The Checkers got their lone goal of the game early in the first, but would let the Marlies tally a goal each period, falling 3-1 on Saturday afternoon.
The Checkers got on the board first early in the first period as Jesse Puljujärvi tallied a power play goal off a pass from C.J. Smith. The opponent rounded out the first period by tallying a goal of their own, making it a tie game after the first 20 minutes.
The Marlies took control of the tilt as the matchup reached its halfway point with their second goal of the night. It would be a quiet remainder of the second period.
Toronto edged out their lead with a goal in the final minutes of the third period. Charlotte’s final battle wouldn’t be enough, as Toronto took the win in the first matchup of the weekend.
NOTES
The Checkers finished their season series against Cleveland with a 2-1-0-1 record … Leonard has The Checkers fell to 1-2-0 in the season series with Toronto that concludes tomorrow … After going scoreless in his first eight games as a Checker, Puljujarvi has two goals in his last three … CJ Smith has points in each of his last three games (1g, 2a) … The Checkers have a power-play goal in each of their last three games, their longest such streak since November … The Checkers recorded 23 or fewer shots in each of their last four games. Heading into this game, the Checkers ranked second in the AHL with an average of 32.1 per game … Checkers scratches included forwards Riley Bezeau, Zac Dalpe, MacKenzie Entwistle, Riese Gaber, Riley Hughes, Ryan McAllister, Aidan McDonough and Justin Sourdif; defensemen Dennis Cesana and Mitch Vande Sompel; and goaltender Cooper Black.
