Firmly entrenched in a tight Atlantic race, the Checkers started the month on a critical road trip within the division - beating the Wolf Pack in overtime to close out February before heading to Pennsylvania for a pair over the weekend.
“It was a tough road trip for us,” said head coach Geordie Kinnear. “We played Saturday and Sunday at home, played Wednesday in Hartford with some tough travel arrangements, Thursday we got on the bus, got into Wilkes-Barre really late. Then we played Friday and didn’t really play a smart game.”
That initial matchup with the Penguins did not fall Charlotte’s way, with the visitors surrendering four straight goals to fall 4-1.
“The first game, Wilkes-Barre kind of took it to us physically,” said Kinnear. “Whether we weren’t ready for it, I’m not sure why we wouldn’t be - but that’s on me and that’s on the players.”
The coaching staff has been banging the drum since day one for the team to keep focused ahead and not look in the rear view, and that approach came through in a big way for the following night’s rematch - with the Checkers bouncing back for a clutch victory and adding more precious points in the standings.
“We didn’t have our best the first night in Wilkes,” said forward Gerry Mayhew. “So we said we just needed to come back a little harder, make their D turn more and we did that. It was a grimy game and an awesome win.”
“I thought Saturday was a good response,” said Kinnear. “We won the game in the third and took over. I’m proud of the guys, but we have to keep taking steps.”
Coming out of that three-game trek with four of a possible six points, the Checkers continue to ride a wave of momentum that has boosted them over the past few weeks. They are 6-1-2-0 over their last nine contests and their 14 points are tied for the most in the Atlantic Division over the last 10 games.
This hot streak is quite the rebound from the 1-7-0-0 stretch that immediately preceded it, and the coaching staff sees it as the byproduct of the work this team has been putting in.
“We’ve talked about consistency within our game, that’s been the biggest change,” said Kinnear. “You want to be consistent this time of year as an individual and as a team. I think we’re still working through that a little bit but I think we’re finding more consistency. We want to keep building that. We’re just focused on ourselves and finding our game.”
There are 18 games left on Charlotte’s slate as the playoff race heats up. The Checkers sit in the fifth-place spot with 60 points, trailing the fourth-place Wolf Pack (who have played two fewer games) by three points and the third-place Penguins by four. Chasing down Hartford or Wilkes-Barre/Scranton’s positions would be a huge boost for Charlotte, as the third and fourth-place teams would earn home-ice advantage in the opening round of the playoffs.
In the other direction, the Checkers have built up a five-point lead over the sixth-place Thunderbirds and a seven-point gap over the seventh-place Phantoms, who are on the outside of the postseason picture looking in.
All of those intricacies can essentially be boiled down to this: every game from now until the end of the season is immensely important - especially given that the Checkers only play divisional opponents from here on out.
“Our division is so close right now,” said Mayhew. “If we want that home spot we have to take over fourth and I think Hartford is ahead of us right now and we play them a ton. These are two big games this weekend against Hershey, the first-place team. If we can get two wins there I think we can continue to roll.”
NEXT MAN UP
As the grind of the AHL season rolls on, injuries can start to pile up and create some unique lineup challenges. For the Checkers, a next-man-up mentality has them prepared for situations where the extras on the roster are called upon.“I think it’s just the mindset of the group,” said Kinnear. “These are guys that put the work in that no one sees, whether it’s in the gym or game day skates with the coaches, they work extremely hard. No one sees that, but they’re ready for their opportunity.”
Saturday’s win over the Penguins was a prime example of that kind of opportunity, as Patrick Giles and Lucas Carlsson exited the lineup with injuries and opened up two crucial roles.
“You look at the depth, we had guys missing on Saturday and guys had to step in who hadn’t been in the lineup. You look at Dennis Cesana - he’s waited a long time and he stepped into both games and had a positive impact. Perls [Brendan Perlini] hasn’t played in a while and had a positive impact.”
The further into the season you get, the more important that depth becomes - and having those players to call upon bodes well for Charlotte.
“It’s across the board and you have to have that,” said Kinnear. “You have to be a team.”
INJURY UPDATES
Carlsson took an awkward spill into the boards in Wednesday’s win over Hartford, forcing him to the sideline for both contests against the Penguins. Removing a player of his caliber from the lineup leaves a substantial hole - Carlsson leads the Checkers in goals and points and had posted 11 points in his last 10 contests - but the team was prepared to fill that gap.“I don’t think the group was fazed at all,” said Kinnear. “Obviously Carly is an important part of our group, but I liked how the guys handled it for sure.”
Carlsson was not on the ice for Charlotte’s practices early in the week, but his status for the weekend remains up in the air.
“We’re going day by day,” said Kinnear. “We want to be smart with Carly.”
Giles, who missed Saturday’s game, was on the ice Tuesday in a yellow no-contact jersey.
Beyond that, this is the time of year where it’s hard to find anyone who isn’t at least a little banged up - teeing up the importance of all the pieces on Charlotte’s roster.
“We have a lot of guys that we’re going day by day with,” said Kinnear. “But as I said, it’s an opportunity for other guys to step up, because in the end it’s the depth that wins.”
CHASING CONSISTENCY
Part of mining that depth is keeping the players sharp. With Spencer Knight and Evan Cormier handling the bulk of the goaltending responsibilities as of late, the Checkers sent Ludovic Waeber to the ECHL’s Florida Everblades over the weekend to get into some game action - his first since Feb. 3.“To be any good you can’t just practice all the time,” said Kinnear. “So Waebs needed to go down and get some reps, he got some reps and everyone needs to be ready.”
Waeber made 16 saves in Florida’s loss to South Carolina on Saturday and is now back in Charlotte. As for the plan moving forward with his goalie group, Kinnear pointed to the importance of finding stability - and not just in the crease.
“To be honest, it’s a whole team thing when you talk about goaltending,” he said. “You talk about D, forwards, D-zone coverage, power play, PK, it’s just that consistency. We’re looking for consistency from everybody. The goalies fall into that category.”
