Phantoms netminder Yaniv Perets was the difference for the visitors, denying every shot he faced across the contest.
The Checkers tilted the ice in their favor for the majority of regulation, launching a barrage of shots on goal and holding the Phantoms to just 15, but it was the visitors who broke the ice early on in the middle frame.
That would stand as the lone tally until the waning moments of the game, as Lehigh Valley squashed Charlotte’s rally attempt with an empty netter that sealed the Checkers’ fate.
QUOTES
Coach Geordie Kinnear on the gameYou like some of it and some of it you didn’t like. I thought their goalie obviously made some good saves, and I liked pockets of it where we established the forecheck. There were a little bit of flow issues in the second period with four-on-four and we took the high sticking and killing penalties, but there were some good pockets.
Kinnear on not being able to find the back of the net
One, you have to give their goalie some credit. He was on the top of his paint all night, so credit to him. You probably don’t want him at the top of his paint the whole game, which allowed him to be able to anticipate and read the play very well. Credit to him. We’ve got to do a better job of not allowing the goalie to be at the top of the paint where it becomes tougher to score.
Kinnear on trying to generate offense
You’ve got to play the game you’re in. You run into a really good goalie, the game you’re in, he’s feeling it and you have to make him a little more uncomfortable than we did tonight. Again, you have to give the goalie some credit. We just didn’t have the screens that we normally have and it was kind of similar to the Hershey game, the first one against Stephenson. This game I felt that we were a little more inside, but very similar.
Kinnear on the success of the penalty kill this season
I think the depth that we’ve used, we’ve used a lot of killers and guys have done a really good job of buying in and thinking. To kill that way you’ve got to kill as one, and I think they’ve done a really good job and obviously your goalie has to be really good too. Credit to everybody.
Kinnear on the team’s mindset heading into playoffs
My foot doesn’t come off the gas when it comes to finding ways to get better as a group. Each moment and each situation brings a new learning moment, and it’s up to me to make sure I pass that along to those guys, they apply it and then we continue to build this. When you really look at it, the most improved team over the course of the whole playoffs usually wins the Calder Cup.
