COMPLETE NUTRITION GAME PREVIEW VS CHARLOTTE 11.10.16
Nov 9, 2016 Charlotte Checkers (5-3-0-0, 10 Points) at Iowa Wild (5-6-0-0, 10 Points)
Iowa welcomes Charlotte for the second game of six straight at home. Iowa opened the home stand with a 2-1 OT win Sunday against Rockford. Iowa will play its third morning game in team history at Wells Fargo Arena for Wild About Education, going 0-2-0-0 all time. Charlotte will play the first of two straight in Des Moines with the second game of the trip on Friday night. The Checkers come in with four straight wins (all at home), including the club’s last outing – a 2-1 win over the IceHogs on Nov. 3.
The Wild welcomed the Checkers for a pair of games in October, with both teams grabbing a win. Overall, this marks the 23rd meeting between the teams, as Charlotte leads the all-time series mark with a record of 14-6-2-0, including an 8-3-1-0 record in Des Moines. The Wild is 8-12-0-2 all-time with a 4-7-0-1 record at home.
This marks the first of three games in three nights for the Wild. Iowa is 4-4-0-0 at home this season, while Charlotte is 1-3-0-0 on the road.
Upcoming Games:
Team Date Time Radio / TV
vs. Charlotte 11/10 10:30 AM CT KXNO / iHeartRadio
vs. Charlotte 11/11 7:00 PM CT KXNO / iHeartRadio
vs. Ontario 11/12 7:00 PM CT KXNO / iHeartRadio
vs. Rockford 11/16 7:00 PM CT KXNO / iHeartRadio
vs. Chicago 11/18 7:00 PM CT KXNO / iHeartRadio
Transactions:
11.7.16: Add – Forwards Christoph Bertschy and Jordan Schroeder - assigned by Minnesota (NHL)
11.7.16: Add – G Adam Vay – recalled from Quad City (ECHL)
11.9.16: Delete – Forwards Christoph Bertschy, Zack Mitchell and Defense Mike Reilly - recalled by Minnesota (NHL)
Last Time Out
The Iowa Wild defeated the Rockford IceHogs 2-1 in overtime in front of 4,463 fans on Sunday night at Wells Fargo Arena. Wild center Grayson Downing broke a 1-1 tie 1:36 into overtime, lifting Iowa over Rockford. Wild goalie Steve Michalek was nearly perfect by allowing one goal and setting a career-high with 49 saves on 50 IceHogs shots. Iowa forward Teemu Pulkkinen also scored, as Iowa improved to 4-4-0-0 at home this season. IceHogs goalie Lars Johansson made 20 saves in the overtime loss.
Iowa Wild
Through the first 11 games of the regular season, veteran forward Jordan Schroeder leads the team in scoring with four goals and three assists for seven points in eight games. He was named the AHL Player of the Week and then recalled to Minnesota for a pair of games last week. Defenseman Mike Reilly has one goal and six assists for seven points in eight games. He was recalled on Wednesday to Minnesota. Rookie Alex Tuch is third on the team in points with six in 11 games played. He is followed by Grayson Downing (2g,3a), Colton Beck (2g-3a), Mario Lucia (1g,4a), and defenseman Gustav Olofsson (1g,4a) are all tied for fourth on the team with five points apiece.
Veteran Alex Stalock and rookie Steve Michalek split time in net for Iowa. Stalock is 1-5-0 with a 4.46 GAA and a .865 SV%. Michalek is 4-1-0 with a 2.42 GAA and a .939 SV%. Vay has yet to make his AHL debut.
Iowa’s power play sits 13th in the league after going 10-for-55 (18.2%). The Wild’s penalty kill sits 23rd after stopping 34 of 43 (79.1%).
Notables –
● Forward Teemu Pulkkinen scored in his home debut for Iowa on Sunday.
● Iowa goalie Steve Michalek set a career high for saves in a game with 49 on Sunday, one below the team record of 50 set by Josh Harding at San Antonio on Nov. 30, 2014 – a 5-4 shootout loss for Iowa.
Charlotte Checkers
Captain Derek Ryan has five goals and six assists, leading the Checkers in scoring with 11 points in eight games. Rookie Andrew Poturalski is second in scoring with four goals and eight points in eight games. Left wing Brock McGinn is third in scoring with seven points in eight games. He is tied for second in goals with four and has a team-high 31 shots. Right wing Valentin Zykov (6 pts. 8 gms) and Patrick Brown (5pts. In 8 gms) are also among the team scoring leaders.
Veteran Michael Leighton and rookie Alex Nedeljkovic split time in net for Charlotte. Leighton is (5-0-0) with a 1.41 GAA and a .938 SV%. Nedeljkovic is 0-3-0 with a 3.88 GAA and a .871 SV%.
Charlotte’s power play has been slow to start, going 5-for-39 (12.8%), The Checkers are one of the league’s best (3rd) on the penalty kill, stopping 33 of 37 (89.2%).