Bojangles Game Preview: January 6 at Bridgeport
January 5, 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 holiday road trip with a two-game set in Bridgeport. This marks the first time that these two squads will tangle on the Islanders' home ice, but there have been four meetings in Charlotte. The Checkers have had the upper hand thus far - holding a 3-0-1-0 record and outscoring the Islanders 13-6 overall - but the most recent meeting in mid-December saw Bridgeport erase a two-goal deficit in the third and pick up the overtime win.
THE STORYLINES
COMING IN
The Checkers enter tonight's contest having gone through some ups and downs as of late - they're 2-2-0-0 on this current trip - but they've seen an uptick overall, earning a point in eight of their last 10 contests. They're right in the thick of a crowded Atlantic Division race, where the second through sixth spots are all separated by just a few points. On the other side, the Islanders remain in the cellar of the league standings and are 3-6-1-0 in their last 10.
FEAST OR FAMINE
The good news for the Checkers is that they've scored at least five goals in three of their last five games - winning all three. The bad news is that they scored a single goal in each of the other two contests - losing both. Overall this season the Checkers are sporting a 10-1-0-0 record when hitting the four-goal mark, but are 6-11-3-0 when falling below that threshold.
They'll look to ramp up the offense this weekend against a Bridgeport squad that falls near the bottom of the league in terms of goals allowed per game and has allowed 24 goals over the last six contests.
FIRING RUBBER
The Checkers have come out firing over this most recent stretch of play. They have logged at least 30 shots in four of the last five games (falling one shy in Wednesday's outing in Hershey) and have moved into the league's top 10 in terms of shots recorded per game. Shot suppression has been one of the Islander's strong suits, though, as they rank in top 10 in terms of shots allowed per game thus far.
DALPE DIALS IN
Zac Dalpe has been a huge catalyst for the Charlotte offense as of late. The captain has pumped in five goals over the last five games - including back-to-back two-goal efforts during this trip. This hot streak has him on the cusp of making history, as he needs just one goal to match Zach Boychuk's franchise record of 123 goals in a Charlotte sweater and another to become the franchise's most prolific goal scorer.
THE ONES TO WATCH
Charlotte
Rasmus Asplund - 4 assists in last 4 games
Zac Dalpe - 5 goals in last 5 games
Uvis Balinskis - 8 points in last 8 games
Bridgeport
Robin Salo - 6 points in last 7 games
Dennis Cholowski - 4 points in last 4 games
Otto Koivula - 10 points in last 7 games
THE INFO
Puck drops on tonight's game at 7:05 p.m. You can listen to the game for free on the Checkers app or watch on AHLTV!
American Hockey League Stories from January 5, 2024
- Admirals Fly Past Eagles in OT - Milwaukee Admirals
- Griffins Hold Sole Possession of Third Place in Central Division with 4-1 Win Over Iowa - Grand Rapids Griffins
- Wranglers Top Silver Knights, 5-1, in First Game of Series - Henderson Silver Knights
- Amerks Take Down Monsters to Ring in New Year - Rochester Americans
- Wolves Beat Roadrunners in Tucson Controlled Contest - Tucson Roadrunners
- Rockford Falls 4-1 to First Place Texas - Rockford IceHogs
- Iowa Opens 2024 with 4-1 Loss to Grand Rapids - Iowa Wild
- Stars Skate Past IceHogs in Series Opener - Texas Stars
- Wolves Handle Roadrunners 4-1 - Chicago Wolves
- Askarov's 30-Save Shutout Leads Milwaukee to 1-0 OT Win Over Eagles - Colorado Eagles
- Penguins Hold off Thunderbirds for 2-1 Win - Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins
- Monsters Fall 3-1 Against Americans - Cleveland Monsters
- T-Birds Puzzled by Penguins, Fall 2-1 - Springfield Thunderbirds
- Comets Earn Point in 4-3 Shootout Loss to Rocket - Utica Comets
- Game Notes - HSK vs CGY - Calgary Wranglers
- Flames Recall Yan Kuznetsov - Calgary Wranglers
- Wranglers Recall Murphy, Add Rassell on PTO - Calgary Wranglers
- Bojangles Game Preview: January 6 at Bridgeport - Charlotte Checkers
- Haiskanen Returns to Reign on PTO - Ontario Reign
- Morning Skate Report: January 5, 2024 - Henderson Silver Knights
- Panthers Recall Mackie Samoskevich from Charlotte - Charlotte Checkers
- Blue Jackets Assign Defenseman Jake Christiansen to Monsters - Cleveland Monsters
- Checkers Announce Fan Fest Leading into Queen City Outdoor Classic - Charlotte Checkers
- Early Bird Offer for 2024-25 Amerks Full Season Ticket Memberships Now Available - Rochester Americans
- Condors Games in San Diego Postponed - Bakersfield Condors
- Condors-Gulls AHL Games Tonight, Saturday Postponed - AHL
- AHL Postpones this Weekend's Bakersfield at San Diego Games - San Diego Gulls
- Tampa Bay Lightning Recall Defensemen Jack Thompson, Emil Lilleberg, Reassign Defensemen Sean Day, Declan Carlile to Syracuse Crunch - Syracuse Crunch
- Game Preview: Iowa Wild vs. Grand Rapids Griffins - Iowa Wild
- Syracuse Crunch Sign Defenseman Ryan Orgel to PTO, Loan Forward Daniel Walker to Orlando Solar Bears - Syracuse Crunch
- Hogs Start 2024 with Road Test vs. Division-Leading Stars - Rockford IceHogs
The opinions expressed in this release are those of the organization issuing it, and do not necessarily reflect the thoughts or opinions of OurSports Central or its staff.
