COMETS, CHECKERS FACE OFF FOR THIRD TIME THIS SEASON
Nov 8, 2017UTICA COMETS (5-4-1) vs. CHARLOTTE CHECKERS (8-3-0)
Adirondack Bank Center, 7 p.m.
Watch Live: AHL Live | Listen Live: 94.9 K-ROCK, Desktop or Mobile
Follow and Interact Live: Twitter | Hashtag: #CHAvsUTI
Tonight’s Game: The Utica Comets take on the Charlotte Checkers. Puck drop at the Adirondack Bank Center is at seven o’clock.
Last Game: The Utica Comets defeated the Rochester Americans 3-2 in a shootout Saturday night at the Adirondack Bank Center. The first period went scoreless despite the Comets having five power plays, including an extended five-on-three that they were unable to capitalize on. Anton Rodin broke the scoreless tie with 6:34 remaining in the second period. Zack MacEwen tallied the assist. One minute later, Nikolay Goldobin took advantage of a turnover and put it into a wide-open net to make it 2-0 Comets. Sahir Gill cut the Comets lead to 2-1 at the 2:38 mark of the third period. Brendan Guhle tied the game two minutes later, firing a wrist shot past Bachman on the power play. The game went scoreless for the remainder of regulation and overtime, so the game would go to a shootout. Bachman would stop all three shots in the shootout and Goldobin potted the winning goal in the second round to secure the win. Bachman finished with 22 saves.
Head-to-Head: The Comets and Checkers have split their season series, with the Checkers winning 5-1 on October 28 and the Comets claiming a 6-3 victory on October 29.
Scouting the Checkers: The Checkers come into tonight’s matchup with a record of 8-3-0, sitting second in the Atlantic Division. Lucas Wallmark leads the offense with 13 points. Alex Nedeljkovic leads the goaltending tandem with a 6-0-0 record, a 2.35 GAA, and a .916% save percentage.
Bad Blood: Despite their previous weekend series being the first meeting ever, the Comets and Checkers are already developing a rivalry. In their last matchup, the two teams combined for 80 penalty minutes, including four fighting majors and game misconduct penalties.
Spreading It Around: The Comets have gotten offense from almost everywhere through the first 10 games. Utica boast 15 players with at least one goal, and 21 players with at least one point on the year as well.
Back to His Old Ways: After a slow start to the season, Evan McEneny is bouncing back nicely. McEneny has five points (one goal, four assists) in his last four games.
Starting Strong: With the first ten games in the rear view mirror, the Comets hold a record of 5-4-1, good for 11 points. The 11 points is the second most points through 10 games, only behind the 2014-15 Comets who put up 14 points through the first ten games.
Next Game: The Comets return to action Friday night for a rematch with the Checkers. Puck drops at 7 p.m. Fans are encouraged to utilize the ticket exchange website, StubHub!. The game can be heard on 94.9 KROCK and viewed on AHL Live.