COMPLETE NUTRITION GAME PREVIEW AT CHARLOTTE 11.12616
Nov 26, 2016Iowa Wild (8-10-0-1, 17 points) at Charlotte Checkers (8-7-1-0, 17 Points)
Iowa continues a seven-game road trip with the first of two games in Charlotte. Iowa began its lengthy trip on Nov. 19 and is three games in with a 2-1-0-0 mark. The Wild claimed its second straight with a 3-1 victory Wednesday night in Winnipeg. Iowa has wins in three of the last four games. The Checkers are coming off a 4-2 loss at home to Chicago on Wednesday evening. The Checkers have three losses in their last four outings.
Iowa and Charlotte have played each other four times this year, with every game taking place in Des Moines. This marks the fourth meeting of the season between the teams. Charlotte has taken three of four and outscored the Wild 17-9. Saturday marks the 25th meeting all-time between the two clubs. Iowa is 8-14-0-2 all-time against Charlotte, including a 4-5-0-1 mark all-time in Charlotte. The Checkers are 16-6-2-0 against the Wild all-time, including a 10-3-1-0 mark at home. The two teams meet a total of eight times this season, with the final two games of the season series in Charlotte in
The Wild is 3-3-0-0 on the road this season, while the Checkers are 5-1-0-0 at home. Iowa is 4-5-0-1 over the last ten outings, while Charlotte is 5-4-1-0.
Upcoming Games:
Team Date Time Radio / TV
at Charlotte 11/26 5:00 PM CT KXNO / iHeartRadio
at Charlotte 11/27 12:00 PM CT KXNO / iHeartRadio
at Grand Rapids 12/2 6:00 PM CT KXNO / iHeartRadio
at Chicago 12/3 7:00 PM CT KXNO/ iHeartRadio
vs. Milwaukee 12/6 7:00 PM CT KXNO/ iHeartRadio
Transactions:
11.22.16: Add– F Christoph Bertschy - assigned by Minnesota (NHL)
11.22.16: Delete– D Dylan Labbe – assigned to Quad City (ECHL)
11.23.16: Add– D Mike Reilly - assigned by Minnesota (NHL)
Last Time Out
The Iowa Wild defeated the Manitoba Moose 3-1 in front of 4,517 fans at the MTS Centre on Wednesday night. Forwards Teemu Pulkkinen and Nick Saracino each scored in the game’s first five minutes of play and the Wild never trailed on its way to a two-game sweep of the Moose. Iowa goalie Alex Stalock made 26 saves for his third straight win in net. Center Grayson Downing added an empty-net score as Iowa improved to 3-3-0-0 on the road this season. Moose goalie Eric Comrie stopped 31 of 33 in his second straight loss to the Wild.
Iowa Wild
Through the first 19 games of the regular season, veteran forward Jordan Schroeder leads the team in scoring with four goals and eight assists for 12 points in 16 games played. Rookie Alex Tuch is tied for second the team in points with 10 in 19 games played. Tuch, Teemu Pulkkinen leads the team with five goals and he is tied for second in scoring with 10 points in 11 games played. Defenseman Gustav Olofsson is tied for second in scoring with 10 points and he is tied for the team lead with eight assists. Forwards Pat Cannone (2g-6a), Colton Beck (2g-5a) and Mario Lucia (3g,4a) also rank among the team’s scoring leaders. Defenseman Mike Reilly has one goal and six assists for seven points in eight games. He recently returned from an NHL call-up to Minnesota.
Veteran Alex Stalock and Steve Michalek split time in net for Iowa. Stalock is 4-5-0 with a 3.17 GAA and a .896 SV%. Michalek is 4-5-1 with a 3.28 GAA and a .912 SV%.
Iowa’s power play sits 19th in the league after going 12-for-77 (15.6%). The Wild’s penalty kill sits 25rth after stopping 55 of 72 (76.4%).
Notables –
● Alex Stalock’s shutout on Tuesday night was the sixth of his AHL career. He has stopped 77 of the last 80 (.963) shots over his last four outings.
Charlotte Checkers
The team is without Captain Derek Ryan, left wing Brock McGinn and defenseman Matt Tennyson remain in Carolina on NHL recall. Ryan had five goals and eight assists, leading the Checkers in scoring with 13 points in nine games before departing. Rookie Andrew Poturalski is the team’s active scoring leader. He has five goals and 13 points in 16 games played. Right wing Valentin Zykov has 9 points in 14 games played. Rookie Lucas Wellmark is also among the team leaders with nine points in 16 games played. Left wing Brock McGinn had eight points (5g,3a) in nine games.
Veteran Michael Leighton and rookie Alex Nedeljkovic split time in net for Charlotte. Leighton is (6-2-1) with a 1.66 GAA and a .937 SV%. Nedeljkovic is 2-5-0 with a 3.35 GAA and a .888 SV%.
Charlotte’s power play is 25th after going 9-for-69 (13.0%). The Checkers are 15th on the penalty kill, stopping 57 of 68 (83.8%).