Charlotte Checkers’ chances depend in part on how long Hurricanes last in NHL playoffs

The Carolina Hurricanes and Washington Capitals could have a sizable impact on the Charlotte Checkers’ American Hockey League playoff chances this season.

The Checkers returned home late Sunday after splitting the opening two games of their first-round, best-of-five series in Providence.

The remaining contests will be played at Bojangles Coliseum, with Game 3 at 7 p.m. Wednesday; Game 4 at 7 p.m. Friday; and Game 5 – if needed – at 6 p.m. Saturday.

While some teams involved in the AHL’s Calder Cup playoffs are working with stable rosters, the Checkers haven’t been so fortunate.

Charlotte’s parent team, the Carolina Hurricanes, are battling the Washington Capitals in a first-round NHL playoff series.

Washington leads 3-2, with Game 6 on Monday night in Raleigh. A potential seventh game would be Wednesday in Washington.

The Hurricanes have been hit with playoff injuries, and that has resulted in a shuffling of players back and forth between Raleigh and Charlotte.

“That’s a part of the game,” Checkers’ coach Mike Vellucci says of the roster changes.

Center Patrick Brown, who tied for fourth in goals scored during the regular season with Charlotte, has been called up to Raleigh. On Friday, the Hurricanes promoted the Checkers’ leading goal-scorer, winger Aleksi Saarela, and sent standout defenseman Jake Bean back to Charlotte.

The next day, Saarela was returned to Charlotte. And on Sunday, the Hurricanes called up center Clark Bishop for Monday night’s game.

One NHL scout, asking to remain anonymous, told the Observer late in the regular season that the Checkers would benefit by the Hurricanes being eliminated from the NHL playoffs. He said the return of Bean and defenseman Haydn Fleury “would make Charlotte a lot better.”

Despite all that, the Checkers remain in a good spot, with home-ice advantage. In 38 games at Bojangles this season, Charlotte was 26-12, with five of the losses coming in overtime.

“You would like to get a split in Providence,” Vellucci said last week, before the series began.

Here’s a look at the first two games:

Saturday: Two of the AHL’s top defensive teams put on a display of offense, with Charlotte winning 5-4. The Checkers scored twice in the opening four minutes, but the Bruins rallied for a 3-2 lead after one period. The Checkers were up 4-3 after two periods, and each team scored once in the third period.

Charlotte rookie Morgan Geekie scored twice, his first pro playoff goals. The Checkers improved their season record to 39-0 when leading after two periods.

Sunday: Providence bolted to a 2-0 then rallied in the third period for a 4-2 win. The Bruins got the go-ahead goal midway in the final frame and added an empty-net score in the closing minutes.

Two players from each team were involved in a fight with one second remaining, and all four received misconducts. There was no immediate word Monday from the AHL if the four – including Charlotte’s Tomas Jurgo and Bobby Sanguinetti, each with a goal in the first two playoff games – will face suspensions.

This week: Charlotte will be on home ice to finish the first round. The Checkers are offering $2 hot dogs, popcorn and domestic beer during the three games.

Steve Lyttle on Twitter: @slyttle