In a unique scheduling quirk, they faced off against the Islanders in a three-game set over a four-day stretch - with the results running the gamut.
The first tilt saw the Checkers fall into a hole early and - despite solid play down the stretch - it was too much to overcome.
“I thought the first game, for some reason it wasn’t a great start,” said Head Coach Geordie Kinnear. “We gave up three goals in the first period. I thought that the next two periods were really good though.”
Charlotte rebounded in a big way with a 7-1 stomping on Friday.
“Obviously we came out in the next game and played a very good game,” said Kinnear.
The following night’s grudge match was a combination of the previous two contests, with the Checkers falling behind and rallying back before ultimately falling in a shootout.
“I wasn’t thrilled with the start that we had on Saturday,” said Kinnear. “We pride ourselves on not looking back, and it felt like - especially after the second game - we were looking back and thinking how good we were and we weren’t ourselves.”
As the playoff race narrows and the regular season reaches its final stretch, gleaning takeaways from tough series like that can help the Checkers hone their game.
“We’ve talked all year about how you have to learn lessons along the way,” said Kinnear. “It’s a big journey, so you need to learn from your mistakes. We need to learn from that mistake and have a better start after being successful the night before. It’s about having a short memory.”
LITTLE TWEAKS
As the coaching staff continues to implement a balance of work and rest here in the back half of the season, the Checkers spent their time on the ice this week fine tuning their cohesiveness as a unit.
“Being in sync is a big one for us,” said Kinnear of this week’s focus. “You add Cory Conacher to the mixture and then he’s on a new line so they’re not in sync yet. And then you have guys who were out with injury being brought back in so they’re out of sync a little bit.”
Even with lineup shifts and personnel adjustments, Charlotte remains committed to the game plan that the coaching staff implemented from day one.
“That’s how we want to play,” said Kinnear. “Everyone playing fast and hitting the spots they need to be in. We want to play a very simple game so the new additions can skate more and think less. That’s what we’re trying to make sure we continue to build upon.”
Kinnear’s season-long mantra of focusing solely on his team and their identity is coming in handy now in the home stretch of the season - as practice becomes more about sharpening the little things that make a big difference.
“There’s always little tweaks that you do, but nothing changes for us,” he said. “We want to play our game to the best of our ability and outwork the opponent.”
FINISHING STRONG
Something that has jumped out watching the Checkers play this season, especially over the last few months, has been their penchant for late comebacks.
Drilling down into the season stats backs up that observation - the Checkers have scored most in the third period (74) and least in the first period (44). That’s a fairly consistent trend across the league, as only five teams have scored more first-period goals than third-period goals, but no one in the AHL has a bigger chasm between those two totals than the Checkers.
So what’s behind that jump later in games?
“We’ve kind of looked at some things,” said Kinnear. “Power plays being one of them. The power play has a responsibility to not only score goals but create momentum. In the first period we’re not very good on those first power plays. Our power play scores in the third period.”
It’s not just the play on the ice that gets a surge down the stretch - there’s a belief that emanates from the bench.
“The desperation factor is there,” said defenseman Anthony Bitetto after Friday’s game. “The urgency and the push that we don’t think we’re out of any game.”
Being able to pour it on late and turn the tables quickly is certainly a positive asset for a team looking to make a deep playoff run, but it also stands as strength that you don’t want to make a habit of having to tap into.
“We pride ourselves on being a team that plays a 60-minute game,” said Kinnear. “If you’re not starting on time in the first period, that’s only 40 minutes now and you’re not giving yourself the best opportunity to win the game. We want to make sure that we start on time and then we can build.”
What the Checkers have shown over the course of the season is that they are capable shaking off rough patches - another example of the coaching staff’s constant mantra of always looking forward.
“There’s always going to be highs and lows,” said Kinnear. “You want to make sure you can get out of the lows and get to the high level.”
INJURY UPDATES
Losing Connor Bunnaman to injury a month ago was a tough blow for Charlotte, and it was unclear just how long the ailment would keep him out. There seems to be good news on the horizon regarding the forward’s recovery, though.
After progressively increasing his return to skating, Bunnaman was a full participant in Tuesday’s practice and appears to be nearing a return to the lineup.
“He had two linemates,” said Kinnear of Bunnaman’s involvement in Tuesday’s skate. “So we’re excited to have him back.”
Another Checkers forward sidelined with injury has been Logan Hutsko, who has missed the last six games and has not been skating with the team.
“He’s a bit longer term than we expected,” said Kinnear. “It’s unfortunate. He was playing at a high level, and usually when you’re playing at a high level there’s a cost to that and that means getting injured sometimes. He’ll hopefully be ready by the end of the year.”
