Game Preview - Charlotte Checkers at Iowa Wild 3.26.14
Mar 26, 2014Charlotte Checkers (33-30-1-2, 69 points) at Iowa Wild (25-29-6-4, 60 points)
Wednesday’s game is the final of four meetings this season between Iowa and Charlotte. Last night, the Checkers beat the Wild 2-1 at Wells Fargo Arena. The two teams met for a pair of games in Charlotte back on Oct. 19 and 20. Iowa claimed the first meeting 3-1 and followed up with a 7-2 victory in the 2nd meeting.
Iowa dropped its fourth straight home game on Tuesday with a 2-1 loss to Charlotte. The team has lost eight of the last nine games on home ice. The defeat dropped Iowa’s record to 11-19-3-1 at home, having been outscored 96-70. Iowa is 3-7-0-0 over the last ten outings and 10-9-1-1 against the West Division.
The Checkers have charged back into the playoff picture with a 9-4-0-0 mark over the last 13 games. Charlotte remains in ninth place in the Western Conference race, one point behind Rochester for the eighth and final spot. The team is 17-13-0-2 on the road this year, having edged the home clubs in scoring 92-90. The team has two wins over the last five games. Charlotte is 6-4-0-0 over the last ten games and is 9-9-0-1 versus the Midwest Division.
Upcoming Games:
Team Date Time Radio / TV
vs. Charlotte 3/26 7:05 PM KXNO / iHeartRadio
at Toronto 3/29 2:00 PM KXNO / iHeartRadio
at Utica 3/30 2:00 PM KXNO / iHeartRadio
Latest Transactions:
3/25 – Add D Nicholas Rioux and D Bryce Aneloski (signed PTO)
3/23 – Delete D Jonathon Blum and F Stephane Veilleux (recalled MN – NHL)
3/14 – Delete forward Mike Ullrich (released from PTO)
Last Time Out:
The Iowa Wild was defeated by the Charlotte Checkers 2-1 in front of 3,902 fans at the Wells Fargo Arena on Tuesday. Charlotte forward Chris Terry scored the game-winning goal at 11:27 of the third period, leading his team to victory. Iowa goalie Johan Gustafsson stopped 27 shots in the loss. Wild forward Kris Foucault tallied the team’s lone goal, as his team fell 11-19-3-1 at home this year. Zach Boychuk picked up two points in the Checkers win. Charlotte goalie John Muse made 24 saves for the victory.
Iowa Wild
After 64 games, forward Brad Winchester leads the team in scoring with 18 goals and 33 points in 65 games. He has two goals and three points in 11 games with Iowa since he was acquired from Rockford via trade. Forwards Carson McMillan and Zack Phillips are also among the top scorers. Phillips has a career-high, 11 goals and 19 assists for a new career-high 30 points in 64 games played. He is one of two players to skate in every game this season. McMillan has 12 goals and 13 assists for 25 points in 56 games played. Tied for third in goal scoring, Brett Bulmer (11 goals) has 19 points in 39 games played. Winger Kris Foucault has moved into the top active scorers with 20 points in 50 games. He also has four points in his last three games. Center Warren Peters is also among the active skaters in points with 19 (8g/11a).
Goalies John Curry and Johan Gustafsson man the nets for Iowa. Curry is 7-8-2 with a 2.35 GAA and a .927 SV%. Johan Gustafsson is 11-16-2 with a 2.97 GAA and a .906 SV %.
Iowa is 44-for-255 (17.3%) on the power play and has allowed 50 power-play goals against on 244 attempts (79.5%). The Wild is 30th in the AHL with a 2.31 goals per game average and the team sits 19th with a 2.97 goals against average.
Notables –
· Captain Jake Dowell played in his 300th career AHL game on Mar. 23. Brad Winchester could play in his 300th on Saturday in Toronto.
Charlotte Checkers
Left wing Chris Terry leads Charlotte in points with 62 over 60 games played. He is second on the club with 27 goals and tied for first with 35 assists. Terry leads the club in shots on goal (196), as well as power-play points (19). He is also second with 14 power-play goals. Fellow winger Zach Boychuk leads the club with 29 goals, including a team high 15 on the power play. Boychuk is second in points with 59 in 59 games played. Right wing Aaron Palushaj is tied for second with 57 points in 65 games played. He has 22 goals and 35 assists. Defenseman Mark Flood leads all blueliners in points with 29 in 65 games played. He also has a team low, -24 plus/minus rating.
Charlotte has used nine different goalies, recently rotating John Muse and Mike Murphy. Muse is 23-12-0 with a 2.71 GAA and a .915 SV%. Murphy is 4-11-0 with a 3.85 GAA and a .866 SV %.
Charlotte is second in the league on the power play, going 65-for-291 (22.3%). The Checkers penalty kill has allowed 52 goals on 276 chances (81.2%). The team averages 3.02 goals per game (11th overall) while allowing 3.17 per game (27th overall).