Game Preview: Checkers vs. Grand Rapids (March 4, 2016)

After a few weeks on the road, the #CheckersComeHome for a stretch of six games and 10 days that starts with tonight’s match-up against the Grand Rapids Griffins.

Here are 10 things to know about the match-up at Bojangles’ Coliseum:

1. COMING IN

This week’s NHL trade deadline brought numerous changes to the Charlotte roster that will be evident tonight. Three “new” players – forward Anthony Camara, who the Hurricanes acquired from the Boston Bruins, defenseman Dennis Robertson, who came over from the Chicago Blackhawks, and goaltender John Muse, who the Checkers brought in from Texas – will be available tonight. Forward Valentin Zykov, acquired in a trade with the Los Angeles Kings, is recovering from injury and has not yet joined the Checkers.

2. GOING OUT

The Checkers only lost one player via trade, with veteran netminder Drew MacIntyre heading to the Chicago organization in a one-for-one swap with Robertson. However, the roster certainly felt an impact from Carolina’s activity, as forwards Derek Ryan and Brock McGinn and defenseman Ryan Murphy are now filling roster spots with the Hurricanes that were opened by Carolina’s trading of veterans and a handful of injuries.

3. OFFENSIVE QUESTIONS

The net result of the week’s movement is that the Checkers, who were already struggling to produce offense, will now have to do so without Ryan and McGinn, who rank first and second on the team in goal-scoring, respectively. In their absence, defensemen Trevor Carrick and Jake Chelios becomes the team’s top point-getters with 35 and 26, while Brody Sutter and Patrick Brown are tied for the team’s goal lead with 10 apiece. The Checkers, who have scored two goals or fewer in 11 of their last 13 games, will be hoping that forward T.J. Hensick, who has not practiced this week due to illness, is feeling up to the task tonight.

Prior to scoring in his NHL debut Tuesday, Ryan accounted for three of the Checkers’ last four goals, all of which came on the power play.

4. ON THE POWER PLAY

Even throughout the Checkers’ offensive struggles, their power play has continued to produce at a high rate with 10 goals in its last 11 games and is now tied for first in the AHL at 22.9 percent. In order to continue that success without Ryan and McGinn up front (a team-leading seven power play goals each) and Murphy (14 power-play points) on defense, the Checkers will have to rely on the likes of Carrick, Chelios, Hensick and Zach Boychuk (six power-play markers) to pick up the slack.

5. CARRICK COOKING

If additional offensive burden does fall on Carrick, his recent production suggests that he might be up to the task. The AHL All-Star has five assists in his last five games to overtake Ryan for the team lead in the category and has already surpassed his totals in every offensive category from last year’s rookie season despite playing 24 fewer games. He is tied for sixth among league defensemen in scoring.

6. MINDING THE NET

This week’s moves will likely result in Daniel Altshuller and Muse, neither of whom began the season with the Checkers, taking over the crease for the remainder of the season. After cooling down from the blistering start to his AHL career in December and January, Altshuller is coming off one of his best performances, a 27-save showing in the Checkers’ 2-1 win in Manitoba on Sunday. Meanwhile, Muse, the Checkers’ all-time wins leader, is 9-3-3 this season but has not played since Jan. 5.

7. PLAYOFF PICTURE

Having previously challenged for the top spot in the Central Division at the height of their December/January dominance, the Checkers’ 2-10-3 slide since Jan. 27 currently has them outside of the playoff picture. With a winning percentage of .545, they sit firmly in fifth place in the Central Division behind four seed Lake Erie (.621), giving the Checkers a better chance to qualify on the crossover rule in the Pacific. To do so, they would as of now need to catch San Jose, which holds a .559 clip.

8. AGAINST THE GRIFFINS

The Griffins proved to be slump busters in each of the teams’ last two match-ups, with Grand Rapids winning in Charlotte on Jan. 12 to halt the Checkers’ franchise-record, 12-game point streak and then losing at home Feb. 19 to put an end to Charlotte’s franchise-record, 10-game winless streak. The Griffins have not lost since dropping that last game to the Checkers and enter tonight with wins in each of their last six games.

Forward Ethan Werek has been far and away Charlotte’s best performer in the series, with five of his eight goals on the season coming in four match-ups against the Griffins. Both teams are 3-3-0 in the eight-game series that concludes with tomorrow’s rematch.

9. HOME AND ROAD

Though the Checkers have also cooled off on the road, that’s where they were able to claim their only two victories since their struggles began in earnest on Jan. 27. Meanwhile, the team has an active six-game winless streak at Bojangles’ Coliseum (0-5-1) that ties the longest in team history and the longest active streak in the AHL, having come up with just one point from a six-games-in-nine-days stretch that ran from Feb. 5-13.

10. ALL KINDS OF SPECIALS

After saving 40 percent on a group of four tickets by purchasing a family pack online, enjoy discounted $5 parking and a $4 hotdog/popcorn/soda concessions special once arriving at the coliseum.