Monsters Hit the Road to Face Checkers
In the third of eight meetings between the two teams this season, the Cleveland Monsters, affiliate of the NHL’s Columbus Blue Jackets, drop the puck vs. the Charlotte Checkers, AHL affiliate of the NHL’s Carolina Hurricanes, on Tuesday with full coverage, live from Bojangles Coliseum in Charlotte, NC, underway at 7:00 pm on Alt 99.1, AHLTV and the Monsters Hockey Network.
MONSTERS PRE-SCOUT: Following a 3-0 home win over the Chicago Wolves on Fridayday, the Cleveland Monsters enter tonight’s game at 10-7-1-1 on the season. With 22 points, the Monsters currently rank 6th in the AHL’s North Division standings and 10th in the Eastern Conference. Cleveland is currently led in scoring by LW Nathan Gerbe (5-10-15), C Zac Dalpe (7-4-11) and D Adam Clendening (4-7-11).
CHECKERS PRE-SCOUT: Following a 1-0 road win over the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins on Saturday, the Charlotte Checkers enter tonight’s game at 7-7-3-0 on the season. With 17 points, the Checkers currently rank 7th in the AHL’s Atlantic Division standings and 14th in the Eastern Conference. Charlotte is currently led in scoring by C Morgan Geekie (5-6-11), LW Brian Gibbons (3-7-10) and D Chase Priskie (3-7-10).
REGULAR-SEASON SERIES: Tuesday marks the third of eight meetings between the Monsters and Checkers this season and the first of four meetings between the two clubs at Bojangles Coliseum this year. Cleveland is 2-0-0-0 vs. Charlotte both overall and at home this season with a +5 goal differential (7/2) in both scenarios thus far in the season series.
MONSTERS GOALTENDERS:
| 32 Elvis Merzlikins | OVERALL | 1 GP, (0-1-0), 0 SO, 2.04 GAA, .933 S% |
| LAST APP. | (28/30) in 1-2 L vs LAV 11/8/19 | |
| HEAD-TO-HEAD | N/A | |
| ON THE ROAD | N/A | |
| 39 Brad Thiessen | OVERALL | N/A |
| LAST APP. | N/A | |
| HEAD-TO-HEAD | N/A | |
| AT HOME | N/A | |
| 35 Veini Vehvilainen | OVERALL | 9 GP, (4-5-0), 2 SO, 2.03 GAA, .924 S% |
| LAST APP. | (16/16) in 3-0 W vs CHI 11/22/19 | |
| HEAD-TO-HEAD | 1 GP, (1-0-0), 0 SO, 1.00 GAA, .957 S% | |
| ON THE ROAD | 3 GP, (1-2-0), 0 SO, 2.03 GAA, .927 S% |
CHECKERS GOALTENDERS:
| 30 Alex Nedeljkovic | OVERALL | 9 GP, (2-5-1), 1 SO, 2.47 GAA, .912 S% |
| LAST APP. | (22/22) in 1-0 W at WBS 11/23/19 | |
| HEAD-TO-HEAD | 1 GP, (0-0-1), 0 SO, 1.98 GAA, .939 S% | |
| AT HOME | 3 GP, (1-2-0), 0 SO, 2.39 GAA, .920 S% | |
| 31 Anton Forsberg | OVERALL | 9 GP, (4-2-2), 0 SO, 3.28 GAA, .893 S% |
| LAST APP. | (30/35) in 4-5 OTL at LV 11/22/19 | |
| HEAD-TO-HEAD | 1 GP, (0-1-0), 0 SO, 5.03 GAA, .821 S% | |
| AT HOME | 3 GP, (2-0-1), 0 SO, 2.27 GAA, .917 S% |
KEYS TO SUCCESS:
- CHAMPION CHECKERS: While Charlotte are the defending AHL Champions, two Checkers players helped the Monsters claim the Calder Cup in 2016. Charlotte LW Kerby Rychel supplied 1-5-6 with 26 penalty minutes and a -4 rating in 17 playoff appearances for the then “Lake Erie” Monsters en route to the title while Checkers G Anton Forsberg was the Monsters’ rock in net, posting an undefeated 9-0 record in ten postseason appearances with two shutouts, a 1.34 goals-against average and a .949 save percentage spanning consecutive sweeps of the Ontario Reign and Hershey Bears in the best-of-seven Western Conference and Calder Cup Finals.
- CONSISTENT CONTRIBUTORS: Six Monsters players are currently in the midst of multi-game point streaks, including D Adam Clendening (5GPS, 3-2-5), LW Marko Dano (5GAS, 6A), LW Nathan Gerbe (3GPS, 1-2-3), C Kevin Stenlund (2GGS, 2G), LW Jakob Lilja (2GPS, 1-1-2) and D Gabriel Carlsson (2GAS, 2A).
- AHL ACHIEVEMENTS: Last weekend was a memorable one for Monsters LW Jakob Lilja who posted his first AHL point in Cleveland’s 5-3 home win over the Chicago Wolves on Thursday and added his first AHL goal in the Monsters’ 3-0 home victory over Chicago on Friday.
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