Paul Branecky
(Twitter: @PaulBranecky)

The Checkers will try to pick up the first win of their latest road trip when they pay their first-ever visit to Grand Rapids tonight.

Charlotte (6-4-1, 6th Western Conference), is coming off a 3-1 loss in Milwaukee on Friday, marking its second consecutive regulation loss – the first such streak of the season. Prior to that, the Checkers had won a season-high four consecutive games.

	GAME INFORMATION
	VIDEO: www.AHLLive.com
	RADIO: WFNZ 610 AM | www.AHLLIVE.com
	TWITTER: @CheckersHockey | @PaulBranecky
	SEASON SERIES
	Saturday, Nov. 5 at 7 p.m. (Grand Rapids)
	Sunday, Jan. 15 at 3 p.m. (Charlotte)
	Tuesday, Jan. 17 at 7 p.m. (Charlotte)
	Friday, March 30 at 7 p.m. (Grand Rapids)
	CHECKERS STATS
	RECORD	6-4-1-0	6th Western Conference
	GOALS / GAME	2.91	15th AHL
	GOALS ALLOWED / GAME	2.64	7th AHL
	POWER PLAY	12-61 (19.7%)	15th AHL
	PENALTY KILL	37-48 (77.1%)	t-22nd AHL
	PIM / GAME	15.18	8th AHL

Tonight’s game will also mark game No. 5 of the team’s season-long, nine-game road swing that features three-in-three clusters on three consecutive weekends. So far, the Checkers own a record of 2-2-0.

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CHARLOTTE

Each of the Checker’s last two games have been filled with minor penalties, resulting in a focus on special teams. During that stretch, the Checkers have gone 2-for-18 on the power play (11.1 percent) and 10-for-15 on the penalty kill (66.7 percent), underlining the reason for their lack of success in the standings column.

While they’ve hit a bit of a lull in that regard, neither area had been a problem for the team earlier in the season. Heading into the Oct. 30 game at Houston, the first loss in their current streak, the Checkers ranked 9th on the power play (23.3 percent) and 16th on the penalty kill (81.3 percent), although they’ve since dropped to 15th (19.7 percent) and 23rd (77.1 percent), respectively.

The Checkers will have to continue to make do without two of their most potent power-play threats, as Drayson Bowman and Zach Boychuk, who each have 2 power-play goals to tie with Jon Matsumoto for the team lead, are in the NHL with the Carolina Hurricanes.

Charlotte goaltender Justin Peters is likely to see his first start since suffering an injury on Oct. 21, which would end Mike Murphy’s run of six consecutive starts and eight consecutive appearances.

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GRAND RAPIDS

The Griffins (5-5-0), top affiliate of the NHL’s Detroit Red Wings, currently find themselves just outside of playoff position as the Western Conference’s No. 10 seed. They enter tonight’s match-up having won two straight games, including 5-3 win over Milwaukee and a 3-0 shutout of Lake Erie. Though the Checkers schedule has been hectic, tonight’s game will mark the first time that they’ll be at a rest disadvantage to their opponent, as Grand Rapids has been off since Wednesday.

In what could prove to be a relief for Charlotte’s penalty kill, the Griffins own the league’s worst power play, having converted just six of 59 chances (10.2 percent). Their penalty kill fares better at 19th in the league (80 percent) with Chris Conner tying for the AHL lead with two shorthanded goals, both of which came in the same game on Oct. 18. With 15 points (5g, 10a) in 10 games, Conner enters tonight’s contest tied for fourth in AHL scoring and has scored 6 points during a current three-game streak, though the Griffins as a team rank 27th with an average of 2.40 goals per game.

Twenty-two-year-old rookie Gustav Nyquist, a native of Sweden who played college hockey at Maine, has also gotten off to a good start, scoring 9 points (4g, 5a) and earning himself a one-game recall with the Red Wings earlier in the week. He ranks second on Grand Rapids in scoring.

One day after facing the AHL’s best-disciplined team, the Checkers will now face the opposite end of the spectrum. Led by Greg Amadio and NHL veteran Garnet Exelby, who rank third and fourth in the league in penalty minutes by defensemen, respectively, the Griffins average a league-high 23 penalty minutes per contest with four game misconducts. In addition, rookie Mitch Callahan leads all first-year players in penalty minutes (32) and major penalties (4)

In goal, Joey MacDonald has played in eight of the Griffins’ 10 games, sporting 2.09 goals-against average (7th AHL), .934 save percentage (3rd AHL) and two shutouts (t-1st AHL). He’s been key in helping the Griffins hold leads, as they have won each game when leading at an intermission (4-0-0 when leading after first, (5-0-0 when leading after second) and are 4-1-0 when scoring the game’s first goal.

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CHECKERS NOTES

• Historically, the Checkers are at their best in the second game of three-in-three sets with an all-time record of 7-2-1. They are 2-0-0 this season, having beaten Houston 2-1 on Oct. 22 and San Antonio 4-1 on Oct. 29.

• Charlotte was the last team in the AHL to trail at the second intermission, having found itself in a 2-1 hole to Milwaukee on Friday. The Checkers have led at the second intermission in seven of their 11 games (4-2-1) and have been tied in three others (2-1-0).

• The Checkers’ second periods have been by far their best this season, as they own a +9 goal differential (15 goals for, six against). However, in the third period, they have been out-scored 16-8 for a -8 differential. Their 16 goals allowed in the third period are the most by any AHL team. Their first periods have been relatively even and low-scoring, with Charlotte scoring seven times and allowing six.

• With an assist on Friday, forward Jerome Samson extended his team and season-high point streak to five games (2g, 5a). The fifth-year forward, who leads the AHL with 59 shots on goal, also has a three-game assists streak, having posted four helpers during that stretch. Samson now has 11 points in 11 games, trailing Jon Matsumoto by one point for the team lead.

• Despite losing his last two starts, Charlotte goalie Mike Murphy still ranks fourth in the league in save percentage (.932), second in saves (248) and 10th in goals-against average (2.20). Murphy is also one of just four goaltenders to have stopped all comers in the shootout (5-5).

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TRANSACTIONS

CHARLOTTE

Nov. 3 – Left wing Scott Pitt signed to a professional tryout agreement by Charlotte
Nov. 2 – Goaltender John Muse reassigned to Florida (ECHL) by Charlotte
Nov. 2 – Center Zac Dalpe assigned to Charlotte by Carolina (NHL)
Nov. 2 – Left wing Drayson Bowman recalled to Carolina (NHL) from Charlotte

GRAND RAPIDS

Nov. 4 – Defenseman Brendan Smith reassigned to Grand Rapids from Detroit (NHL)
Nov. 3 – Defenseman Brendan Smith recalled to Detroit (NHL) from Grand Rapids
Nov. 2 – Left wing Gustav Nyquist reassigned to Grand Rapids from Detroit (NHL)
Nov. 1 – Left wing Gustav Nyquist recalled to Detroit (NHL) from Grand Rapids
Oct. 31 – Center Adam Estoclet assigned to Toledo (ECHL) from Grand Rapids
Oct. 31 – Left wing Fabian Brunnstrom assigned to Grand Rapics from Detroit (NHL)