COMPLETE NUTRITION GAME PREVIEW AT CHARLOTTE 3.21.17
Mar 20, 2017
Iowa Wild (30-24-6-2, 68 points) at Charlotte Checkers (30-27-4-0, 64 points)
Iowa hits the road with four straight against Central Division rivals. The Wild starts the trip with a pair of games in Charlotte. After six road games, Iowa returned home for a 4-1 win over Milwaukee on Saturday night. After playing three games in the first 16 days of March, Iowa plays eight games in the final 14 days of the month. The club is 16-6-3-1 over the last 26 games. Charlotte is coming off a 3-2 overtime win at home versus Ontario, the team’s fourth straight win.
The two teams are currently locked in a battle for the fourth and final playoff spot in the Central Division. Iowa currently leads by 0.23 percentage points, but Charlotte has a game at hand. Cleveland is also part of the playoff battle. The Monsters are 0.40 back with no games at hand. The magic number for Iowa to clinch a playoff spot stands at 27. Charlotte’s number is 33 and Cleveland’s is 34.
Tuesday marks the 27th all-time meeting between Iowa and Charlotte. The Wild is 9-14-1-2 all-time against the Checkers, including a 5-5-1-1 mark in the Queen City. Charlotte is 17-7-2-0 all-time against Iowa and 7-4-1-0 all-time at home. The two teams meet eight times this season. Iowa is 2-3-1-0 in the season series, including a 1-0-1-0 mark in Charlotte.
Iowa is 18-11-3-0 on the road this season and 5-4-1-0 over the last 10 outings. The Wild has outscored the home teams 79-77 this season. The Checkers are 20-9-1-0 at home and 7-3-0-0 over the last 10 games. Charlotte has outscored the visitors 89-79 at Bojangles Arena
Upcoming Games:
Team Date Time Radio / TV
at Charlotte 3/21 6:00 PM CT KXNO / iHeartRadio
at Charlotte 3/22 6:00 PM CT KXNO / iHeartRadio
at Cleveland 3/24 6:00 PM CT KXNO / iHeartRadio
at Cleveland 3/26 6:00 PM CT KXNO / iHeartRadio
vs. Rockford 3/28 7:00 PM CT KXNO / iHeartRadio
Transactions:
3.15.17: Add – D Nolan Zajac– signed PTO
3.20.17: Delete – D Mike Sdao– released PTO
3.20.17: Add – C Tyler Graovac – assigned by Minnesota (NHL)
Last Time Out
Iowa rookie Gerald Mayhew scored twice and goalie Steve Michalek stopped 27 shots in a 4-1 win over Milwaukee on Saturday night in Des Moines. Forwards Zack Mitchell and a AJ Jenks also added goals in the team’s 30th win of the year.
Iowa Wild
Through 62 games of the regular season rookie Alex Tuch is the team’s active leader with 31 points in 43 outings. Tuch is first in goals (15) and third in assists (16). Veteran center Pat Cannone leads the team with 22 assists and he is second with 31 points in 59 games played. Cannone also has nine goals for the season. Mike Reilly is tied for third among active skaters with 24 points in 43 games played. Reilly is also among the team leaders with 19 assists. Rookie Sam Anas is also tied for third in scoring with 24 points in 53 games. Anas has 11 goals and 13 assists this season.
Veteran Alex Stalock and Steve Michalek split time in net for Iowa. Stalock is 19-13-7 with a 2.37 GAA and a .923 SV%. Michalek is 11-11-1 with a 2.56 GAA and a .912 SV%.
Iowa’s power play sits 11th in the league after going 41-for-221 (18.6%). The Wild’s penalty kill sits 15th in the AHL after stopping 185-of-225 (82.2%).
Notables
· With a win on Saturday, Iowa surpassed the team record for points in a season at 68. Iowa posted 67 in 2013-14.
· Iowa’s defenseman Nick Seeler was handed a three-game suspension from the AHL. He serves game three Tuesday.
· Wild winger Kurtis Gabriel served the sixth and final game of his six-game suspension on Saturday.
Charlotte Checkers
Rookie Andrew Poturalski leads the club in scoring with 16 goals and a team-high 47 points in 61 games played. Center Luca Wellmark is second in scoring with 41 points off a team-high, 22 goals and 19 assists in 61 games played. Right wing Andrew Miller is third overall with seven goals and 20 assists for 27 points in 40 games played. Jake Chelios is fourth in overall scoring with three goals and 21 assists for 24 points in 61 outings. He leads all defensemen in points. Left wing Sergei Tolchinsky rounds out the top scorers with 15 assists and 22 points in 50 games played.
Tom McCollum, Michael Leighton and Daniel Altshuller share the crease with Charlotte. Leighton is 11-7-3 with a 2.17 GAA and a .921 SV%. McCollum was (4-4-0) with a 1.91 GAA and a .942 SV%. Nedeljkovic is 11-7-3 with a 2.17 GAA and a .921 SV%.
Charlotte’s power play is 30th after going 23-for-221 (10.4%). The Checkers are 22nd on the penalty kill, stopping 173 of 216 (80.1%).