November 11, 2011 8:03 AM
Paul Branecky
(Twitter: @PaulBranecky)
The Checkers’ long road saga is finally drawing to a close, as the team will conclude its season-long nine-game swing with their fourth consecutive three-in-three set this weekend.
In a welcome change, two of the teams’ games will come in the same city, namely Oklahoma City. However, any chance at relaxation will be tempted by the quality of their opponent, with the Barons currently holding the second- longest active winning streak in the AHL (five games) to vault into first place in the Western Conference at 9-2-1.
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GAME INFORMATION |
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VIDEO: www.AHLLive.com |
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RADIO: www.AHLLive.com |
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TWITTER: @CheckersHockey |
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SEASON SERIES |
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Friday, Oct. 28: Checkers 2, Oklahoma City 1 |
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Friday, Nov. 11 at 8 p.m. (Oklahoma City)
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Saturday, Nov. 12 at 8 p.m. (Oklahoma City) |
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Sunday, Dec. 18 at 6 p.m. (Charlotte) |
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Tuesday, Dec. 20 at 7 p.m. (Charlotte) |
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Friday, Feb. 3 at 8 p.m. (Oklahoma City) |
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Friday, Feb. 24 at 7 p.m. (Charlotte) |
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Saturday, Feb. 25 at 7 p.m. (Charlotte) |
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CHECKERS STATS |
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RECORD
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8-4-1-0 |
2nd Western Conference
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GOALS / GAME
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2.92 |
15th AHL |
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GOALS ALLOWED / GAME
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2.46
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6th AHL |
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POWER PLAY |
15-70 (21.4%)
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11th AHL |
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PENALTY KILL
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43-54 (79.6%) |
20th AHL |
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PIM / GAME
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15.46 |
11th AHL |
With a win in Oklahoma City, a feat that they accomplished exactly two weeks ago by a 2-1 score, the second- seeded Checkers (8-4-1) would pull even on points. The Barons have not lost since the last meeting between the two clubs, which was decided on Matt Pistilli’s power-play goal with 44 seconds remaining on Oct. 29.
CHARLOTTE
As they aim to post a winning record for the fourth consecutive weekend, the Checkers will have to do so without suspended forward Chris Terry. Terry, the team’s third-leading scorer with 8 points (2g, 6a) in 13 games, will sit out both games against Oklahoma City as a result of his collision with Grand Rapids goaltender Joey MacDonald last week.
Though coach Jeff Daniels said multiple players would be called upon to make up for Terry’s loss, as the forward features heavily in all situations, including playing the point on the power play, rookie Justin Shugg will make his return from injury to fill his spot in the lineup. Shugg, a 19-year-old rookie who played three games with the Checkers two weeks ago, making his AHL debut in the first meeting with Oklahoma City, missed the team’s last three games after being cut by his own skate during practice.
Shugg, a fourth-round pick by the Carolina Hurricanes in 2010, did not record a point in his first three AHL games but was the team’s leading scorer in two preseason games (2g, 1a) and was the ECHL’s Player of the Week at the time of his Oct. 27 recall from the Florida Everblades. He had 8 points (4g, 4a) in five games with the Everblades, continuing his excellent scoring pace from junior hockey, where he posted 41 goals last season.
After handing six straight starts to Mike Murphy over the last few weeks, Daniels will likely return to his planned rotation in goal now that Justin Peters has returned to health. Peters played one game last weekend, making 26 saves in a 2-1 win over Grand Rapids.
The Checkers are healthy with the exception of center Cedric McNicoll (lower body), who Daniels has ruled out of all three games this weekend.
OKLAHOMA CITY
During their winning streak, the Barons have been led by soon-to-be-34-year-old center Josh Green, who has played 334 NHL games dating back to the 1998-99 season. Green has 6 points in his last four games (4g, 2a), giving him his second four-game scoring streak of the season. Philippe Cornet leads the team with 8 goals, which have remarkably come on just 21 shots, giving him the AHL lead in shooting percentage (38.1).
Yann Danis, another veteran who has seen time in the NHL, has been the Barons’ leader in goal to the tune of a .934 save percentage (4th AHL) and 1.99 goals-against average (7th). His numbers are remarkably similar to Charlotte’s Murphy, right down to the fact that they have the same number of wins (six – t-3rd AHL) and are two of just three goalies who have stopped all comers in the shootout.
Defenseman Colten Teubert, a 2008 first-round pick of the Oilers who committed the late penalty to allow Pistilii’s winner two weeks ago, rejoins the game after a two-game stint in the NHL. In terms of blueline scoring, veteran Bryan Helmer, 39, ranks tied for third in the AHL with 5 power-play assists. However, the Barons are more efficient on the penalty kill, having converted at a 94.7 percent clip at home.
CHECKERS NOTES
 • Tonight’s game marks the start of the Checkers’ fourth consecutive weekend with a three-in-three set. They are 6-3-0 in those games this season, with a record of 1-2-0 in game one, 3-0-0 in game two and 2-1-0 in game three. Historically, game one is the only game in which the team has a losing record, as it has gone 4-5-2 over the last two seasons. Following this weekend, the Checkers have four remaining three-in-threes, with the next beginning on Dec. in Charlotte.
• Prior to a three-goal outburst in the first period of Sunday’s game, the Checkers had scored a total of just seven first-period goals in their previous 12 games. However, they’ve scored a league-leading 18 goals in the second period, while allowing a league-high 17 in the third – the only period in which they have a negative goal differential (-9). Their +11 differential in the second period is the tied with Houston’s third period (+11) and Binghamton’s second period (-11) for the largest differential by any team in any period this season.
• Checkers forward Jerome Samson currently has a seven-game point streak (4g, 6a), the longest current run in the AHL. It is the fourth seven-game streak of Samson’s five-year professional career and one shy of his career high eight-game streak set with Albany in 2009-10. Six of the seven games have come on the road, tying him with Hershey’s Keith Aucoin for the longest road streak by any player this season.
Samson, the AHL’s leader in shots on goal with 69, is now the Checkers’ leader in points (14), goals (7) and power-play goals (3). He has also moved into a seven-way tie for 10th in AHL point scoring. He has been held scoreless in just three of the Checkers’ 13 games this season.
• Goalie Mike Murphy, who has started nine of the Checkers’ 13 games this season, ranks tied for third in the AHL in wins (6), fifth in save percentage (.932), 9th in goals-against average (2.18) and fourth in total saves (276). The third-year pro has recorded six of the Checkers’ eight victories this season, and is one of just three goaltenders to have stopped all comers in the shootout (5-5).
• Defenseman Justin Faulk ranks tied for sixth among AHL rookie defensemen in scoring with 6 points (2g, 4a) in nine games. In comparison to the players tied with or ahead of him on that list, Faulk is the youngest (19) and has played at least four fewer games. Faulk, who leads all Checkers defensemen in scoring, recently recorded his first career multi-point game and first career game-winning goal in Saturday’s win in Grand Rapids.
TRANSACTIONS
Charlotte
• Nov. 7 – LW Drayson Bowman reassigned to Charlotte from Carolina (NHL)
• Nov. 7 – C Zac Dalpe recalled to Carolina (NHL) from Charlotte
Oklahoma City
• Nov. 10 – D Colten Teubert reassigned to Oklahoma City from Edmonton (NHL)
• Nov. 10 – D Dan Ringwald released from PTO by Oklahoma City
• Nov. 10 – D Taylor Chorney assigned to Oklahoma City from Edmonton (NHL) |
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