The Checkers are back at The Biscuit and looking to keep their winning ways going against an unbeaten Penguins squad.
THE MATCHUP
- Record/Standings
- CLT - 3-1-0-0 (3rd Atlantic)
- WBS - 5-0-0-0 (1st Atlantic)
- Power Play / Penalty Kill
- CLT - 35.7% (4th) / 81.3% (t-17th)
- WBS - 26.3% (8th) / 84.6% (12th)
- Offense / Defense
- CLT - 4.25 GF/Game (3rd) / 3.00 GA/Game (t-15th)
- WBS - 4.20 GF/Game (4th) / 1.60 GA/Game (t-1st)
- Head-To-Head
- 0-0-0-0
THE STORYLINES
HOME COOKING
The Checkers won each of their first two games at Bojangles Coliseum last weekend, downing the Iowa Wild twice by a combined score of 10-3. Home ice treated Charlotte well last season, as the team finished the year with the fourth-most home wins in the Eastern Conference.On the other side, the Penguins have played three of their five games so far this season on the road and won all three - outscoring the Phantoms, Wolf Pack and Islanders 15-6 overall.
BACK IN BLACK
Now four games into the season, Cooper Black has made every start for the Checkers between the pipes. That makes Charlotte one of just three teams in the AHL to have only used one goalie thus far. The second-year netminder turned in back-to-back stellar performances against Iowa last weekend, stopping 40 of the 43 shots he saw and improving to 3-1-0.POWERING UP
Charlotte’s power-play unit has started the season on a tear, recording at least one goal in every game so far. That production has come from across the board, as four different skaters have accounted for the five power-play goals and 11 different skaters have registered at least one point on the man advantage up to this point.The Checkers and their fourth-ranked power play will go head-to-head with a Wilkes-Barre/Scranton penalty kill that ranks 12th in the league but has only surrendered two power-play goals on 13 opportunities through its first five games.
FRESHMAN ON FIRE
After getting a taste of the pro game late last season, Jack Devine has hit the ground running in his proper rookie campaign. The 22-year-old leads the team with six points (2g, 4a) through four games and is tied for second among all league rookies in scoring. So far this season Devine has more multi-point games (2) than he does scoreless games (1).THE PLAYERS TO WATCH
- Charlotte
- Jack Devine - 6 points in last 4 games
- Ben Steeves - 4 goals in last 4 games
- Wilmer Skoog - 5 points in last 3 games
- Wilkes-Barre/Scranton
- Aidan McDonough - 3 points in last 3 games
- Tristan Broz - 5 points in last 4 games
- Ville Koivunen - 4 points in last 2 games
THE INFO
Friday's game is Cystic Fibrosis Awareness Night! $5 of every ticket purchased here will go the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation.Saturday is Hispanic Heritage Night presented by Compare Foods, featuring themed content throughout the game!
There will also be an Oktoberfest tailgate party happening before Saturday's contest! Fans can enjoy samples from a variety of beer vendors in front of the Bojangles Coliseum box office starting at 4 p.m., then enjoy live music from Greazy Keyz starting at 4:30 p.m.
If you can't make it to the Coliseum this weekend, the games - along with every game this season - are available via the new AHLTV on FloHockey! Click here to get a subscription.
Saturday's game is the Live On Social game of the week - fans can watch the game for free on FloHockey's social channels. Fans can also listen to the radio broadcast on the Checkers App or online.
