QUICK HITS
UP NORTH
Rochester is the third North Division opponent that the Checkers have played this season, and Charlotte is 2-1-1-0 thus far against the division thus far after facing Syracuse and Utica.This marks the first time this season that the Checkers have faced the Amerks, who enter tonight having lost three of their last four games.
HOME SWEET HOME
The Checkers are back on home ice, where they have collected at least one point in the standings in three of their last four games. They are 8-3-1-0 in the Queen City, tied for the second-most home wins in the Eastern Conference, while Rochester has had a harder time on the road - holding a 5-6-0-1 record away from home.SEARCHING FOR GOALS
The Checkers have scored two or fewer goals in each of their last three games - all of which resulted in losses - and have dropped into the bottom half of the league in terms of goals per game. They’ll need to find new sources of offense to break the slump, as they are currently without two of their top three and three of their top six scorers.On the bright side, the Checkers are no strangers to bursts of offense this season - in fact, iImmediately prior to this skid the Checkers had recorded at least four goals in four of eight games. They’ll now face a Rochester squad that ranks in the bottom 10 in the AHL in terms of goals-allowed per game and has given up at least four goals in three of its last four contests.
NASH STAYS HOT
With three points over the three-game road trip, Riley Nash now has 13 points in his last 12 games. Over that stretch the veteran forward has found the scoresheet in all but three of those contests.QUOTES
Checkers Head Coach Geordie Kinnear on getting his team back on track"We have to reestablish the identity of the group. We’re obviously coming off a tough road trip but we actually played some good hockey. We just have to find a way to score more goals and give up less."
Kinnear on this week of practice
"We came back and had a fun practice outside - we’re all very grateful for what we’re able to do and call it a job. It’s a passion really. So you get to go outside and live that for a little bit and it was a lot of fun. I thought Tuesday and Wednesday were really good practices, today there was a lot of new bodies so we focused on how we want to play and system stuff. We want to continue to build depth."
Kinnear on sparking the offense
"We just have to find more blue-paint goals, goals in general. Guys that are supposed to score, step up and score."
Kinnear on how the younger players can impress in their opportunities
"Positive impact all the time. You can’t just go out there and play, you have to have positive impact on a shift-by-shift basis. You want more opportunities over the course of the year and next year? Have a positive impact and make the most of it."
COMING IN
CLT: 1-4-0-0 in last five gamesROC: 2-3-0-0 in last five games
WHO TO WATCH
CLT
Logan Hutsko - 4 points in last 5 gamesRiley Nash - 13 points in last 12 games
Santtu Kinnunen - 3 points in last 6 games
ROC
Jeremy Davies - 4 points in last 5 gamesBrandon Biro - 7 points in last 5 games
Sean Malone - 7 points in last 6 games
SEE YOU THERE!
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TUNE IN
Tonight's game starts at 7 p.m. If you can't be at the Coliseum, you can tune in to the broadcast with a subscription to the league’s streaming platform AHLTVThe radio broadcast will be available via the Checkers app on iPhone or Android.
Additionally, our friends over at Ed's Tavern on 2200 Park Road are going to be showing the game on their TVs!
