It’s playoff time for Checkers, and here are 5 things to know about Charlotte’s bid

It’s playoff hockey time again in Charlotte, but the Checkers’ bid for the American Hockey League’s Calder Cup has a different feel this time around.

Last year, the Checkers grabbed the last spot in the playoffs and were eliminated in the second round. This time, the phrase “special season” is being thrown around by some who have watched Charlotte’s team steamroll to the best record in the league.

“It will take a really good team to beat them,” said an NHL scout, who asked not to be named because he’s not authorized to speak about specific teams. “It’ll have to be a deep team, because Charlotte has good depth. They play the basics well. And they play well together. They’re also really well-coached. Mike (Vellucci) is top-notch.”

The Checkers’ first-round, best-of-five series opens 7:05 p.m. Saturday, with top-seeded Charlotte visiting fourth-seed Providence. Game two will be Sunday in Providence.

The series moves to Bojangles Coliseum for Game 3 at 7 p.m. Wednesday, and Games 4 and 5, if needed, at 7 p.m. next Friday and 6 p.m. next Saturday.

Here are five things to know about the Checkers and their bid for the Calder Cup:

Charlotte Is Very Strong

The Checkers finished with 110 points, the most of any of the league’s 31 clubs. They will have home-ice advantage through the playoffs.

The Checkers held opponents to two or fewer goals in 44 of their 76 games this season (best in the league). They have the AHL’s Coach of the Year in Vellucci.

Charlotte’s Alex Nedeljkovic was named AHL Goalie of the Year. Backup goaltender Dustin Tokarski is 7-0 since being acquired by Charlotte in late February.

While most hockey teams have two or three big scorers, the Checkers have five players with more than 40 points and eight skaters with 15 or more goals.

Since late February, Charlotte has a 17-4 record. And they’ll be stronger in the playoffs, with injured standouts Andrew Poturalski, Clark Bishop and Josiah Didier returning.

History Is On Their Side

In the past 10 years, the team with the most regular-season points has won the championship five times and reached at least the semifinals two other years.

Having home-ice advantage is big. In 38 games at Bojangles this season, Charlotte was 26-12, with five of the losses coming in overtime. That was tied with Bridgeport Sound and Syracuse for the best AHL home record.

The Checkers could face Bridgeport in the second round and Syracuse in the third. But they’ll have home-ice advantage each time.

The League Knows About Charlotte

The Checkers have led the AHL in points since Nov. 10, and Vellucci says they’ve caught opponents’ best shot.

“We’ve had the target on our backs all season,” he says. “We’ve gotten accustomed to that.”

Cleveland Monsters’ coach John Madden says his team did everything it could last week to beat the Checkers, so they could gain a playoff berth. Charlotte won two nights in a row (although Cleveland eventually scratched its way into the playoffs).

“They are just really tough to beat,” Madden says of Charlotte. “We played really well, but it wasn’t enough. Charlotte does so many things well.”

Things Can Go Wrong

The Tampa Bay Lightning dominated the NHL’s regular season but was swept in four games by Columbus in the first round of the Stanley Cup playoffs.

Vellucci and his team are aware of that. The AHL’s top regular-season team two years ago, Wilkes-Barre/Scranton, lost in the first round. And the Checkers will play without three top defensemen. Roland McKeown is injured, and Haydn Fleury and Jake Bean are with the Carolinas Hurricanes in their NHL series.

Add to that, Providence is a strong defensive team. “They play a structured game,” Vellucci says.

It’s A Long Journey

If the Checkers reach the AHL finals, we could be watching hockey in Charlotte for a couple more months. The first-round series has a best-of-five format, but the following three rounds are best-of-seven. Last year, the Toronto Marlies beat the Texas Stars in Game 7 on June 14.

Tighten your skates. There could be a lot of hockey left to play this season.

Steve Lyttle on Twitter: @slyttle

This story was originally published April 19, 2019 at 12:07 PM.