Game Preview: Checkers vs. Ontario (Dec. 5, 2015)

On their best roll of the season, the Checkers welcome the mighty Ontario Reign to town looking to extend their streak.

Here are some things to watch for:

1. COMEBACK KIDS

Saturday’s win over Iowa marked the fourth time the Checkers have erased a deficit of at least two goals in the third period this season. Two of those came against Iowa, both of which were three-goal deficits. All four games resulted in wins, three of which came during regulation and one of which came in a shootout.

Charlotte now has three wins when trailing after two periods, which is tied with Chicago for most in the AHL. The Checkers have 32 third-period goals, a total that accounts for 51 percent of the team’s total and is the third-most by any AHL team in any period.

2. BOYCHUK ON THE BOARD

After enduring a 16-game goalless drought, the longest of his career, Zach Boychuk finally found the back of the net with a power-play tally last Wednesday against San Jose before adding another two games later against Iowa.

While the goals are just now starting to fall for the former Willie Marshall Award-winner, Boychuk has been a force this season for the Checkers. He leads the team with 11 assists thus far and has racked up seven points in his last five games. Boychuk also picked up several career milestones this week. He became the first player to appear in 300 games as a Checker on Saturday, passing Chris Terry for the franchise's all-time lead, and earned his 300th AHL point on Sunday. Boychuk, who took the franchise goals-leader crown last season, became the Checkers leading scorer earlier this season.

3. OFFENSE HEATING UP

Despite its inconsistent nature so far this season, the Checkers' offensive attack has remained one of the best in the league, currently ranking seventh overall in terms of goals per game. The team currently boasts five different skaters with over 10 points through the first 20 games of the season compared to just one at this time last year.

A big part of that success has been the sheer number of pucks that the Checkers are putting on net. Charlotte ranks ninth in the AHL in shots on goal per game as a team and have two players (Phil Di Giuseppe and Zach Boychuk) who are in the top four in shots individually.

4. FAMILIAR FACES

Head coach Mark Morris will face his former team for the first time this weekend. Morris spent eight seasons behind the bench of the Kings’ affiliate when they were in Manchester and racked up the 10th-most wins in AHL history during his tenure

5. MURPHY'S RETURN

Defenseman Ryan Murphy rejoins the Checkers for the second time this season after heading back to the big club for one game earlier this week. In his first two AHL games since Jan. 23 of last season, Murphy recorded three points (1g, 2a). An AHL All-Star with the Checkers last season, Murphy has 44 points (4g, 40a) in 52 career AHL games dating back to the 2012-13 season. He holds Charlotte’s all-time records for longest assist streak and longest point streak, both of which lasted 12 games in 2013-14.

6. RYAN ON A ROLL

Derek Ryan has not disappointed in his first North American season. The former Swedish league MVP has 16 points in 20 games this season and leads the team in goals and points. While the team as a whole has struggled with consistency this season, the captain has been one player that they have leaned on game in and game out, and has not been held off the scoresheet in consecutive games this year.

7. POWER SURGE

After reaching near historic lows with their power play a season ago, the Checkers have been reinvigorated this season. They have netted 19 power-play goals in 20 games, with their 21.8 percentage ranking as the fifth-best in the AHL. Including a two-goal performance on Saturday, the Checkers have scored multiple power-play goals in six games this season.

8. SHOOTOUT SUCCESS

With Sunday's win over Iowa, the Checkers improved to 4-0 this season in shootouts and have now won eight straight shootouts dating back to last season. A big part of that success has been the play of Drew MacIntyre, who turned aside both Wild shooters he faced on Sunday to remain perfect in shootouts this season. In his two seasons as a member of the Checkers, MacIntyre has stopped 29 of 31 shootout attempts.