Weekly Report: Jan. 13, 2020

The Checkers ended their stellar road trip on a high note as they continue to push their way back into the playoff conversation.

Week in Review

Checkers 6, Wilkes-Barre/Scranton 3

The Checkers picked up another win on the road against their former coach, erasing a 3-2 deficit midway through regulation thanks to four straight tallies. Full recap

Checkers 3, Hartford 6

The next contest featured a wild first period that saw six combined tallies and a deadlocked 3-3 score after 20 minutes. The Wolf Pack would take over from there, however, notching three unanswered goals over the next two periods to double up the Checkers and snap their six-game winning streak. Full recap

Checkers 5, Bridgeport 2

The Checkers shook off that misstep and ended the road trip on a high note with a big win over Bridgeport. After finding themselves down by one midway through the first, the visitors once again ripped off four straight goals to clinch the lopsided victory. Full recap

Three Stars Of The Week

FIVE NOTABLES

1) ON THE WAY UP

With another solid week on the road, the Checkers are one of the hottest teams in the AHL, with their 8-2-0 mark standing tied as the league’s best record over the last 10 games. Winners of 11 of their last 14 contests, the Checkers are now right in the thick of the playoff race after sitting at the bottom of the division just a month ago. Charlotte is one point behind Springfield for the fourth and final Atlantic playoff spot while holding four games in hand over the Thunderbirds.

2) POWERING UP

After a quick three-game drought, the Checkers’ power play has swung back in the right direction. They have notched a goal on the man advantage in each of the last three games, converting four times on 10 opportunities over that stretch, and now rank seventh in the AHL with a success rate over just over 21 percent.

3) A HATTY FOR MAX

Max McCormick lit the lamp three times in Saturday’s win over Bridgeport, posting a power-play goal, and even-strength goal and an empty-net goal. It was the sixth-year pro’s first career hat trick and the 12th in franchise history. It was the first hat trick by a Checker since Janne Kuokkanen’s on April 7, 2018, and the first by a Checker in a road game since Matt Tennyson on Nov. 11, 2016.

4) GOAT KEEPS GOING

Julien Gauthier’s keeps on filling the scoresheet, lighting the lamp in Friday’s contest to move his point streak to nine games. That’s the longest by a Checker this season and three away from the franchise record of 12, set in 2013-14 by Ryan Murphy and matched in 2017-18 by Greg McKegg. Gauthier also followed up the snapping of his four-game goal streak in the last game of December by immediately starting a new one in which he is currently in the midst of. Gauthier’s streaks remain active despite the forward missing Saturday’s game after sustaining an injury during warmups.

5) HEATING UP

Charlotte continues to climb up the AHL’s offensive rankings, currently sitting in the number 12 spot. The Checkers have scored at least three goals in 13 of their last 14 contests, a good sign as they are 18-3-2 when reaching that three-goal mark. Taking it a step further, the Checkers have scored at least four goals in nine of the last 12 contests.

RANKS

• Julien Gauthier is tied for fifth in the AHL in goals (18) and tied for sixth in power-play goals (7)
• Max McCormick is tied for the league-lead in major penalties (6) and ranks third in penalty minutes (80)
• Alex Nedeljkovic is tied for eighth in the AHL in goals-against average (2.38) and is tied for third in shutouts (3)
• Chase Priskie is tied for 12th among AHL rookies in scoring (22), tied for third in assists (17) and tied for third in power-play assists. He is also tied for second among rookie defensemen and tied for 13th among all league defensemen in scoring
• Jake Bean is tied for seventh among AHL defensemen in scoring (24)

INJURIES

• Julien Gauther - Missed one game starting 1/11
• Clark Bishop - Missed one game starting 1/11
• Kerby Rychel - Missed 17 games starting 12/1
• Stelio Mattheos - Missed 27 games starting 11/8

Transactions

Incoming

• None

Outgoing

• None

Coming Up

By the Numbers

CATEGORY	RECORD	AHL RANK	LAST WEEK
Power play	21.2%	7th	11th
Penalty kill	88.5%	1st	1st
Goals per game	3.14	12th	t-15th
Shots per game	31.49	8th	7th
Goals allowed per game	2.68	7th	6th
Shots allowed per game	28.05	7th	5th
Penalty minutes per game	15.03	3rd	3rd

LEADERS

CATEGORY	LEADER(S)
Points	Julien Gauthier, Janne Kuokkanen (25), Jake Bean (24)
Goals	Julien Gauthier (18), Max McCormick (12), Steven Lorentz (11)
Assists	Jake Bean (19), Chase Priskie, Janne Kuokkanen (17)
Power play goals	Julien Gauthier (7), Morgan Geekie (5), Four tied (3)
Shorthanded goals	Seven tied (1)
Game-winning goals	Morgan Geekie (4), Julien Gauthier (3), Chase Priskie, Steven Lorentz (2)
Shots on goal	Julien Gauthier (90), Morgan Geekie (80), Jake Bean (79)
Penalty minutes	Max McCormick (80), Brian Gibbons (40), Roland McKeown (36)
Plus/minus	Gustav Forsling (+15), Steven Lorentz (+14), Fredrik Claesson (+13)
Wins	Anton Forsberg, Alex Nedeljkovic (10)
Goals-against average	Alex Nedeljkovic (2.38)
Save percentage	Alex Nedeljkovic (.909)