Bojangles Game Preview: January 31 vs. Providence
Published on January 31, 2026 under 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!
Charlotte opens up a six-game homestand at Bojangles Coliseum with a battle against the first-place Providence Bruins on Saturday afternoon.
THE MATCHUP
Record/Standings
CLT - 25-12-3-0 (3rd, Atlantic Division)
PRO - 30-8-1-0 (1st, Atlantic Division)
Power Play / Penalty Kill
CLT - 17.8% / 85.2%
PRO - 22.7% / 83.8%
Offense / Defense
CLT - 3.53 GF/Game / 2.78 GA/Game
PRO - 3.36 GF/Game / 2.10 GA/Game
Head-To-Head
0-2-0-0
THE STORYLINES
OFFENSIVELY MINDED
Charlotte tops the American Hockey League in goals per game (3.53), heading into Saturday's game against Providence. The Checkers have scored 48 times over their previous eight games, a stretch in which they've gone 7-0-1, creeping closer and closer to the second-place Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins. The club currently sits third in the Atlantic Division, trailing the Penguins by five points with three games in hand.
Over the last two weeks, Charlotte has scored seven or more goals in a single game four times. Sixteen skaters have double-digit points in the 2025-26 season, and six have recorded 20-plus points. Topping the group are rookie forward Jack Devine and second-year pro Ben Steeves with 29 points. Devine currently ranks seventh in goals (12), tied for fifth in assists (17) and fifth in points among AHL rookies. Steeves has already surpassed his point total from the 2024-25 campaign, in which he amassed ten goals and 18 assists in 60 games.
TO BE THE BEST ...
Saturday marks the third meeting of the season between the Bruins and the Checkers, including the first time at Bojangles Coliseum in 2025-26. Both previous matchups came at Amica Mutual Pavilion, where Providence outscored Charlotte 11-5 in the first month of the regular season. The Bruins have been one of the most consistent clubs in the AHL this year, winning 16 of their first 19 games off the hop and remaining dominant since. In fact, they have not lost consecutive games all season through 33 outings. They enter Saturday's contest on a five-game winning streak.
Goaltender Michael DiPietro ranks first in the AHL with a 1.76 goals-against average and a .938 save percentage. He's 2-0 against Charlotte this season, sporting a GAA of 2.50 and a .917 SV%. Fabian Lysell's four-goal outburst on October 12 propelled the Bruins to a 6-3 win. Riley Tufte's two-goal performance helps Providence pull away in a 5-2 victory on November 2. Riese Gaber (two goals) and Nolan Foote (one goal, one assist) are tied with two points against the P-Bruins in the season series.
RIESE'S FOUR-PIECE
Speaking of Gaber, the Gilbert Plains, MB, native had a career night on Wednesday against the Wolf Pack, posting a goal and three assists. The performance marked the first time he'd ever posted a four-point performance in a single AHL game. Gaber filled in for Devine, who was ruled out due to injury following the morning skate in Hartford. "I think I just stayed ready," Gaber said. "You never know when your name is going to be called. In this league, when you get an opportunity, you have to be ready to take it. Luckily, I got the call and I was ready to go."
Gaber, 26, had his rookie season cut short after tearing his ACL in December of 2025, only appearing in 14 games for Charlotte. In 25 games this season, he's logged 15 points (seven goals, eight assists) along with a plus-seven rating. His shooting percentage has also improved, rising to 22.6 percent, ranking third on the Checkers roster.
THE PLAYERS TO WATCH
Charlotte
Robert Mastrosimone - 10 points in last 7 games
Ben Steeves - 13 points in last 9 games
Wilmer Skoog - 9 points in last 7 games
PROVIDENCE
Patrick Brown - 6 points in last 5 games
Fabian Lysell - 5 points in last 5 games
Riley Tufte - 5 points in last 5 games
THE INFO
Saturday afternoon's game - as well as every game this season - is available to stream via AHLTV on FloHockey!
The game can also be found locally on WCCB. Fans can also listen to the radio broadcast on the Checkers App or online.
American Hockey League Stories from January 31, 2026
- Roadrunners Fall to Eagles in Overtime, 3-2 - Tucson Roadrunners
- Gulls Win Again, Top Reign, 4-3 - San Diego Gulls
- Lombardi's Three-Point Night Powers Griffins' Win over Chicago - Grand Rapids Griffins
- Barracuda Race Past Wranglers, 7-2 - San Jose Barracuda
- Colorado Storms Back to Defeat Roadrunners, 3-2, in OT - Colorado Eagles
- Stars Upend Silver Knights for Fifth Straight Victory - Texas Stars
- Kyrou and Wisdom Drive Win - Lehigh Valley Phantoms
- Wolves' Points Streak Snapped with 5-2 Loss to Griffins - Chicago Wolves
- 16.278 Fans Watch Monsters Take 6-5 Overtime Victory from Senators - Cleveland Monsters
- Miroshnichenko Lifts Bears to 4-3 OT Win over Comets - Hershey Bears
- Penguins Crush Crunch on Crosscheck Cancer Night - Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins
- Islanders Handed 5-3 Road Loss against Phantoms - Bridgeport Islanders
- Sunday's Checkers Game Is Closed to Public - Charlotte Checkers
- T-Birds Outmuscle Wolf Pack, 4-1 - Springfield Thunderbirds
- Comets Earn Point in OT Loss to Hershey - Utica Comets
- Wolf Pack Fall 4-1 to Thunderbirds - Hartford Wolf Pack
- Crunch Defeated by Penguins, 4-1 - Syracuse Crunch
- Anderson-Dolan Nets a Pair in Moose Win - Manitoba Moose
- Reign Preview - Ontario at San Diego - Ontario Reign
- Capitals Recall Trineyev and Bjorklund from Hershey - Hershey Bears
- Providence Ends Checkers' Point Streak - Charlotte Checkers
- Tufte, P-Bruins Power Past Checkers - Providence Bruins
- New York Rangers Assign F Brett Berard to Hartford Wolf Pack - Hartford Wolf Pack
- Blues Assign F Matt Luff to T-Birds - Springfield Thunderbirds
- Preview: Phantoms vs. Bridgeport, Game 42 - Lehigh Valley Phantoms
- Bears Recall Goaltender Seth Eisele from South Carolina - Hershey Bears
- Transactions: Pederson Returns, Kolosov to Flyers - Lehigh Valley Phantoms
- Preview: Condors vs Canucks, 7 p.m. - Bakersfield Condors
- Justin Holl Returns to Grand Rapids - Grand Rapids Griffins
- Game Preview: Bears at Comets, 6 p.m. - Hershey Bears
- Providence Bruins Recall Jacob Perreault from Mariners - Providence Bruins
- Bojangles Game Preview: January 31 vs. Providence - Charlotte Checkers
- Wranglers Face off against Barracuda - Calgary Wranglers
- Wranglers Fall, 5-1, in San Jose - Calgary Wranglers
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