HEAD-TO-HEAD
The Checkers and Wolf Pack are very familiar with each other. Not only did they play eight times during the regular season, and not only did all of those meetings come after Jan. 30, but the two sides faced each other six times over the final 16 games.Charlotte had the upper hand head-to-head, winning each of the first seven meetings before dropping the final tilt. The Checkers outscored the Wolf Pack 25-10 during the season series, shutting out Hartford three times and allowing more than two goals only once.
Regardless of their regular-season success, the Checkers are well aware that the playoffs are a whole other beast.
“It’s a new season, a fresh slate,” said Checkers forward Gerry Mayhew. “It doesn’t matter that we beat them seven out of eight, it’s a three-game series now. They’re going to come to play hard - they did the last time we played them. We have to be ready and know that they’re going to come hard.”
OFFENSE
The Checkers finished the regular season just below the middle of the league’s offensive rankings, averaging 3.01 goals per game. That figure took a hit during a particularly tough stretch in the middle of the season that saw the offense dry up, but the Checkers have regained their touch down the stretch. Since Feb. 9 they have scored at least four goals in 15 of 27 games and are averaging 3.30 goals per game - a clip that helped the team go 18-6-3-0 over that run.Hartford clocked in lower than Charlotte in the final league offensive rankings, finishing 26th with a 2.83 average. Like the Checkers, the Wolf Pack had a lean offensive period during the regular season - the difference was that theirs came toward the end of the campaign. Over a 14-game stretch from March 9 to April 7, they posted just 19 total goals. The Wolf Pack broke out of that slump by the time the end of the regular season came around though, and they recorded 21 goals over the final five contests - including three performances of five-plus tallies.
DEFENSE
The defensive side of things is where Charlotte shined during the regular season, pushing its way into the league’s top 10 in terms of goals-allowed per game. The Checkers’ calling card has been their strong suppression of shots on goal - their 26 allowed per game were second in the AHL and just .03 percentage points behind Hershey’s league-leading clip. Spencer Knight has handled the bulk of the work between the pipes for Charlotte and has impressed - especially as the season wore on. He is 11-2-1 in 14 starts since Feb. 10 while allowing 24 total goals and earning three shutouts. Joining him in the goalie tandem is veteran Magnus Hellberg, who was acquired at the trade deadline and is 5-2-0 since joining the Checkers.Hartford fared slightly better in the league’s defensive rankings than it did on offense, averaging 3.04 goals against per game - good for 18th in the AHL. With veteran Louis Domingue currently with the Rangers, the focus shifts to Dylan Garand - who closed out the season on a 0-9-2 run and has allowed at least three goals in each of his last nine appearances. Olof Lindbom - who spent most of the season in the ECHL but stopped 76 of 79 shots during his most recent appearances in late March - and Hugo Ollas - who just finished his college career and made his North American pro debut in Hartford’s second-to-last regular season game - round out the Wolf Pack’s goaltending corps.
SPECIAL TEAMS
The power play has given Charlotte trouble this season, with the team finishing with the 30th-ranked unit in the AHL. Over the final 21 games of the year the Checkers went 11-for-82 on the man advantage, but things trended up at the end - with a 3-for-10 effort coming over the final three games. The penalty kill was the stronger suit for Charlotte’s special teams - finishing 13th in the league and going perfect for five of the last seven games of the season.Hartford found a bit more success on the man advantage - finishing the year tied for 11th in the league - and had a nearly identical success rate on the penalty kill to Charlotte.
PLAYERS TO WATCH
- Mackie Samoskevich - Charlotte’s leading scorer finished the season ranked third among all AHL rookies in scoring, and he’s avoided any kind of first-year fatigue as well. Samoskevich has potted 28 points in his last 27 games, including a six-game point streak that was snapped in the final tilt of the season.
- Wilmer Skoog - Skoog didn’t score his first goal of the season until Jan. 7. Since then, only two players in the AHL have lit the lamp more than the rookie. Skoog has been a consistent offensive driver for Charlotte, and heads into the postseason with 13 points in his last 15 games.
- Alex Belzile - The veteran forward led the Wolf Pack in scoring and heads into the playoffs with three points in his last three contests.
- Brennan Othmann - The Rangers prospect ranked second on the team in scoring as a rookie.
QUOTES
Head coach Geordie Kinnear on the series“It’ll be a good series. We’ve seen these guys a bunch near the end of the season so there’s some bad blood - which always makes playoff hockey that much better. It allows the guys to not feel their way out - they’re used to each other, both teams. We’re looking forward to it.”
Mayhew on the importance of home-ice advantage
“It’s huge. There’s no travel, they have to come here and play. We have the crowd behind us, we’re at home. That plays a huge part in it.”
Kinnear on playing on home ice
“Anytime you’re at home in front of your fans, it’s huge. Use the crowd to your advantage by playing the right way and getting the crowd involved right away.”
Kinnear on preparing for a best-of-three series
“We’ve probably spent the last three weeks talking about ourselves and the importance of starting on time in a short series. You also have to ride the momentum waves a little bit and have some composure within that. Because there are going to be momentum swings. We’ve prepared ourselves for a long period of time.”
Mayhew on starting strong
“You have one bad game and you’re on the brink of elimination. It’s very important that we get that first game and continue from there.”
Spencer Knight on the key to the series
“Just sticking with the process. There’s a lot of emotions and you have to learn how to ride the highs and the lows and level it out. That’s key at this time of year. Staying even keeled and sticking with it and sticking together.”
Kinnear on the playoffs
“You work hard all year long for one opportunity. We’ve got the opportunity. It’s an awesome challenge for our group and we want to make sure we meet that challenge.”
