Offense has been a big part of this down period for Charlotte, as the high-powered offense that propelled them to early-season success has gone ice cold, though it’s hopefully on the way back up with Saturday’s four-goal performance.
The frustration of not being able to put the puck in the net consistently doesn’t help the Checkers’ chances of pulling themselves out of this rut. In fact, it essentially does the opposite.
“Sometimes guys try to be too exact when they’re not scoring instead of just getting it on net,” said head coach Mark Morris. “It’s amazing how many times we’ve just missed. If you just shoot on net, the funny thing is that it finds its way in there. You have to force the goalie to make saves. It’s happened to us a ton where we start to press and it makes the problem worse. “Case in point, in the last game we had a great opportunity and we end up breaking the other team out because we missed the net.”
Adding to that frustration has been the lack of things going the Checkers’ way during this stretch. Charlotte has seen nearly every goalie they’ve faced pull off highlight reel saves, they’ve seen pucks ring off posts, they’ve seen apparent goals called off by the refs, they’ve seen everything. Logic seems to indicate that the tides will have to turn the other way at some point.
“I don’t think we’ve gotten a lot of bounces and the teams we’ve been playing have,” said captain Derek Ryan. “So if we just continue to work hard and, most importantly, get to the net, they’ll start going in for us.”
So the question stands: what’s the key to getting out of an offensive slump like this?
For Justin Shugg, who made his return from injury Friday against San Diego, the key to turning things around lies in sticking to the script that has worked for them in the past.
“We’re all here for a reason, so stick to what you’re good at,” said Shugg. “We understand that there’s a role for each one of us and if we do what we do best, then we’re going to have success.”
Morris narrows it down to one simple component.
“Wherever you bring your focus is usually where you go,” he said. “If you’re not scoring, you need to shoot more pucks. If you’re not stopping the puck, you need to get in front of more pucks. If you’re not blocking them, you need to put your body in front of them. It boils down to focus.”
The Checkers have showed a slight spark over their last few games, specifically with Saturday’s four-goal effort. Those steps in the right direction could act as the launching board for the team to establish their offensive dominance again.
“Especially with the way we’ve been playing over the last few games, we’ve been creating a lot of chances,” said Ryan. “So if we can continue to do that and get pucks and bodies to the net, it’s going to start coming around.”
As they head off on this six-game road trip in search of that lost offensive prowess, perhaps the easiest answer to the question is to simply not overthink things.
“My advice to anybody that’s searching for a way to find their game is to bring your focus to the point where you keep it as simple as possible,” said Morris. “Just hit the net and hopefully they start to fall for you.”
Some other news and notes from this week:
REBUILDING CHEMISTRY
“It’s been tough lately,” said Ryan. “We’ve been shuffling the lines quite a bit and it’s hard to get chemistry when you’re playing with a new guy every period or every game.” Still, the team recognizes that they must work their way around those obstacles.
“It’s on us to make sure that we’re communicating and making sure all the line are on the same page,” said Ryan.
Saturday’s 5-4 loss to San Diego featured one of the Checkers’ most dramatically altered lineups, with head coach Mark Morris moving things around in an effort to find something that works.
“We need to find ways to manufacture more energy and more enthusiasm,” said Morris. “Those things are important in any successful venture. When you come at it with a lot of energy and you’re enthused about it and you execute the simple things, the detail eventually leads to group success. You have to start at some point.”
While it has been tough for the players to gel with so many changes, the benefit of the shuffling is that the coaching staff now has some sample sizes to draw new combinations from.
“I’ve almost played with every player out there,” said Ryan. “So it’s good for Morris to have options to put me or Henny [T.J. Hensick] or whoever with different pieces in game to see what we can create offensively.”
ON THE ROAD AGAIN
Throughout this entire season, the Checkers have been one of the better road teams in the AHL. Though it took a hit with losses in each of their last three contests, Charlotte’s record away from home sits at a strong 14-7-2.
“We’re a good road team,” said Ryan. “We started there for the first 10 games of the year and we had success.”
With the way things have gone over this long six-game home stand, this trip through the division could be a great opportunity for the team to hit the restart button, so to speak.
“I think when you’re going through a stretch like this it’s nice to get together as a team and be on the road and gel together a little bit,” said Ryan. “It’ll be a nice change of scenery for sure. Hopefully we’ll work our way out of this stretch.”
Immediately prior to the trio of losses in their last road outings, the Checkers had earned at least a point in the standings in nine straight games away from Bojangles’ Coliseum. A similar run on this trip would go a long way toward getting the Checkers back where they want to be.
“It gives us a little bit of time to bond with each other and maybe find some mysterious magic on the road,” said Justin Shugg.
When they return to Charlotte in March, the goal will be to bring newfound winning ways with them.
“The crowd was great and the fans have been great, and we take it to heart when we don’t perform for them,” said Ryan Murphy after Saturday’s loss. “Although we’re excited to get a fresh road trip going and string together some wins, we’re also anxious to get back in front of this crowd and do what we can do in front of them.”
