“We’re entering into a fun time,” said Charlotte alternate captain MacKenzie Entwistle.
The Checkers are back in the Queen City for the final four games of the regular season across the next two weeks, and they come in firing on all cylinders. Winners of five straight and holders of a 12-3-1-0 record since March 1, they enter this weekend as one of the league’s hottest teams.
“The guys have been clicking and it’s been a fun locker room,” said Entwistle. “It’s a fun time to be around the rink right now. It’s exciting.”
The team’s most recent outings were a pair of road contests against Toronto to close out the trip, and the Checkers were able to take care of business - rallying back for a 3-2 win in the first tilt and then blowing out the Marlies 5-1 in the rematch.
“I thought in Toronto you started to see it a little bit more,” said head coach Geordie Kinnear. “They were more in the moment, playing hockey, understanding how we want to play. Thinking less and playing more free and reading off each other. Obviously there are always pockets of the game you’re not going to like - I didn’t like the shorthanded goal (on a two-man advantage in the first game) but I liked the response in the third period. And then I thought overall in the second game we started to see more of what it needs to look like. So that’s our focus, always be ourselves and give ourselves the best chance to be successful when it matters most.”
The coaching staff has been clear about their expectations and what they want to see out of the team from day one, and this current run is a shining example of how sticking to that identity produces results.
“We got back to how it should look every single night,” said Entwistle. “I think it’s hard to play the way we play, with all the speed and being in on the forecheck every single night. Obviously that’s our goal and we have to keep working towards that. But I thought over the last road trip we got to our style of game and that’s why we had success.”
As the team barrels towards their eighth consecutive postseason appearance,
“Sometimes being on the road for so long like we have for the past two months now, it’s not as fun as being at home, but it’s gotten us closer,” said Entwistle. “You go out for dinner, you’re hanging around the guys in the hotel, you’re on the buses together. It’s gotten us closer. I think Geordie has kind of handed it off to the leaders and at this time of the year he shows us a game plan and it’s up to us to go out there and put our best foot forward and play the game that we should play. It’s been fun.”
Four games remain on the Checkers’ regular season slate, and while the team has had a postseason berth sewn up for some time now, there is plenty to play for. Charlotte is still able to catch and pass the Penguins for the second spot in the division, which would secure a coveted first-round bye.
“It’s been exciting,” said Entwistle. “It’s nice and refreshing to be back home and be in some sun. We’re excited for the upcoming playoff push here.”
NEXT MAN UP
One of the most intriguing aspects of Charlotte’s recent run has been the state of their lineup on any given night. As Florida has been decimated with injuries, the Checkers have been without key names in the lineup like Mike Benning and Nolan Foote for weeks. But even as the roster goes through upheaval, the team is ready to keep pushing forward.“Next man up mentality,” said Entwistle. “It’s going to take everyone. You saw it last year. At this time of the season guys are banged up. The guys that are in the lineup, the guys that are out of the lineup, we’re confident in every single guy. Everyone has to stay ready.”
That mantra was put to the test when an especially thin defensive corps forced forward Kai Schwindt into action on the blue line.
“Guys have always stepped up, but even more so now,” said Kinnear. “A guy like Kai Schwindt plays D and guys kind of rally around it. I thought our forwards did an outstanding job that game to really help our D out, which is important. It’s a credit to everybody.”
With Florida not headed for the postseason, the Checkers are slated to get quite the army of reinforcements back once the NHL season ends - a welcome addition, especially as injuries have claimed another key piece of the Charlotte back end.
Mitch Vande Sompel had to be helped off the ice in the first game in Toronto after taking an awkward hit, and the team will be without the veteran blue liner for the time being.
“He’s going to be a little bit longer term, unfortunately,” said Kinnear. “He’s been playing great hockey for us, he’s been a leader for us on and off the ice. He plays how we want to play, paying the price to keep the puck out of the net, playing with physicality. I truly feel awful for him because he had to watch a lot last year at this time of year. He’s been a big contributor to our success this year. Hopefully he can rehab and get back and we can do our part too to make sure he plays.”
Whatever new lineup wrinkle is thrown at them, the Checkers will be ready.
“It’s not going to be one line,” said Entwistle. “It’s not going to be one guy, it’s going to be the whole team. Coaches and staff included. It’s everybody.”
SAWCHYN RETURNS
In positive lineup news, Gracyn Sawchyn returned to action in the Toronto series, picking up a pair of helpers in what were his first games since early January when he suffered an upper-body injury.“It was a little bit of a different injury,” said Sawchyn. “You kind of have to take some time and think about some things. But luckily it was nothing too bad. It gave me some time at home to relax.”
The forward was enjoying a strong start to his rookie campaign before getting hurt - totaling 19 points in 29 games - and he’s picked up right where he left off in his return to the ice.
“He’s a hockey player,” said Kinnear. “He just wants to go out and make plays in traffic and feed off others. We put him with Skoog, who he had skated with this last little while in rehab, and you saw a little bit of that chemistry coming through there. And then we put Ducky [Robert Mastrosimone] there, who Skoog had some chemistry with and they had a really good weekend.”
Spending three months on the sideline doesn’t look to have slowed Sawchyn’s momentum.
“Just play to your strengths,” he said of his mindset in those first two games. “All the little skills and stuff may not be there, but just lean on your linemates a little bit and go out there and try to outwork everybody until you get everything back.”
The 21-year-old is also happy to simply be back in the swing of things.
“It felt great,” said Sawchyn of his return. “It kind of helped me mentally too. After taking so much time off the ice it feels really good to be back on the road with everybody and be around the team again. Honestly it’s crazy because everyone is just so much better. You can see how much they’ve improved over even that three month span. This group has come together really well and I’m excited for the future.”
As the games start to ratchet up in importance, having a player of Sawchyn’s mold is a big boost for the Checkers.
“Sawchyn fits the bill of what a hockey player is,” said Kinnear. “He makes plays, enjoys the game, is super competitive with the puck and without. He’s jumped right in.”
POWERING UP
Charlotte’s man advantage has been a sore spot for the majority of this season. Marred by an unfortunate run of one power-play goal in 18 games, the Checkers’ power-play ranks as the sixth worst in the AHL this season. The tide may be turning though, as they have found some success lately - including recording a power-play goal in three of their last four contests.“It might be more of being in the moment, playing hockey and not being robotic," said Kinnear. “The game is great when you can skate and be free to feed off of each other. Confidence is a wonderful thing. We’ve put some more attention to it and there’s been some more chemistry as the lines have taken shape a bit.”
One uptick doesn’t necessarily signal that it’s mission accomplished for the power play, but the team can rest assured that strides are being made as things hurtle toward the playoffs.
“It hasn’t been good enough - we didn’t like the shorthanded goal in Toronto,” said Kinnear. But it’s trending in the right direction. When you’re in a hole, you’re never going to jump out of that hole - you’ve got to climb. We’re starting to climb.”
