Fresh off the heels of a 15-game month of March, the Checkers embarked on their first and only three-in-three gauntlet of the season. It was a stretch that was sandwiched by visits to Providence, the first of which didn’t go well.
“Friday night was - to be honest - we talked about it so I’m just being straight up, it was not good enough,” said head coach Geordie Kinnear of his team’s 4-0 loss.
Rather than let that disappointing defeat - and a string of roster moves - send the team spinning for the rest of the weekend, the Checkers righted the ship. They claimed back-to-back wins - hammering the Islanders and then mounting a comeback win over the Bruins - to ensure a successful trek.
“Obviously then we lost some players,” said Kinnear. “So some players on Saturday got an opportunity which they made the most of. Then Sunday, we knew what type of game it was, Providence knew what type of game it was. It deserved to go to overtime and we stepped up and scored a goal at a critical time. It was good.”
Kinnear’s reference of losing some players may be underselling the roster turmoil the Checkers went through over the weekend. Rasmus Asplund, Jesse Puljujarvi and Matt Kiersted all missed the final two games of the trip as they were recalled to Florida, where they joined Jaycob Megna, who had been called up earlier in the week.
All four of those skaters stand as pillars of the Charlotte lineup, so constructing a group for those two contests required a fair amount of shuffling and a turn to the newest faces in the room.
Colton Huard, Liam McLinskey and Eamon Powell all made their pro debuts on Saturday and the latter two were back in the lineup Sunday, while Brett Chorske skated in his second and third pro games. They were all thrown right into the thick of things - slotting in across the lineup and in seeing the ice in various scenarios - and made an impact, as McLinskey (1g, 1a) and Powell (1a) both found the scoresheet in Bridgeport and Chorske scored the overtime-winner in Providence.
More importantly, they all fit right in and played key roles in the Checkers picking up a critical four standings points.
“The whole credit goes to the leadership group, the guys that have been here,” said Kinnear. “And that’s not just the older guys, a lot of younger guys have stepped up too. Credit to the environment that they’ve created so those [new] guys can come in and contribute. It’s easy for those [new] guys to come in and feel part of the family."
How Charlotte’s lineup looks for the near future remains to be seen - the Panthers, who are nursing their fair share of injuries, have four games left on their slate before capping the regular season on April 15, while the Checkers have two home games this weekend before a three-game trip from April 16-19 to close out the AHL campaign.
The Checkers still have plenty to play for. They currently hold the Atlantic’s second seed - and a first-round bye - with a four-point edge over Providence (which has played one more game than Charlotte) and Wilkes-Barre/Scranton (which has played one fewer game than Charlotte). They also are within striking distance of a division title, trailing Hershey by five points with five games left for both sides.
But regardless of who’s in the lineup or what’s at stake, the Checkers are sticking to their season-long mantra of focusing on themselves.
“It’s important as a coach, as a group, as an environment, that we just focus on playing good hockey,” said Kinnear. “So that’s what we’re doing. We didn’t love the game on Friday, probably Saturday and Sunday was a lot of adrenaline, so we’ve got to clean up a few things. Continue to get better, continue to play winning hockey and focus on our group.”
BETWEEN THE PIPES
One of the biggest shake ups in Charlotte surrounding the trade deadline was in the crease. Chris Driedger, the Checkers’ veteran netminder who was sporting a save percentage of .878 at the time, was dealt to the Winnipeg organization in exchange for another veteran in Kaapo Kahkonen, who had been backstopping one of the league’s worst teams in Manitoba.In the 15 games since the trade, a re-energized Kahkonen has taken the reins to the tune of eight starts, a 6-3-0 record, a 2.39 goals-against average and a .906 save percentage.
“Kahko has stepped in and played very well and played some big games,” said Kinnear. “I played him back to back here. We’re going to continue to use him.”
Over that stretch Cooper Black has made four starts (2-1-0, 2.80 GAA, .885 SV%) and Ken Appleby has made three starts (2-1-0, 2.34 GAA, .909 SV%).
The Checkers platooned the duo of Kahkonen and Appleby over the weekend and each netminder picked up a big win.
“Apple, give him a lot of credit,” said Kinnear of Appleby’s 31-save win over Bridgeport. “He sat for a little bit, we needed a big start with a younger lineup and I thought he was the rock in the game which allowed us to find a little bit of footing in the game. I thought Bridgeport had too many chances in the first period, so credit to Apple that he came in. He’s part of that leadership group that allowed those young guys to settle into the game. He deserves a lot of credit. And then we went back with Kahko in a tough situation [on Sunday] and he definitely was our best player.”
LEONARD'S CHASE
John Leonard continues to light the lamp at a historic rate as he chases down a spot in the record book. The forward found the back of the net in both wins over the weekend, bringing his total on the year to 34 - a mark that is tied for second in the AHL and just three away from breaking Zach Boychuk’s franchise record of 36.“We all see the natural skill, the shot, the gamer - he loves those big moments,” said Kinnear of Leonard, who is tied for the league lead with eight game-winning goals. “He deserves a ton of credit. When he skates he’s an elite player. So I just have been on him to skate and work without the puck and then his natural gift will take over.”
Leonard has been a consistent producer for Charlotte and has turned it on down the stretch - in fact, no one in the AHL has scored more goals since Feb. 16.
“I’m proud of him,” said Kinnear. “We’re proud that he’s having a great year but he’s the first guy that would say it’s about the team - it’s been a team effort.”
INJURY UPDATE
As the schedule settles down ahead of the final stretch of the regular season, this week at the Coliseum allowed for some injury updates.First is an unfortunate update on Checkers captain Zac Dalpe, who has been out since Dec. 18.
“He’ll be done for the year,” said Kinnear.
Ryan McAllister and MacKenzie Entwistle - who have been out since Nov. 29 and Dec. 7, respectively - have been skating on their own, and the duo joined the main group for parts of practice on Tuesday in no-contact sweaters.
“They still have appointments that they have to go through,” said Kinnear. “Excited to have them out there for a little bit for some of the skill drills. They’re still a few appointments away.”
Sandis Vilmanis factored in to Charlotte’s big road trip - earning a pair of assists in Bridgeport - but did not skate on Tuesday.
“He got banged up in the game and didn't feel right today,” said Kinnear after yesterday’s practice. “He’s a young player who played a three-in-three and had physical games too. He’s learning what it takes to be a pro - take care of yourself today and hopefully be ready for practice on Thursday.”
A player who did miss time over the weekend was Justin Sourdif, who was out for the final two contests of the trip.
“He might be a little bit longer,” said Kinnear.
