Weekly Report: April 1, 2024

The Checkers wrapped up their penultimate road trip by keeping their points streak intact through a busy week.

IN CASE YOU MISSED IT

Checkers 3, Wolf Pack 0

The Checkers took care of business against a familiar foe in Hartford Wednesday night. Wilmer Skoog stayed hot with a quick goal to kick things off, then the Checkers clung to that one-goal lead until the final minutes of regulation when they tacked on a pair of insurance markers. They weren’t needed, though, as Spencer Knight stopped all 19 shots he faced to earn his second straight shutout.

Checkers 4, Islanders 1

The Checkers kept things rolling as they visited Bridgeport two days later. A pair of tallies from defensemen Mike Benning and Casey Fitzgerald gave Charlotte a two-goal advantage early, and it never looked back. After the visitors extended that lead in the second, the Islanders finally broke through in the final minutes of regulation via an unfortunate bounce off the end boards, but Will Lockwood tacked on an empty netter for good measure and Magnus Hellberg locked things up between the pipes to earn Charlotte the win.

Islanders 1, Checkers 0

The final leg of the lengthy road trip was a tightly contested rematch with the Islanders that featured no offensive conversions through regulation. Spencer Knight played another 60 minutes of perfect hockey, setting the franchise record for longest shutout streak, but it was the Islanders who finally broke the ice - finding the back of the net on a man advantage in overtime to pick up the 1-0 win.

QUICK HITS

PLAYOFF PICTURE

By taking five out of a possible six points last week, the Checkers continue to push closer to clinching a spot in the 2024 Calder Cup Playoffs. Their magic number to officially punch their postseason ticket is three - which can be reduced either by the Checkers earning points or the seventh place team in the Atlantic failing to collect them. That seventh place team is currently Springfield, who plays Wednesday, Friday and Saturday, while the Checkers play Saturday and Sunday - meaning the Checkers could clinch a playoff berth as soon as this weekend.

Currently in third place with 77 points, the Checkers have a two-point edge over the Penguins (75 points) - though the Pens have one game in hand - and a seven-point lead over the fifth-place Wolf Pack, who also have a game in hand. While their third-place spot comes with home-ice advantage in the opening round, the Checkers are still chasing Providence for the number two spot - which comes with a first-round bye. Charlotte has 77 points with seven games left on the schedule, while Providence has 83 points with eight games remaining.

LOCKDOWN

The Checkers have been stifling their opponents over this most recent stretch of contests, having allowed just four total goals over the last five games. Going back even further the Checkers have surrendered 14 goals over the last nine games, with six of those coming in a single 6-4 loss to Springfield.

The Checkers have now entered the league’s top 10 in terms of goals-allowed per game, and they are giving up the second fewest shots in the AHL as well.

KNIGHT'S IN, LIGHTS OUT

Leading the charge of that stingy defense has been Spencer Knight, who has been prolific between the pipes for Charlotte. The netminder has three shutouts in his last five starts and has allowed four total goals over that stretch - a run that includes a franchise-best 213 minutes of shutout hockey. Dating back to Feb. 10, Knight is 9-1-1 with a 1.54 goals-against average and a .934 save percentage.

SKOOG STAYS HOT

On the other side of things, Wilmer Skoog continues to power the Charlotte offense. The rookie forward scored on Wednesday and Friday this week, giving him a three-game goal streak at the time, and he now has seven tallies in his last eight games.

Skoog’s goal-scoring tear continues to astound - he didn’t notch his first pro goal until Jan. 8, but has potted 18 goals in 33 games from that point on, a run that ranks third in the league behind the AHL’s top two overall goal scorers.

HIGHLIGHT OF THE WEEK

Mackie Samoskevich forces the turnover and makes the dish, Casey Fitzgerald buries it!

Fitzgerald adds to the cushion! pic.twitter.com/7nRi7BiOuy

— Charlotte Checkers (@CheckersHockey) March 28, 2024

Transactions

Incoming

• March 28 - Uvis Balinskis assigned by Florida (NHL)

Outgoing

• None

By the Numbers

CATEGORY	RECORD	AHL RANK
Power play	16.4%	t-29th
Penalty kill	82.9%	10th
Goals per game	2.97	21st
Shots per game	32.78	3rd
Goals allowed per game	2.85	10th
Shots allowed per game	26.14	2nd
Penalty minutes per game	10.80	27th

LEADERS

CATEGORY	LEADER(S)
Points	Mackie Samoskevich (45), Lucas Carlsson, Rasmus Asplund (39)
Goals	Mackie Samoskevich, Wilmer Skoog (18), Gerry Mayhew, Zac Dalpe (16)
Assists	Rasmus Asplund (32), Mackie Samoskevich (27), Lucas Carlsson (24)
Power play goals	Zac Dalpe, Gerry Mayhew, Wilmer Skoog (6)
Shorthanded goals	Patrick Giles (2), Justin Sourdif, Rasmus Asplund (1)
Game-winning goals	Gerry Mayhew (6), Lucas Carlsson (5), Mackie Samoskevich (4)
Shots on goal	Lucas Carlsson (207), Zac Dalpe (152), Mackie Samoskevich (140)
Penalty minutes	Casey Fitzgerald, Justin Sourdif (58), Riley Bezeau, Lucas Carlsson (54)
Plus/minus	Casey Fitzgerald (+16), Matt Kiersted (+13), Patrick Khodorenko (+11)
Wins	Spencer Knight (23)
Goals-against average	Spencer Knight (2.42)
Save percentage	Spencer Knight (.905)