AHL Charlotte Checkers

Checkers Shut out by Admirals

Published on April 6, 2013 under American Hockey League (AHL)
Charlotte Checkers News Release


In a game that had important playoff implications for both teams, only one team showed a playoff-like intensity.

In the first of back-to-back meetings with Milwaukee at Time Warner Cable Arena, the Checkers suffered their first shutout at home in over a year in a 3-0 loss on Saturday. While wins in both games could have created an almost insurmountable distance between the fourth-seeded Checkers and ninth-seeded Admirals, Charlotte will now be looking to break even in Sunday afternoon's rematch.

While disappointed in this particular game, for coach Jeff Daniels, the loss was the continuation of a longer stretch that saw the team play poorly in two games against San Antonio last weekend, even though goaltending stole them one victory.

"That's three games in a row we've been real bad," he said. "We got out-worked in our own building, and we got what we deserved again."

For the second game in a row, Charlotte managed just 18 shots on goal. It marked the seventh time the team has taken fewer than 20 shots in a game in 2013, including a franchise record of 16 set in February.

Rob Madore made 23 saves to fall to 3-2-0 as an AHL goaltender. Meanwhile, the Admirals' Magnus Hellberg stopped everything the Checkers threw his way, though he did not have to face more than seven shots in any single period.

"Nothing against their goalie, but I thought we made it really easy on him tonight," said Checkers captain Brett Sutter.

Milwaukee was also the last team to shut out Charlotte at home, with that game coming almost exactly one year ago when Jeremy Smith took a 4-0 victory on April 3, 2012 - the first of four consecutive Checkers losses that effectively put their postseason chances to rest.

Thanks to winning four of their last six games entering this match-up, the situation isn't as dire this time around, but better results will be needed.

"We've put ourselves in a good position to make the playoffs, and maybe a little adversity will be good for us," said forward Zach Boychuk. "It pushes you and makes you want to improve."

Charlotte, coming off its longest break in two months (six days since their last game on Saturday), did not get off to the start it was looking for against an Admirals team that had played in Milwaukee the night before. Thanks to the first of two power-play goals by defenseman Mattias Ekholm, a shot from the left circle that found some daylight under Madore's left arm as he was square to the shooter, the Checkers trailed 1-0 after the first period. During the frame, the visitors won the shots battle 16-5.

"Our starts have to be better," said Sutter, whose team lost 5-2 to San Antonio despite having a similar rest advantage. "It's a playoff game every night now. You can feel it in the physicality and the emotion."

The Checkers were then fortunate to come out of the second period still down by just one goal, with the Admirals missing several glorious scoring chances that could have easily found the back of the net.

It wasn't until the beginning of the third period that the game fell out of reach, with Milwaukee's Juuso Puustinen and Ekholm scoring 68 seconds apart in the first three minutes.

A comeback never really seemed to be in the offering, with Charlotte continuing to have trouble generating anything in the way of quality scoring chances despite getting forwards Luke Pither and Justin Shugg back from injury, continuing a revolving door of players that has the team struggling to find cohesion.

"We don't have it right now," said Daniels his team's offensive chemistry. "We haven't been sharp. You could see it in the way we were trying to make the pretty play and missing passes."

"It's not easy, that's for sure," said Boychuk.

The Checkers now look forward to Sunday's rematch, knowing they have a history of bouncing back from disappointing efforts. In four previous back-to-back sets against the same team at home since the beginning of March, they have lost game one and won game two.

"Let's hope (that trend) continues, but if we're not going to work we're not going to have a chance," said Daniels.

An extra dose of desperation related to the current playoff race would help, even though, with seven games to play, the team hasn't entered do-or-die territory just yet.

"We haven't clinched anything yet," said Daniels. "We're in no position to sit and relax. We're not in until we're in."

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American Hockey League Stories from April 6, 2013


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