Checkers make most of not playing it safe

The idea is to play it safe.

When your team is penalized in hockey and you’re playing short-handed, the idea – for most teams, at least – is try and kill off the two minutes and restart your offense when the teams are at even strength.

But the Charlotte Checkers – the American Hockey League’s most successful team so far – don’t follow that theory.

The Checkers lead the AHL in playing short-handed. They’ve been whistled for penalties and played a skater down 62 times. But on five occasions, a Charlotte skater has intercepted the puck and scored a short-handed goal. The Checkers lead the AHL in that category, too.

It’s among several reasons Charlotte is 10-1, has won five straight games, and leads the league in percentage of possible points earned (90.9 percent).

Coach Mike Vellucci says his team is willing to sacrifice for a short-handed breakaway.

“It’s paying a price and blocking shots, and the guys are looking for it,” Vellucci says.

The Checkers’ head coach says he won’t discourage a short-handed attack.

“I’m not going to put a rein on them and say don’t go for it,” he says. “As long as we’re doing the right things in our own end, if you have the appropriate time, you can take your chance.”

The winning goal in Friday’s 4-3 home-ice triumph over Providence came on a short-handed tally by Saku Maenalanen. And Charlotte’s second goal in Saturday’s 3-2 victory over Providence, by Michael Cajkovsky, came with the Checkers a man down.

The Checkers now face a tough task, with a six-game road trip before they return home around Thanksgiving.

Here’s a review of the past week and a look ahead:

Friday: Patrick Brown scored on a shot from center ice, getting the Checkers started in a 4-3 victory over the Providence Bruins. Charlotte went 2-for-4 on power plays against a Providence team that had allowed only two power plays all season.

Saturday: Trevor Carrick’s power-play goal, Cajkovsky’s short-handed tally, and a goal by leading scorer Andrew Poturalski keyed Charlotte’s 3-2 victory over the Bruins. With the triumph, the Checkers have gone 19-1-1 in their last 21 regular-season games, dating back to last season.

What’s next: Charlotte opens the lengthy trip with three games in less than 48 hours. The Checkers play Friday at Binghamton (7:05 p.m.), Saturday at Lehigh Valley (7:05), and Sunday at Bridgeport Sound at 5:30. They return home Nov. 20 and play four games at Bojangles Coliseum over a six-day period on Thanksgiving week.