Checkers Drop First of Three Against Springfield

The Checkers couldn’t get back on track Wednesday, dropping a 7-4 contest to Springfield for their third straight loss.

Charlotte came out hot with the opening tally just 64 seconds in courtesy of a Cory Conacher redirect on an early man advantage, then Lucas Carlsson continued his tear by putting the home side up by two a minute into the second.

Springfield punched back at that point, netting two goals in quick succession to draw things even, but Riley Nash finished off a slick passing play midway through the frame to push Charlotte back on top.

That would prove to be the Checkers’ last possession of the lead, however. Springfield drew things back even before the second buzzer, then tacked on another pair in the third to snatch the lead away in the final few minutes of regulation. Mark Senden - playing in his first pro game - would give the Checkers a sign of life when he popped home a loose puck to draw his team back within one, but the Thunderbirds forged ahead with two more to seal the deal for the visitors.

QUOTES

Coach Geordie Kinnear on the game
Pockets of good, pockets of bad. It’s a trend now for three games where we’re a really good, committed group and playing the right way, and then all of the sudden we get away from it and take penalties. We had another seven tonight and I think that’s 14 in two games. That’s not going to get it done.

Kinnear on penalties
You’ve got to be dependable. It taxes a lot of guys and takes away from our five-on-five game because guys are killing too many penalties. We’ve got to clean it up, learn lessons and move on to the next one.

Kinnear on how the game progressed
It’s a 2-0 hockey game and we get away from it a little bit. That’s the game they want to play, the rush game and trading chances. We fell into it and they made us pay for it.

Kinnear on getting out of a slump
I think you lean on everybody. Coaching staff, veterans, everybody. We’re all in this together. It’s playing pockets of really good hockey, but pockets aren’t going to get it done. We’re a team that has had success because everybody is contributing and having a positive impact. Once we get away from that, we’re just an ordinary team and we don’t want to be ordinary.

NOTES

The Checkers’ three-game losing streak is their second-longest of the season, trailing only a five-game slide from Dec. 6-17 … Seven goals is the most the Checkers have allowed in a game this season … The Checkers allowed two goals within 80 seconds for the third consecutive game … The Checkers allowed seven power-play opportunities for the second consecutive game … Carlsson (1g, 1a) recorded his fifth multi-point game in the month of March. He has 20 points (9g, 11a) in his last 16 outings … The Checkers are 1-3-0 against Springfield this season. In the Atlantic Division, the fourth-place Thunderbirds now trail the third-place Checkers by just one point … Senden, who joined the team at the conclusion of his college season just last week, scored in his pro debut … Checkers scratches included forwards Josh Davies, Dominic Franco, Logan Hutsko, Ethan Keppen and Justin Sourdif, and defenseman Calle Sjalin.