Game Preview: Checkers vs Springfield (Feb. 9, 2018)

Finally back on home ice, the Checkers are looking to start their climb up the standings as they host the Springfield Thunderbirds.

1. SCOUTING THE THUNDERBIRDS

Despite sitting near the bottom of the Atlantic Division standings, the Thunderbirds have been on the uptick as of late. With a 6-4-0 record over their last 10 contests, they were winners of three straight before falling to the Penguins in a midweek tilt before heading to Charlotte.

"We can’t take them for granted," said head coach Mike Vellucci. "We’re playing a really hardworking team here in Springfield. They’re below us in the standings but that doesn’t really mean anything. They work extremely hard and they’re competitive. We have to match that intensity and we have to skate with them."

The Thunderbirds fall in the middle of the AHL pack on both sides of the puck but possess talent at both ends. A trio of 30-points scorers in Alexandre Grenier, Curtis Valk and Anthony Greco have propelled the offense for most of the season, while Samuel Montembeault has gone 4-0-1 in his last six appearances between the pipes and allowed two or fewer goals in four of those. Evan Cowley has stepped in to replace Harri Sateri, who has been in the NHL with Florida since early December, and been strong as well, starting each of the team’s last five games and winning three of them.

2. PREVIOUSLY ON

Tonight marks the fifth meeting this season between the Checkers and the Geordie Kinnear-led Thunderbirds. After Springfield pulled off a home sweep in mid-November, Charlotte returned the favor by taking both contests at Bojangles’ Coliseum a few weeks later.

Charlotte’s fourth-line duo of Warren Foegele and Clark Bishop have had a field day against Springfield so far this season, with the former lighting the lamp four times in as many games and the latter picking up five helpers. On the flip side, Springfield star Grenier has racked up seven points (2g, 5a) in those four games, while rookie netminder Montembeault shut out the Checkers in one of his two appearances opposite them.

3. HOME SWEET HOME

After a lengthy road trip, the Checkers are back in the friendly confines of Bojangles’ Coliseum. While they have dropped to .500 on the road this season, the Checkers have enjoyed more success on their home ice, holding a 13-8-0-1 record in Charlotte. Things have been a bit more hit or miss as of late, however, with the Checkers going 6-4-0 in their last 10 home contests while picking up two-game sweeps in two of the last six series.

The most noticeable boost on home ice for Charlotte this season has been in the team’s power play. The Checkers, who boast the fourth-ranked man advantage overall in the AHL, have produced at a 25.7 percent clip at home – the best such mark in the league. By comparison, they are sporting a 15.7 percent mark on the road, which is tied for 19th.

"It was a tough road trip," said Vellucci. "Long and lots of travel. So it’s good to be home and we’re ready to get started tonight. We need to get some renewed energy back here at home. It’s always good to get home, get some laundry done, get all that stuff out of the way. Hopefully the crowd will pick us up."

4. CROWDED CREASE

With one game remaining on their road trip, the Checkers recalled rookie netminder Callum Booth from the ECHL’s Florida Everblades earlier this week.

“We wanted to bring Booth in no matter how the year was going. We’re trying to develop him and our goalies and I wanted to get a good look at him. Like Ned last year going up and down, we wanted Booth to come up and see what the American league is all about. He’s having a really good year down there, so we want to give him a little sniff up here.”

That gives the Checkers three goalies on their current roster, as Booth joins Alex Nedeljkovic and Jeremy Smith. But despite the crowded crease, the coaching staff is looking forward to using this time to build up their whole unit.

“It’s actually very easy to handle,” said Vellucci of having three goalies on the roster. “We’ve got [goalie coach] Paul [Schonfelder] here for the next 12 to 14 days so Smitty will get some extra work, Booth will get to work with him. We brought Booth up here so Paul can work with him and we can get all three of our goalies on the same page.”

Booth unexpectedly made his AHL debut this past Wednesday when he relieved Nedeljkovic in Lehigh Valley, stopping the two shots he faced in his 11 minutes of action. But the plan for him getting more game action going forward is unclear.

“I don’t know when he’s going to get a game,” said Vellucci. “We’ll have to see how it plays out.”

Vellucci also casts aside any notion of a goaltending controversy.

“I’m not looking to send a message or anything,” he said. I just want our goalies to play well. So now all three get to work with Paul this week and fine tune their game so we can get going.

5. POINTS FOR MCKEOWN

In his second pro season, Roland McKeown has tapped into his scoring side for the Checkers. The blue liner has gone off for four points over the team’s last four games, notching a goal and three helpers. That offensive outburst puts McKeown second among Charlotte blue liners in scoring, while his four goals are tied for the team lead along with Trevor Carrick.

McKeown has made several strides since his rookie campaign a year ago. The blue liner has already eclipsed his 71-game totals for goals, assists and points through just 42 contests this season.

"He’s joining the play more," said Vellucci. "He's a little more comfortable with that. He makes some really smart decisions when he does it. He’s not just doing it to do it, it’s when he sees the open ice."

6. SAARELA STRIKES

Aleksi Saarela has broken out in a big way as of late, racking up four goals and two assists over the last three games. That explosion has pushed the Finnish forward into third on the team in goal scoring, while his seven tallies on the man advantage rank second.

"He’s finally shooting," said Vellucci. "He’s got the best shot in the league but he doesn’t shoot all the time. We’re getting him to get the puck on the net and if he does that it’s usually going in. He’s also moving his feet. When he moves his feet he gets more involved in the play."

7. GET THE APP

The Checkers app got a fresh new set of paint during the offseason but functions just the same. Follow along with scoring updates as well as play the Top Line interactive game.

You will also be able to listen to the radio broadcast via the app or this link. Jason Shaya’s pregame show starts 15 minutes prior to puck drop, tune in and tweet Jason to let him know you’re listening.