The unit ranks second in the AHL with a 23.7 power-play percentage, capped off by a season-best four-goal outburst in the Checkers’ most recent contest. Charlotte has scored 40 power-play goals in 40 games this season, making them the only team in the AHL currently averaging one per game, and has recorded more than one goal on the man advantage 11 times.
So what has been the key to the success? The easiest factor to spot is simply the amount of talent that the Checkers can trot out on any given power play.
“If you look at the personnel, I think you can’t get much better than that,” said Brendan Woods, who netted his first power-play goal of the season on Saturday against Chicago.
“We’ve got a lot of guys that know how to score,” said head coach Mark Morris. “We’ve got some playmakers and some guys that dig pucks and make plays in and around the goal line.”
Having two groups that could both easily be number one units on another team proves to be quite the challenge for opposing penalty killers.
“I think having two really strong units really helps,” said Zach Boychuk, who leads the team with six power-play goals this season, five of which have come just in the month of January. “You can put either unit out and we’re getting goals off both.
“It’s a bit of a different look from both units and our breakouts are different between the two, and we have one guy behind the net on one unit that’s not a very normal power play that teams are killing against. Whoever we’re putting out there we’re scoring goals.”
While it’s never a bad thing to have a strong power play, the Checkers are looking to become more balanced offensively by boosting their five-on-five scoring as the season continues.
The Checkers are currently ranked fourth in the AHL in goals per game and second in power-play goals per game, but drop down to 11th in five-on-five goals per game.
“You always want to be better at five-on-five,” said assistant coach Geordie Kinnear. “You want your power play to be high end and obviously our power play is winning us a lot of games, but we want to get into the playoffs and to win in the playoffs you have to be able to do it five-on-five because all of a sudden there are less calls and you’re not on the power play as much. It’s something we’re going to keep working on all the time.”
If the Checkers can get that even strength scoring up and continue to be dominant on the man advantage, they will be a force as the season reaches its second half.
Some other news and notes from this week:
CARRICK RESTS, SHUGG OUT
“It was a maintenance day for Trevor,” said Kinnear, who oversees the defensemen.
Carrick has had a whirlwind last few months, and the team is working to make sure the young blue liner doesn’t get burned out.
“He was at the Spengler Cup so he didn’t get that break with a lot of travel and a lot of games, then he came back here and we asked him to play a lot of minutes, five-on-five and power play and penalty kill,” said Kinnear. “Then he’s going to have the All-Star game so he won’t get a break there either.”
In just his second year as a pro, Carrick has quickly become a top defenseman for the Checkers. He consistently logs big minutes on the back end, plus his deadly shot has flourished on the power play and the penalty kill relies on him as well. As he grows in his game, the team will no doubt continue to lean on him, so this rest becomes a key aspect of keeping him at a high level.
“We’re looking to make him an all-around player,” said Kinnear. “He’s turning into a real good hockey player and we want to make him into a great hockey player. He loves the game and the fire in his belly is contagious.”
The other player missing was Justin Shugg, who exited Saturday’s game following a high hit. Absent from both practices this week, it doesn’t look like the forward will be available for this weekend’s road trip. The good news is that with the All-Star break on the other side, Shugg will have an extra week off to recover before the team resumes playing in February.
MURPHY SHARPENING BOTH SIDES OF HIS GAME
But those are things that people have come to expect from Murphy, who has split his three-year pro career between Charlotte and Raleigh. Where the young blue liner has impressed is on the other side of the puck.
“I think he’s made strides since he’s been down here,” said Kinnear. “Everyone thinks scoring points and being on the power play is his makeup, but over the last month he’s done an outstanding job on the penalty kill. He’s been one of our better penalty killers.”
Murphy has taken on a bigger and bigger bulk of minutes as of late, including time on both special teams units, and has started to take on more of a well-rounded style of play. Surrounded by plenty of two-way talent around him, Murphy has found a nice fit on the Charlotte blue line this season.
The coaching staff doesn’t want to strip Murphy of his offensive prowess, something that has made him a dangerous weapon for Charlotte, but to hone his defensive skills to give him another layer.
“Adding that to his foundation of the type of player that he is, that’s a huge step for him,” said Kinnear. “Because obviously he does what he does on the power play and with moving the puck. We want him to continue doing that, but also still work at the defensive side of the game.”
CORNELL SEIZING HIS CHANCE
After making an impact on last year’s team, Cornell was brought onto the team via a professional tryout in November to shore up the Checkers’ blue line. While PTOs are often used for quick patches in the lineup, Cornell has done all he can to force the staff to keep him around.
“It’s all about taking advantage,” said Kinnear. “He’s made the most of his opportunity and in this business that’s what it’s about.”
While not an overly imposing figure on the blue line (he’s listed at 5-foot-11), Cornell has brought a high degree of grit and toughness to the Checkers’ back end. In just 20 games, Cornell is second on the team with 66 penalty minutes, and isn’t afraid to drop the gloves. Last Saturday, for example, the Checkers surrendered two goals in the first two minutes of play to dig themselves into quite the hole. Cornell then stepped up to a fight in an effort to get his club going. The Checkers would respond with two goals of their own later in the period and would go on to win a barn-burner of a game.
While you can’t credit all of the team’s comeback to one fight in the first period, it certainly showed that Cornell is willing to do what it takes to contribute to his club’s effort. “He’s a total team guy who brings it every day,” said Kinnear. “He’s hard to play against.”
That’s not to say that Cornell is a one-dimensional player. The 27-year-old has also pitched in three goals and three assists along the way, including one of each on the power play.
As he continues to be showcased on the Charlotte blue line, Cornell and the Checkers will have a decision ahead of them. Once his PTO runs out, the team can either sign him to another, sign him to a standard player contract (which they did earlier this season with David Wohlberg) or let him return to the Florida Everblades.
While that decision is awaiting them in the future, Cornell will continue to work hard in the meantime, prove his worth to the coaching staff and help his team win hockey games.
“His passion to get better as a hockey player is second to none,” said Kinnear. “He’s always one of the last guys off the ice, working on his skills after practice. He wants to be a player and that pushes other players to be better.”
