With one huge game, the Charlotte Checkers seize control of their playoff destiny
The Charlotte Checkers took control of their own postseason destiny Saturday night with a 6-0 thrashing of host Lehigh Valley in Game 2 of their American Hockey League Calder Cup playoff series.
With the win, the Checkers evened the series at 1-1 and wrested home-ice advantage away from the Phantoms, the AHL Atlantic Division regular season champs. The next three games in the best-of-seven series take place at Bojangles' Coliseum, beginning Tuesday.
Janne Kuokkanen led Charlotte with two goals, both on power plays. Goalie Alex Nedeljkovic recorded a 26-save shutout, his first of the postseason.
Lucas Wallmark, Philip Samuelsson, Valentin Zykov and Julien Gauthier also scored for Charlotte. Andrew Miller, Andrew Poturalski and Trevor Carrick recorded two assists apiece.
Four of Charlotte's goals came on power plays; the Checkers shut down six such attempts by the Phantoms.
▪ The Phantoms hadn't been beaten on home ice this badly since a 9-1 loss to Providence on Jan. 21, 2017.
▪ The six-goal margin of victory set a new franchise playoff record. The previous record of five was set in 2013.
▪ Charlotte is 2-4 at Lehigh Valley this season. The Checkers and Phantoms met eight times in the regular season and split the games, each winning three at home.
▪ Lehigh Valley, which finished first in the AHL Atlantic Division, led the league in scoring this season. The Checkers, who finished third in the Atlantic, were second in scoring.
▪ The Checkers are the Carolina Hurricanes’ AHL affiliate while the Phantoms are the Philadelphia Flyers’ top minor-league club.
Division Finals
(Best-of-7; x-if necessary)
Eastern Conference
Atlantic Division
Lehigh Valley vs. Charlotte
Friday: Lehigh Valley 2, Charlotte 1
Saturday: Charlotte 6, Lehigh Valley 0, series tied 1-1
Tuesday: Lehigh Valley at Charlotte, 7 p.m.
Wednesday: Lehigh Valley at Charlotte, 7 p.m.
Saturday: Lehigh Valley at Charlotte, 6 p.m.
x-May 14: Charlotte at Lehigh Valley, 7:05 p.m.
x-May 15: Charlotte at Lehigh Valley, 7:05 p.m.
This story was originally published May 5, 2018 at 11:13 PM with the headline "With one huge game, the Charlotte Checkers seize control of their playoff destiny."