Game Preview: Checkers at Tucson (Feb. 3, 2017)

Fresh off the All-Star break, the Checkers are back in action this weekend in Arizona as they look to pull off two more wins against the Roadrunners. Here are 12 things to know about tonight's game:

1. NEW BUILDING

The Checkers will be heading to Arizona this weekend to square off against the Roadrunners, but the games won’t be happening in Tucson. The two squads are going to be playing two hours down the road in Glendale, home of the NHL’s Arizona Coyotes.

These games will mark the fourth and fifth time that the Checkers have played in games held at “neutral” venues, as they played three games during the 2012-13 and 2013-14 seasons at PNC Arena in Raleigh. Charlotte went 2-1-0 in those tilts.

2. HEADING WEST

The Pacific Division has not been kind to Charlotte this season, especially on the road. In 10 games so far this season visiting the division, the Checkers have yet to pick up a win, logging an 0-9-1 mark.

This will mark the first time they have traveled to take on Tucson, but the Checkers had no trouble dispatching the Roadrunners two weekends ago in Charlotte. Those two wins stand as the only games the Checkers have played against the Pacific Division on home ice this season.

3. AGAINST THE ROADRUNNERS

The Roadrunners came to Charlotte two weeks ago as one of the hottest teams in the league, winners of five straight and sitting atop the Pacific Division. The two games in Charlotte brought Tucson tumbling down, however, as the Checkers swept them handily, and now the Roadrunners are skidding down the other direction.

Tucson enters Friday’s contest having lost five consecutive games, including the sweep in Charlotte, and have been outscored 18-4-0 along the way.

A trade earlier this week has changed the makeup of the Roadrunners a bit since the last time Charlotte saw them, however. Arizona dealt veteran goalie and former Checker Justin Peters to Dallas, essentially handing the keys over to Adin Hill. The rookie netminder has turned in the best numbers of any Roadrunner goalie this season and has accounted for 11 of the team’s 20 wins. In return, Tucson received what they will hope is an offensive boost in Brendan Ranford. The fourth-year pro is coming off of two straight 50-point season with Texas but has only amassed 17 points through the first 36 games of this campaign.

With their offense settling into the middle of the pack rankings-wise and their defense hovering around the bottom of the AHL, the Roadrunners’ best weapon this season has been their power play, which stands as the fifth-best in the league.

4. BUMPY ROAD

It hasn’t just been the Pacific Division giving Charlotte fits away from home so far, as the team has logged a paltry 6-16-2 record. Those 16 road losses stand as the most in the AHL, and the Checkers’ .292 winning percentage away from home is the second-worst in the league, ahead of only last place Rockford.

The good news for the Checkers is that they could have some momentum on their side, as their last road contest saw them pick up a convincing 5-1 victory over the Milwaukee Admirals for their second win in three games. Immediately prior to those three games, however, the Checkers skidded to a 1-12-2 stretch on the road.

5. TOP OF THE CLASS

Currently riding a red-hot stretch, Lucas Wallmark earned himself some hardware yesterday, as he was named the CCM/AHL Rookie of the Month for January. The first in franchise to earn the honor, Wallmark notched seven goals in 13 games during the month, tying for the lead among all first-year players during that stretch and falling just one shy of the league lead.

The 21-year-old Swede ranks fourth among AHL rookies in goals and has climbed his way to second on the Checkers in scoring, sitting just three behind his fellow rookie.

His 15 goals through the first half of the season already has him tied with Brock McGinn for the third highest single-season total in franchise history and just one shy of Victor Rask for second all time. Zac Dalpe’s 23-goal campaign in 2010-11 still stands as the franchise record.

6. THE ALL STAR RETURNS

As the Checkers’ lone representative, five-time all-star Michael Leighton shined in Lehigh Valley, PA, last week during the 2017 AHL All-Star Classic. The veteran put on a show in Sunday night’s All-Star Skills Competition, tying for the best performance in the Rapid Fire event and helping his Western Conference squad to an overall victory, and helped backstop the Central Division to their second-straight title in the next night’s three-on-three tournament.

With Eddie Lack recovered and back in Carolina, Leighton rejoins the Checkers after spending much of the last two months with the Hurricanes. The veteran has bounced back to the AHL periodically over that span to get some game reps, but has only played twice for Charlotte in the last 11 games.

With Alex Nedeljkovic on the mend from a day-to-day lower-body injury, the Checkers recalled Daniel Altshuller from the ECHL’s Florida Everblades Thursday morning to complete their goalie tandem heading into the weekend in Arizona.

7. JOYFUL JANUARY

While they closed it out on a down note with Saturday’s 2-1 loss to Manitoba, January proved to be a strong month for the Checkers. With a 7-5-1-0 record, it marked the first month this season that he team finished above .500 in, while the 15 points they accumulated stands as more than they picked up during the months of October and December combined.

8. FATEFUL FEBRUARY

The Checkers have historically had struggles during February. The team has registered a record below .500 during the month in each of the last three season, including last year’s disastrous 2-8-1-1 mark. The last time the Checkers completed the month of February with a record over .500 was 2012-13, also the last time they made the playoffs.

9. CLOSING TIME

If there has been one strong suit for the Checkers this season, it has been their ability to hold onto leads late. Charlotte in 17-2-1 in games where they were leading or tied after 40 minutes of play, with those situations accounting for 35 of the team’s 41 points in the standings this season.

On the flip side, the Checkers have struggled to erase late deficits, holding a 2-20-2 mark when trailing after two periods.

10. POWER OUTAGE

The Checkers are again mired in a power-play drought. They have failed to register a power-play goal in each of their last six games (0-for-19), the longest scoreless stretch since going seven straight in late November. Charlotte has three goals in their last 38 opportunities over their last 12 games and rank last in the league in power-play percentage, three whole percentage points behind the 29th ranked club.

The lowest power-play percentage in franchise history is 13.7, set in 2014-15. That season marks the only time in franchise history that the Checkers have finished the year with a power-play percentage outside of the top six in the AHL.

11. IN PURSUIT

After splitting last weekend’s two-game set with Manitoba, the Checkers are neck and neck with the Moose for sixth place in the Central Division. When sorted by points, the Checkers it just three points behind the Cleveland Monsters, who have several games in hand over the rest of the teams in the division, and eight points behind the Iowa Wild, who would be in the final playoff spot if the playoffs started today.

After four straight games against the Pacific Division to start the month, the Checkers will face Milwaukee and Cleveland for five of the next six contests.

12. TUNE IN!

The Checkers may be back on the road, but you can still tune in to hear Jason Shaya's call live from Arizona! Pregame show kicks off at 8:50.

You can also download the new Checkers App, available for both iPhones and Androids, for score updates and to play the new Top Line game!