Game Day: Aeros vs. Charlotte

If the Aeros have any dreams of getting the No. 4 seed and securing home ice in the first round, they need to beat the Charlotte Checkers tonight.

If they do it, they'll have to without Chad Rau, who was suspending by the league earlier this week for a high-sticking incident at San Antonio. That hurts a little bit, but the Aeros can win this game if they return to a good penalty-killing technique and Darcy Kuemper continues to play well.

I am not 100% sure if it is related, but the Aeros signed Kirk MacDonald to a contract. He played four games for the Aeros during the road trip and even missed some time in the middle of that stint with an injury. The MacDonald signing also indicates to me that the same forwards that have been out, continue to be out with undisclosed injuries.

MacDonald has done alright in the ECHL, but he'll be just another body trying to make it work at Toyota Center tonight.

Opposite Kuemper, I'd expect the Checkers to start John Muse, who's filled in rather decently with Peters up in Carolina. Muse is 3-4 and has started every game for them since then. He gave up six last weekend against Texas and then rebounded nicely with a 3-2 overtime win in the rematch.

The weekend before that, he split two games against the Aeros at Time Warner Cable Arena.

The Checkers, like the Aeros, have only played about 10 games in the last month. Since Feb. 23, Charlotte is an even 5-5 with just three regulation wins. Their once great defense is a little shaky now. Muse has started eight of those games and he's given up more than 3.6 goals per game during that span.

I'd really be disappointed and shocked if the Aeros don't win the game if they can keep the Checkers under three goals.

After tonight, there are only 10 home games left at Toyota Center. Barring a complete choke, the Aeros will make the playoffs for the 16th time in 19 years. If you want me to put a number on it, I'd say the team needs just seven more wins to clinch at least the No. 8 seed.

I'm actually optimistic that they'll finish closer to 4 than 8, but we'll see. The Aeros do have a very tough schedule down the stretch. No matter what happens, the final month will be filled with excitement.