Overall record: 25-16-1-4 (Home 11-10-0-4, Away 14-6-1-0)
Last week’s record: 2-1-0
Previous 10: 5-4-0-1
Standings: T-3rd – East Division, T-5th – Eastern Conference
THIS WEEK’S GAMES
Wed., Jan 26: at Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins, 7:05 p.m. – AHLLive.com
Fri., Jan 28: at Adirondack Phantoms, 7:30 p.m. – WBCN 1660AM/AHLLive.com
Sat., Jan 29: at Hershey Bears, 2 p.m. – AHLLive.com
WEEK IN REVIEW
Game 44: Wednesday, Jan.19 - vs. SPR (W, 3-1)
Checkers Clip Falcons
The Checkers overcame an early deficit, scored a pair of first-period goals and outshot the Springfield Falcons 43-22 on their way to a 3-1 victory on Wednesday evening. Charlotte’s goals were scored by Zach Boychuk, Brett Sutter and Jerome Samson and Mike Murphy got the win in goal by stopping 21 of 22 shots.
Game 45: Friday, Jan.21 - vs. SPR (L, 6-5)
Second-Period Surge Leads Falcons Over Checkers
Springfield used five second-period goals to beat the Checkers, 6-5, in front of more than 10,300 fans at Time Warner Cable Arena. Despite taking leads of 2-0 and 4-3 while going 3-of-6 on the power play, Charlotte was unable to complete a comeback after strikes from Chris D’Alvise and Tomas Kubalik put Springfield ahead by two in the third period.
Game 46: Sunday, Jan.23 - at WBS (W, 9-5)
Charlotte Power Play Punishes Penguins
The Checkers scored four goals on the power play, including the game-winning tally, as they routed the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins, 9-5, on the road. Zach Boychuk recorded his first professional hat trick, while Zac Dalpe contributed four assists on an afternoon in which 14 different Checkers recorded points. Justin Pogge extended his streak to 10 straight road wins by making 28 saves.
NOTABLES
* Zac Dalpe is on a seven-game point streak (2g, 12a) and has eight points in his last two games.
* The Checkers are 12-2-0 in their last 14 road games.
* Scoring the game-winning goal Wednesday, Brett Sutter became the 15th Checkers player to score a GWG this season.
* With two assists Friday, Jon Matsumoto surpassed 200-career AHL points.
* Casey Borer played in his 200th pro game Friday against Springfield.
* Bryan Rodney tallied his 200th and 201st pro points in Sunday’s win over Wilkes-Barre/Scranton.
LEADERS
Goals: Samson (21)
Assists: Osala (27)
Points: Samson (43)
PIM: FitzGerald (145)
Plus/Minus: Carson (+13)
Wins: Pogge (14)
GAA: Pogge (2.96)
Save %: Pogge (.913)
A LOOK AHEAD
Wednesday at Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins (7 p.m.)
The Checkers conclude their two-game series with Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Wednesday, after routing the Penguins, 9-5, on Sunday. The road team has prevailed in each of the five meetings between the Checkers and Penguins this season. Charlotte has the league’s most potent offense with 162 goals, while Wilkes-Barre/Scranton ranks second in the conference in defense with just 2.44 goals against per game.
Friday at Adirondack Phantoms (7:30 p.m.)
Charlotte will face Adirondack for the fourth time this season, after having gone 3-0 so far against the Phantoms. The Checkers defeated the Phantoms, 5-1, at Glens Falls Civic Center on Oct. 22 and swept a two-game series at Time Warner Cable Arena in mid-November. At 13-28-5, the Phantoms sit in last place in the AHL and have scored a league-low 102 goals.
Saturday at Hershey Bears (2 p.m.)
The Checkers battle the Bears Saturday afternoon in the seventh of eight meetings between the division rivals. Charlotte and Hershey have each won three of the first six meetings, with the clubs entering the week tied at 55 points each. The last two games in the season series will be played in Hershey, where the Bears have gone 14-8-0-1 through 23 home games.
