GAME PREVIEW - CHARLOTTE CHECKERS AT IOWA WILD 1.30.16
Jan 30, 2016Charlotte Checkers (25-13-2-2, 54 Points) at Iowa Wild (12-27-3-3, 30 Points)
Iowa and Charlotte meet for the eighth and final time this season. The Checkers have taken five of the first seven meetings. Iowa beat the Checkers 5-4 in overtime on Friday night. The Wild has an all-time mark of 6-11-0-2 versus the Checkers, including a 2-6-0-1 mark in Des Moines. The Checkers have points in the last 11 (9-0-2-0) meetings with the Wild, dating back to Feb. 19, 2015. Charlotte is 13-4-2-0 all-time against Iowa, including a 7-1-1-0 record on the road.
Iowa is 5-14-3-2 at home this season, having been outscored 80-54 by the road teams. Iowa is 5-4-1-0 over its last ten games and is 7-5-1-0 since Dec. 26. The Wild is coming off a 5-4 OT victory against Charlotte on Friday night at Wells Fargo Arena. Three of the team’s last four games at home have been decided in OT.
Charlotte is 14-6-1-1 on the road this season, outscoring the home teams 76-64. The Checkers are 6-2-1-1 over their last ten games played. Charlotte is coming off a 5-4 loss to Iowa on Friday night and riding a two-game losing streak.
Upcoming Games:
Team Date Time Radio / TV
vs. Charlotte 1/30 12:30 PM CT iHeartRadio
All Star Skills Competition 1/31 7:00 PM CT MC22 - Mediacom
All Star Challenge 2/1 6:00 PM CT MC22 - Mediacom
vs. Chicago 2/5 7:00 PM CT KXNO / iHeartRadio
at Chicago 2/6 7:00 PM CT KXNO / iHeartRadio
Transactions:
1.24.16: Add – F Jared Knight recalled from Quad City (ECHL)
1.25.16: Add – F Jordan Schroeder - assigned by Minnesota (NHL)
1.25.16: Add – D Tyson Strachan assigned by Minnesota (NHL)
Last Time Out
The Iowa Wild defeated the Charlotte Checkers 5-4 in OT in front of 8,624 fans at Wells Fargo Arena on Friday night. Wild forward Grayson Downing scored at 2:13 of overtime, capping off a come-from-behind victory on a record-breaking night for the Wild. Right Wing Christoph Bertschy tallied three goals, including the game-tying goal with 58 seconds remaining for the first hat trick in Iowa Wild history. Forward Jordan Schroeder had four assists, breaking a franchise record for most assists and points in one game. Iowa goalie Jeremy Smith made 28 saves on 32 shots in the win. Checkers defensemen Trevor Carrick and Ryan Murphy, as well as forwards Patrick Brown and Brendan Woods, each scored a goal in the Charlotte loss. Checkers goalie Daniel Altshuller made 38 saves on 43 shots in the defeat.
Iowa Wild
Forward Grayson Downing leads the team with 27 points in 28 games. Downing has 14 points in his last 12 games. Forward Jordan Schroeder is second on the team with 25 points. He is coming off a four-point performance on Friday night. Right wing Christoph Bertschy is third on the team in points with 24 in 42 games. Bertschy leads the team in assists with 17 and is coming off a hat-trick performance on Friday. Forward Zack Mitchell leads the team in goals with 14 and is fourth in scoring with 23 points in 45 games. Mike Reilly leads all defensemen with 20 points in 37 games.
Goalie Jeremy Smith is 5-13-3 in 22 appearances. He has a 2.98 GAA and a .911 SV%. Leland Irving has made 25 appearances, going 7-14-3 with a 2.78 GAA and a .912 SV%. Steven Michalek was added on Jan. 23, as Irving is injured.
Iowa ranks 18th after going 24-for-148 (16.2%) on the power play. The team is 116-for-145 (80.0%) on the penalty kill – 26th in the AHL.
Notables –
● Wild forward Jordan Schroeder has 12 points in nine games this month (4g-8a).
● Iowa forward Marc Hagel and Charlotte’s Kyle Hagel are brothers.
● Iowa’s Brent Sutter and Charlotte’s Brody Sutter are cousins.
Charlotte Checkers
Center Derek Ryan is first on the team in points with 34 in 42 games played. He leads Charlotte with 21 assists as well. Defenseman Trevor Carrick is second on the team with 28 points in 39 games. Defenseman Jake Chelios is third on the team with 24 points in 39 games. Forward Brock McGinn is fourth on the team in scoring with 23 points 25 games. Zach Boychuk rounds out the top scorers with 22 points in 42 games.
Goalies Drew MacIntyre and Daniel Altshuller share the crease after Rasmus Tirronen was reassigned to Florida (ECHL). MacIntyre is 10-9-1 with a 3.17 GAA and a .889 SV %. Tirronen was 6-2-1 with a 3.09 GAA and a .888 SV %. Altshuller is 9-2-2 with a 2.05 GAA and a .933 SV%. Altshuller has played in 13 of the last 17 games.
Charlotte is 41-for-178 on the power play and sits 3rd at 23.0%. The Checkers penalty kill sits 10th at 84.5%, going 158-for-187.