In their first game since Dec. 19, the Checkers locked up with their opponent for much of the first period, After an extra frame that saw a slew of chances but no conversions, the Checkers and Islanders proceeded on to a shootout that saw the goalies take center stage. Chase Priskie was the first to find the back of the net in the top of the fourth round, but the Islanders responded with their backs on the wall with the next shooter.
The goalies battled once again from there until the eighth round when Grigori Denisenko pulled off a quick-release wrister through the five-hole of Corey Schneider to put the visitors back on the verge of victory. With the game on the line, Joey Daccord stepped up and gloved down Bridgeport’s final attempt - making his seventh save of the shootout and claiming a win for Charlotte.
Denisenko lights the lamp on one side?
— Charlotte Checkers (@CheckersHockey) January 9, 2022
Daccord slams the door on the other?♂️
What a finish! pic.twitter.com/3MCFIHV45S
The first 60 minutes of play swung back and forth between the two sides, as Scott Wilson and Kole Lind gave the visitors a two-goal advantage midway through the game before the Islanders pushed back and tied the score early on in the third.
The goaltending was at the forefront in regulation as well, as both sides fired a ton of rubber on net. In the end it was Daccord’s season-high 40 stops over the 65 minutes of play that gave the Checkers a chance in the shootout.
