COMPLETE NUTRITION GAME PREVIEW AT CHARLOTTE 3.22.17
Mar 22, 2017 Iowa Wild (30-25-6-2, 68 points) at Charlotte Checkers (31-27-4-0, 66 points)
Iowa remains on the road with four straight against Central Division rivals. The Wild continues the trip in Charlotte on Wednesday after starting out with a 1-0 loss to the Checkers on Tuesday. 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 16-7-3-1 over the last 27 games. Charlotte is coming off the team’s fifth straight win with the shutout of the Wild on Tuesday.
The two teams are currently locked in a battle for the fourth and final playoff spot in the Central Division. Iowa currently leads by 0.08 percentage points, but Charlotte has a game at hand. Cleveland is also part of the playoff battle. The Monsters are 0.24 back with no games at hand. The magic number for Iowa to clinch a playoff spot stands at 27. Charlotte’s number is 29 and Cleveland’s is 30.
Tuesday marks the 28th all-time meeting between Iowa and Charlotte. The Wild is 9-15-1-2 all-time against the Checkers, including a 5-6-1-1 mark in the Queen City. Charlotte is 18-7-2-0 all-time against Iowa and 8-4-1-0 all-time at home. The two teams meet eight times this season. Iowa is 2-4-1-0 in the season series, including a 1-1-1-0 mark in Charlotte.
Iowa is 18-12-3-0 on the road this season and 5-4-1-0 over the last 10 outings. The Wild has outscored the home teams 79-78 this season. The Checkers are 21-9-1-0 at home and 7-3-0-0 over the last 10 games. Charlotte has outscored the visitors 90-79 at Bojangles Arena
Upcoming Games:
Team Date Time Radio / TV
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
vs. Chicago 3/31 7:00 PM CT KXNO / iHeartRadio
Transactions:
3.20.17: Delete – D Mike Sdao– released PTO
3.20.17: Add – C Tyler Graovac – assigned by Minnesota (NHL)
Last Time Out
Charlotte goalie Tom McCollum stopped all 23 shots he faced on Tuesday night, helping the Checkers to their fifth straight win. Center Lucas Wellmark scored the game’s lone goal in the 1-0 Charlotte win.
Iowa Wild
Through 63 games of the regular season rookie Alex Tuch is the team’s active leader with 31 points in 44 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 60 games played. Cannone also has nine goals for the season. Mike Reilly is tied for third among active skaters with 24 points in 44 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 54 games. Anas has 11 goals and 13 assists this season.
Veteran Alex Stalock and Steve Michalek split time in net for Iowa. Stalock is 19-14-7 with a 2.34 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-223 (18.4%). The Wild’s penalty kill sits 15th in the AHL after stopping 187-of-228 (82.0%).
Notables
· Iowa’s defenseman Nick Seeler was handed a three-game suspension from the AHL. He served game three Tuesday.
Charlotte Checkers
Rookie Andrew Poturalski leads the club in scoring with 16 goals and a team-high 47 points in 62 games played. Center Luca Wellmark is second in scoring with 42 points off a team-high, 23 goals and 19 assists in 62 games played. Right wing Andrew Miller is third overall with seven goals and 21 assists for 28 points in 41 games played. Jake Chelios is fourth in overall scoring with three goals and 21 assists for 24 points in 62 outings. He leads all defensemen in points. Left wing Sergei Tolchinsky rounds out the top scorers with 15 assists and 22 points in 51 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 is (5-0-0) with a 1.50 GAA and a .951 SV%. Nedeljkovic is 11-7-3 with a 2.17 GAA and a .921 SV%.
Charlotte’s power play is 30th after going 24-for-224 (10.7%). The Checkers are 22nd on the penalty kill, stopping 175 of 218 (80.3%).