Game Preview: Checkers vs Bridgeport (February 11, 2022)

The Checkers are back on home ice and looking to build some momentum to climb the standings, starting with a two-game set against the Islanders.

QUICK HITS

FILLING THE NET

Charlotte’s offense has hit its stride as of late, recording at least four goals in seven of the last 11 games and hitting the five-goal mark in four of those. The Checkers are 6-1-0-0 in those seven contests, and are now 21-5-0-0 when scoring over three goals and 1-12-2-0 when falling below that threshold.

VETS LEAD THE WAY

The Checkers’ top two goal scorers enter the weekend on a tear, with Zac Dalpe and Scott Wilson both having recorded a hat trick in the last four games. At least one of the two forwards has lit the lamp in six of Charlotte’s last eight games, and nine of the team’s last 14 goals have come off the stick of either Wilson or Dalpe.

POWERING UP

Before getting shut out on the man advantage in last weekend’s loss to Syracuse, the Checkers had broken out of a slump by recording a power-play goal in four straight games, their longest such streak of the season.

GOOD KNIGHT

Spencer Knight has won each of his last two appearances with the Checkers, including a key road victory over Rochester last weekend. The rookie netminder has stopped 61 of the last 64 shots he has faced over those two victories.

FINISH STRONG

The Checkers have scored 47 goals in the third period this season, tied for the second highest mark in the AHL. They also hold a +7 goal differential in the third period, tied for the sixth best mark in the AHL.

QUOTES

Head Coach Geordie Kinnear on his team's recent road trip leading into this weekend
"I thought we played some really good hockey. Some guys stepped up in big games. Overall good road trip but not a great road trip. It was good to come out above .500 from a fairly tough road trip in some tough buildings."

Kinnear on the fluctuation of Charlotte's offensive production
"We talked about it with some young guys yesterday, it’s consistency. Every game is different - just because you’re happy with your game the night before doesnt mean it’s just going to translate to the next game, you have to be able to adapt and be able to be an everyday player and come to the rink and produce on back-to-back nights."

Kinnear on the defensive corps playing shorthanded
"One game we had just Kiersted, one game we had Keirsted and Carrick and another game we had three of them. Back-to-backs are tough for those guys because sometimes they’re playing 29 or 30 minutes. But the compete level, the ownership, the drive to do whatever it takes has been there. We just want to make sure we’re playing at a high level and sometimes when you’re playing that many minutes it’s tough to do on back-to-back nights."


Kinnear on Spencer Knight joining the Checkers
"It’s all about Spencer getting better. It’s not really that much different at either level, his job is to stop the puck. He came down and in the first 10 minutes in that game in Syracuse, I thought he was definitely the best player on the ice. Credit to him, his preparation is second to none. He loves the game, loves to work and loves to get better. He’s been a great fit."

COMING IN

CLT: 3-2-0-0 in last five games this season

BRI: 2-2-1-0 in last five games this season

WHO TO WATCH

CLT

Scott Wilson - 11 points in last 11 games

Zac Dalpe - 11 goals in last 15 games

Henry Bowlby – 5 points in last 5 games

BRI

Otto Koivula – 5 points in last 6 games

Erik Brown – 5 points in last 6 games

Thomas Hickey – 5 points in last 4 games

PROMOS

TUNE IN

Tonight's game starts at 7 p.m. If you can't be at the Coliseum, you can tune in to every broadcast this season with a subscription to the league’s streaming platform AHLTV. Tonight's game does not require a subscription, however, as it is the league's free game of the week.

As always, the radio broadcast will be available via the Checkers app on iPhone or Android.