The Checkers were able to keep a .500 record this past week, first slipping up in Dallas on Friday (Nov. 20) losing 6-2. They were able to redeem themselves Sunday (Nov. 22) beating San Antonio 4-3 in a big comeback.
Three Stars for the week
Zach Boychuk might not have scored a goal this past week, but on Sunday he tallied three assists and was a plus two for the Checkers big comeback against the Rampage. Boychuk was a constant pest the whole night for the Checkers and his efforts led to consistent chances for his line. Trevor Carrick was steady on the back line, putting up three points over the Checkers two games. Carrick started to play like he did back at the beginning of the season, when he put up five goals in the first month of play. If he continues play like that, it is a huge plus for the Checkers, with all the injuries on defense. Phil Di Giuseppe had a huge night on Sunday for the Checkers, scoring two goals in the win. He was able to score the game winner with less than two minutes left in the game off a turnover by the Rampage in their defensive zone. Di Giuseppe also had an assist in the Checkers 6-2 loss on Saturday night.
Who’s Hot
Derek Ryan was able to stay consistent for the Checkers, over the week. Ryan scored a goal and added an assist along with it in two games the team played. Ryan is a consistent point getter for this Checkers team, and he continues to set a tremendous example by his play on the ice for the younger players. Justin Shugg also continues to set a tremendous example for the younger players. He, just like Ryan, put up a goal and an assist over the two games the Checkers played. Rasmus Tirronen also improved to 3-1-0 for the season, with the win on Sunday.
Who’s Not
Brock McGinn has only had one assist since coming back from his stint with the Hurricanes. McGinn looks like he’s still trying to get back in the flow of playing with this Checkers team. With the 6-2 loss on Friday, Drew MacIntyre fell to 5-7-0, and only has a save percentage of 0.885. That save percentage puts him at forty-two out of the forty-seven goalies that qualify for that stat. His 3.31 goals against average has him at number forty of the forty-seven goalies that qualify. Not all this does not fall on MacIntyre’s shoulders. For the season the Checkers defense are a combined -12. Six of the eight defensemen that are on the current roster are in the negative for plus/minus. The Checkers need to clean up in the defensive zone if they hope to make the playoffs this season.
Injury and roster notes
Tyler Ganly sat out Friday’s game as a healthy scratch. T.J. Hensick, Keegan Lowe, and Rasmus Rissanen missed both games due to injury. The Hurricanes called Jaccob Slavin up on Wednesday (Nov. 18) for his first NHL stint.
Forward lines as of now
First line: Phil Di Giuseppe-Derek Ryan-Justin Shugg
Second line: Brock McGinn-Brody Sutter-Zach Boychuk
Third line: Brendan Woods-David Wohlberg-Patrick Brown
Fourth line: Sergey Tolchinsky-Erik Karlsson-Drayson Bowman
Defensive pairings as of now
First pairing: Trevor Carrick-Danny Biega
Second pairing: Jake Chelios-Mike Cornell
Third pairing: Kyle Hagel-Justin Agosta
