Bojangles Game Preview: January 31 at Hartford
January 31, 2024 - American Hockey League (AHL)
Charlotte Checkers News Release
Before the Checkers take the ice this season, we're breaking down everything fans need to know with the Bojangles Game Preview!
THE MATCHUP
The Checkers are wrapping up their road trip with a visit to Hartford. It stands as their first matchup against the Wolf Pack this season, with the two sides squaring off a staggering eight times over the final 30 games of the campaign as the jostle for positioning in a tight Atlantic Division race.
THE STORYLINES
On The Skids
The Checkers are currently mired in their worst losing streak of the season, having ended up on the wrong side of each of their last five contests. It's been an especially tough skid for Charlotte, which has been outscored 24-6 over that run.
The longest losing streak in franchise history is seven games.
Searching For Offense
Goals have been hard to come by for Charlotte during this current slump. The Checkers have scored a single goal in each of their last four contests and recorded two in the game before that, giving them six total goals over the last five games.
The Checkers are averaging 2.42 goals per game during January - a month that featured a three-game run in which they posted a three-game run of five goals, five goals and four goals. They now clock in at number 23 in the league's goal-scoring rankings.
Charlotte will be looking to jumpstart the offense against a Hartford team that ranks in the AHL's top 10 in terms of goals surrendered per game.
March To The Box
The Checkers have run into some penalty trouble as of late. Their opponent has had at least four power plays in each of the last five contests - including 13 in the last two games alone. Charlotte has allowed a power-play goal in four of the last five games, but are still successfully killing a big chunk of those shorthanded moments - in fact, the Checkers are boasting the fourth-ranked penalty kill in the AHL and are less than 2 percentage points off of Hershey's AHL-best mark.
Skoog Steps Up
Since returning from a stint in the ECHL, Wilmer Skoog has found his scoring touch and latched onto a spot in the lineup. The rookie forward has nine points over the last 10 games, and his five goals during the month of January are more than any other Checker.
On The Brink
Two milestones are sitting on the horizon for the Checkers. Their next win will be the 500th in the franchise's AHL history, while Zac Dalpe's next goal will give him the franchise record.
THE ONES TO WATCH
Charlotte
Wilmer Skoog - 9 points in last 10 games
Rasmus Asplund - 6 points in last 7 games
Patrick Giles - 4 points in last 6 games
Hartford
Brett Berard - 6 points in last 6 games
Matt Rempe - 3 points in last 2 games
Brennan Othmann - 5 points in last 5 games
THE INFO
Puck drops tonight at 7 p.m. in Hartford. You can listen to the game for free on the Checkers app or watch on AHLTV.
American Hockey League Stories from January 31, 2024
- Amerks Come Up Short In 2-1 Loss To Syracuse - Rochester Americans
- Phantoms Fall in Rivalry Showdown - Lehigh Valley Phantoms
- Vecchione Scores Twice to Lead Bears to 4-2 Win Over Phantoms - Hershey Bears
- Gruden Scores, But Pens Fall in Family Feud with Marlies - Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins
- Brett Berard Notches Shorthanded Goal, But Wolf Pack Fall 4-2 to Checkers in Homestand Opener - Hartford Wolf Pack
- Checkers Snap Skid with 500th Franchise Win - Charlotte Checkers
- Islanders Win Over Thunderbirds, 3-1 - Bridgeport Islanders
- Crunch Defeat Amerks, 2-1 - Syracuse Crunch
- Comets Shock the Rocket Late, Win 4-3 - Utica Comets
- T-Birds Falter in Third in Bridgeport, 3-1 - Springfield Thunderbirds
- Game Day: CGY at CV - Calgary Wranglers
- Moose Recall Liwiski from Norfolk - Manitoba Moose
- San Diego Gulls to Host Mexican Heritage Night on Saturday, February 3 - San Diego Gulls
- Barracuda Defenseman Shakir Mukhamadullin Added to AHL All-Star Roster - San Jose Barracuda
- Jack Thompson Named 2024 AHL All-Star - Syracuse Crunch
- Thompson, Mukhamadullin, Denisenko Added to Rosters for 2024 AHL All-Star Classic Presented by Tech CU - AHL
- Grigori Denisenko Added to Roster for 2024 AHL All-Star Classic - Henderson Silver Knights
- Brogan Rafferty Recalled by Detroit - Grand Rapids Griffins
- Bojangles Game Preview: January 31 at Hartford - Charlotte Checkers
- Blue Jackets Assign Defenseman Nick Blankenburg to Monsters - Cleveland Monsters
- Wolf Pack Open Six-Game Homestand with Visit from Checkers - Hartford Wolf Pack
- Game Preview: Condors v Roadrunners, 6:30 p.m. - Bakersfield Condors
- Game #41: Tucson Roadrunners vs. Bakersfield Condors - Tucson Roadrunners
- Bridgeport Islanders Host Springfield Tonight - Bridgeport Islanders
- Blues Assign F Adam Gaudette to Springfield - Springfield Thunderbirds
- Eagles Top Reign, 6-3 - Ontario Reign
- Wagner Nets Two Goals in Colorado's 6-3 Win Over Reign - Colorado Eagles
- A Surreal Kind of Memory: Lukas Cormier's Milestone January - Henderson Silver Knights
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