Game Preview: Checkers vs. Chicago (March 8, 2016)

The new-look Checkers of the post-trade-deadline era will get their first test tonight as they host the first of two games against the Chicago Wolves.

Here are 10 things to know about tonight’s 7 p.m. game at the coliseum:

1. DEADLINE DEALS

After feeling the effects of Carolina’s busy NHL trade deadline one week prior, a day that saw Dennis Robertson, Anthony Camara and John Muse arrive and Drew MacIntyre depart, the Checkers made some splashes of their own ahead of Monday’s AHL deadline. Arriving via loan deals were experienced forwards Andrew Miller and Blair Jones, both of whom arrived in Charlotte Monday night, and Dane Fox, a prolific goal scorer at the ECHL level who the Hurricanes acquired from Vancouver. Fox is set to arrive Tuesday afternoon and could also be available for tonight’s game.

In total, there could be as many as six players in tonight's Checkers lineup who were not with the organization eight days ago.

2. MEET MILLER

Miller, who can play both at center and on the wing, comes to the Checkers with 133 points (50g, 83a) in 159 career AHL games. Charlotte knows him well from his time in Oklahoma City, where he tortured the club with 17 points (9g, 8a) in 16 head-to-head match-ups. Last season, he recorded a hat trick and an overtime winner against the Checkers.  With 39 points this season, Miller instantly becomes Charlotte’s second-highest scorer behind captain Derek Ryan.

3. JONES JOINS

Jones, a 6-foot-3, 215-pound center, brings a veteran presence and versatile two-way play to the lineup. Though he had just 15 points in 36 games with Utica this season, the 29-year-old has been a point-per-game player in the AHL as recently as the 2013-14 season with Abbotsford. Jones also brings 132 games of NHL experience with Tampa Bay, Calgary and Philadelphia, having most recently played four games with the Flyers last season.

4. WHAT DOES FOX SAY

Fox’s debut with the Checkers, whether that be tonight or in the future, will be just his second career AHL game. However, the 22-year-old in his second full professional season has been a prolific goal scorer in the OHL (64 goals in 67 games in 2013-14) and in the ECHL (56 goals in 123 career games). Fox, who joins from the Kalamazoo Wings, had 50 points (26g, 24a) in 53 ECHL games this season. In his most recent game on Saturday, he found the net four times, including once for the overtime winner, in a 5-4 victory.

5. HELP FROM ABOVE

Not to be forgotten amid the flux of new arrivals are forwards Derek Ryan and Brock McGinn, who the Hurricanes reassigned to Charlotte on Sunday. Prior to the acquisition of Miller, they ranked first and second on the team in goal scoring, respectively. In their absence, Charlotte could only manage one goal in back-to-back losses to Grand Rapids on Friday and Saturday. Charlotte has been held to fewer than three goals in 13 of its last 15 games.

6. VETERANS DEPART

Though Miller and Jones provide plenty of experience and were both alternate captains with Bakersfield and Utica, respectively, prior to Monday’s transactions, the Checkers parted ways with all-time scoring leader Zach Boychuk and four-time AHL All Star T.J. Hensick in those deals. With their scoring pace slower than in previous AHL seasons, the two were tied for sixth on the Checkers in scoring with 26 points apiece prior to Monday’s trades.

7. WOODS GETS A CHANCE

Though not normally one of the team’s go-to options on offense, Brendan Woods earned his first NHL recall of the season thanks to a recent resurgence that saw him become part of easily the Checkers’ most consistent line along with Brody Sutter and Patrick Brown. Woods, who has 15 points (8g, 7a) in 48 games this season, leads the Checkers with a plus-6 rating. He is expected to play for the Hurricanes tonight.

8. ON THE SKIDS

The Checkers hope that the recent flurry of activity will help jump start a prolonged slump that has seen the team earn just two victories in its last 17 games since Jan. 27. Included in that time period is an active seven-game winless streak at Bojangles’ Coliseum (0-6-1) that marks a franchise record and the longest active streak of its kind in the AHL. Charlotte has not won on home ice since it last faced Chicago on Jan. 23.

9. PLAYOFF UPDATE

Charlotte is currently just outside of the playoff bubble in the Western Conference. Under the league’s new playoff format, the Checkers, who currently sit fifth in the Central Division with a winning percentage of .526, can qualify in one of two ways. First, they could crack the top four in their division, with No. 4. seed Lake Erie currently several percentage points ahead at .600. Alternatively, they could sneak into the Pacific Division bracket by finishing with a better point percentage than its fourth place team, which is currently San Jose at .557.

10. AGAINST THE WOLVES

Though the Wolves have been outside of the playoff picture for most of this season, they have consistently proven to be a tough out for the Checkers. Charlotte is 1-2-2 against the Wolves this season, having started the eight-game season series winless in four tries before it was able to score four times on the power play to earn a 6-5 victory on Jan. 23. The Wolves enter tonight’s game on a three-game winless streak (0-1-2) and are 2-5-3 in their last 10 outings.