2 over the two contests. Those victories give the Checkers a perfect 4-0-0 sweep of the Thunderbirds on home ice this season, but the contests in Springfield have swung the other way. The Thunderbirds pulled off a two-game sweep of Charlotte in the two clubs’ first meetings in mid-November, pulling off a 5-3 victory followed by a 4-0 blanking two nights later.

The teams’ last meetings featured a physical edge to them, with both sides combining for 71 penalty minutes and 24 power plays across the two contests. Whether that carries over into Friday’s game remains to be seen, but the Checkers are prepared for whatever the Thunderbirds have to offer.

“If you have the puck more, you’re going to get hit,” said Checkers head coach Mike Vellucci. “We want to make sure we have the puck a lot more than they do. Play the game the right way and use your skill and speed so they’re chasing you all night. It doesn’t really matter with the physicality, we can play in any kind of game they want to play.”

2. SCOUTING SPRINGFIELD

The Thunderbirds enter Friday’s contest stuck in the cellar of the highly competitive Atlantic Division. They have picked up a point in the standings in each of their last two contests but remain below .500 in their last 10 (4-5-1-0) to sit two points behind seventh place Hershey.

Springfield’s offensive output, which is tied for 22nd in the AHL this season, has had an especially rough go as of late. The Thunderbirds have scored two or fewer goals in six of their last seven contests and eight of their last 11.

Still, the Thunderbirds, who have been a vastly better team on home ice, are coming off taking three of four points from the playoff-positioned Providence Bruins and the Checkers won’t be taking them lightly.

“Springfield works so hard,” said Vellucci. “They’re a really good team as far as competing goes, they compete as hard as anybody in the league. So if we’re not ready for their forecheck and their hard work, we’ll get ourselves in trouble.”

3. FAMILIAR FOES

As new members of the Eastern Conference, the Checkers spent much of the first part of this season facing teams they hadn’t seen in years, if at all. That led to a lot of feeling out in those initial meetings, but as the schedule moves closer and closer to its conclusion, the Checkers finally have a good set of knowledge on their opponents, though that can be a double-edged sword.

“It’s helped a lot,” said Vellucci. “But it helps them a lot too. So you have to make adjustments. At least we have some familiarity now with what we’re up against.”

4. THREE-IN-THREE

Friday’s contest kicks off the Checkers’ third three-games-in-three-days scenario of the season. The first saw the team win the first and third contest and lose the middle game, while the one at the start of February saaw them lose the first game in regulation and the second in overtime before winning the finale.

Three-in-threes, of which the Checkers have another next weekend, bring with them a unique challenge to not only the players on the ice but to the coaching staff as well.

“It’s going to be about making sure we even out the ice time and roll all four lines,” said Vellucci of the key to getting the most out of this weekend. “When you play three games in really two and a half days, the key is going to be who has the most stamina, who’s in the best shape, who’s going to compete for those three games and who’s going to be playing four lines and six D. For us, we don’t hide anybody, we don’t overplay anybody. Everyone contributes.”

5. ON THE ROAD AGAIN

While the Checkers have thrived at Bojangles’ Coliseum this season, the road has been a different beast entirely. They are 12-12-0-2 away from home this season and just 1-5-2 since Jan. 1. The first five games of that unfortunate stretch featured the Checkers notching just five total goals and getting shut out twice. The team swung back the other direction for the three most recent contests, totaling 13 goals, but still only managed a 1-1-1 record. The other side of their game has been an issue on the road as well, with the Checkers surrendering at least three goals in seven of those eight contests.

6. GET THE APP

The Checkers app got a fresh new set of paint during the offseason but functions just the same. Follow along with scoring updates as well as play the Top Line interactive game.

You will also be able to listen to the radio broadcast via the app or this link. Jason Shaya’s pregame show starts 15 minutes prior to puck drop, tune in and tweet Jason to let him know you’re listening.