Game Preview: Checkers at Wilkes-Barre/Scranton (April 5, 2023)
April 5, 2023 - American Hockey League (AHL)
Charlotte Checkers News Release
The Checkers kick off their final road trip of the regular season with a critical tilt in Wilkes-Barre/Scranton.
QUICK HITS
PLAYOFF PICTURE
Tonight's contest holds a lot of weight when it comes to Charlotte's playoff scenarios. The Checkers currently sit in fourth place in the Atlantic Division, but a win over the Penguins would move them back into a tie for third. Finishing in the third or fourth spots in the division would earn the Checkers' home-ice advantage for the opening best-of-three round, while finishing in the higher position of those two could come into play further down the road.
A win would also knock down the Checkers' magic number to officially clinch a playoff berth, which currently stands at five.
AGAINST THE PENS
The Penguins have had their struggles this season and currently find themselves in the Atlantic Division cellar, but the Checkers certainly aren't taking them lightly. In six head-to-head matchups thus far, Charlotte holds a 3-2-0-1 record against the Penguins - including a split of the two games in Wilkes-Barre/Scranton that came in early January.
The good news for the Checkers is that they'll be looking to snap their five-game winless streak against a Wilkes-Barre/Scranton squad that is riding an identical skid.
FINDING OFFENSE
Despite going 0-1-2-0 over the three-game set against Springfield last weekend, the Checkers started to regain their offensive flow after a stifling series with Providence prior to that. Charlotte totaled 11 goals over the three games against the Thunderbirds, and they have eclipsed the four-goal mark six times over the last 11 contests. On the other side, Wilkes-Barre/Scranton has allowed at least four goals in each of their last four contests.
CARLSSON KEEPS SCORING
Lucas Carlsson registered multi-point efforts in two of the three tilts against Springfield to keep his red-hot run alive. Since Jan. 14 the blue liner has posted 34 points in 31 games and ranks eighth in scoring in the AHL overall during that stretch. In fact, during that run Carlsson has more multi-point games (9) than scoreless games (7).
With six games remaining in the regular season, Carlsson sits at 48 points. The franchise single-season record for points by a defensemen is 50, set by current assistant coach Bobby Sanguinetti in 2011-12.
ON THE ROAD AGAIN
The road has been kind to the Checkers this season. Overall they are 18-9-2-1 away from home, and since Dec. 29 they are a staggering 14-3-1-0 in road contests. The Penguins, on the other hand, are one of two teams in the Eastern Conference with a home record below .500.
QUOTES
Head Coach Geordie Kinnear on his team's play as of late
"Realistically we've had a lot of missing bodies, guys in and out, the team has changed quite a bit. I give the group a lot of credit playing the way they have. We just have to get back to more consistent hockey"
Kinnear on heading into this final road trip
"I thought we had a lot of emotion in the last two games - both teams did. That preps us for going on the road. You want to be playing really good hockey down the stretch."
Kinnear on frustration setting in for his team
"It's not even a concern of mine. These guys have been in these situations, everybody has. I'm not worried about that."
Kinnear on Logan Hutsko, who was a full participant at Tuesday's practice after missing the last month due to injury
"He's playing really good hockey this year, it's unfortunate he's had some setbacks with different types of injuries. He's trending the right way and [Tuesday] was a step in the right direction."
COMING IN
CLT: 0-3-2-0 in last five games
WBS: 0-2-2-1 in last five games
WHO TO WATCH
CLT
Lucas Carlsson - 21 points in last 16 games
Anthony Bitetto - 3 points in last 2 games
Zac Dalpe - 4 points in last 4 games
WBS
Drake Caggiula - 11 points in last 8 games
Tyler Sikura - 3 points in last 3 games
Ty Smith - 4 points in last 3 games
TUNE IN
Tonight's game starts at 7:05 p.m. You can tune in to the broadcast with a subscription to the league's streaming platform AHLTV - home broadcast only.
The radio broadcast will be available via the Checkers app on iPhone or Android.
Additionally, our friends over at Ed's Tavern on 2200 Park Road are going to be showing the game on their TVs!
• Discuss this story on the American Hockey League message board...
American Hockey League Stories from April 5, 2023
- Roadrunners Return Home in April for Final Four Games of Regular Season - Tucson Roadrunners
- Pickard's 27-Save Shutout Blanks Colorado, 3-0 - Colorado Eagles
- San Diego Stopped by San Jose, 6-3 - San Diego Gulls
- Roadrunners Force Shootout with Three Unanswered Goals Against Henderson Silver Knights - Tucson Roadrunners
- Henderson Victorious Against Roadrunners, 5-4, Wednesday Evening - Henderson Silver Knights
- Admirals Earn Point in Crazy OT Loss - Milwaukee Admirals
- Amerks Extend Point Streak to Eight in Overtime Loss to Crunch - Rochester Americans
- Wolves Top Admirals 6-5 in OT to Extend Winning Streak to Five - Chicago Wolves
- Wolf Pack Extend Win Streak to Five Games, Beat Marlies 2-1 in Overtime Thriller - Hartford Wolf Pack
- Crunch Defeat Americans, 3-2, in Overtime - Syracuse Crunch
- Monsters Blank Senators in 1-0 Shootout Win - Cleveland Monsters
- Checkers Snap Skid with 5-0 Shutout Win Over Penguins - Charlotte Checkers
- Penguins Blanked by Bérubé in Loss to Checkers - Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins
- Bowers, Keyser Lift P-Bruins to Victory Over Bears - Providence Bruins
- Bears' Point Streak Snapped in 3-1 Loss to Bruins - Hershey Bears
- Anaheim Ducks Recall Olle Eriksson Ek from San Diego - San Diego Gulls
- Iowa Wild Signs Louis Boudon to Ato - Iowa Wild
- Transactions: Ersson to Phantoms, Nagle to Reading - Lehigh Valley Phantoms
- Ontario Reign Sign Forward Ture Linden to PTO - Ontario Reign
- Belleville Senators Host Monsters For Critical Pair Of Games This Week - Belleville Senators
- 2023 Scotty Bowman Showcase Rosters Announced - Rochester Americans
- Leonard Reassigned to Admirals - Milwaukee Admirals
- Series Preview: April 5 Vs. Tuc - Henderson Silver Knights
- Ads Sign Two to PTOs - Milwaukee Admirals
- It's Game Day - CGY at CV - Calgary Wranglers
- Game Preview: Checkers at Wilkes-Barre/Scranton (April 5, 2023) - Charlotte Checkers
- Goaltender Dylan Wells Reassigned to Idaho - Texas Stars
- Wolf Pack Welcome Marlies to Town for Midweek Tilt - Hartford Wolf Pack
- Game Preview: Bears at Bruins, 7:05 p.m. - Hershey Bears
- Game #68 - Tucson Roadrunners at Henderson Silver Knights - Tucson Roadrunners
- Monsters Announce Three Roster Moves - Cleveland Monsters
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.
