Leaks in goal are sinking Charlotte Checkers

After goaltender Michael Leighton suffered a lower-body injury on Feb. 17, it looked as if the Charlotte Checkers might overcome his absence when Alex Nedeljkovic recorded his first career shutout the following day.

But since then, the Checkers have allowed 31 goals in seven games, including a season-high seven during a 7-2 loss against the Bakersfield Condors on Sunday.

That loss marked the last in a 1-3 week for Charlotte, which allowed four or more goals in four games against the Milwaukee Admirals and the Condors.

Tuesday: Despite falling behind 2-0, the Checkers entered the third period trailing just 3-2. However, any momentum Charlotte had quickly disappeared, as Milwaukee scored a pair of power-play goals to hand the Checkers a 5-2 loss.

Wednesday: After both teams scored three goals in the first period, the Admirals seized a 4-3 lead in the second. Milwaukee maintained that lead until Andrew Poturalski's goal midway through the third tied the game and sent it into overtime. The game ultimately went into a shootout, where Charlotte's Kris Newbury secured the 5-4 win in the bottom of the eighth round.

Saturday: Bakersfield jumped out to a 3-0 lead before the Checkers started finding their rhythm offensively. Charlotte scored two goals within the first four minutes of the third period, but it couldn't secure the equalizer, as the Condors scored two empty-net goals for a 5-2 win.

Sunday: After surrendering two goals within the first seven minutes, the Checkers trimmed Bakersfield’s lead to 2-1. However, that’s as close as Charlotte would get. The Checkers trailed 4-2 entering the third period, when they allowed the final three goals.

What's next: Charlotte visits the Manitoba Moose for a pair of 8 p.m. games on Thursday and Friday.

This story was originally published March 5, 2017 at 9:03 PM with the headline "Leaks in goal are sinking Charlotte Checkers."