AHL Morning Skate: May 4, 2023

GAME NOTES
Hershey and Charlotte are back at it tonight for Game 4 of their Atlantic Division semifinal series at Giant Center... The Checkers extended the series with a 2-1 win last night, already their third victory this postseason when facing elimination... Cory Conacher (2-0-2) and Aleksi Heponiemi (1-6-7) scored on breakaways in Game 3, goals that came 4:29 apart in the second period... Mack Guzda (2-2, 3.51, .864) finished with 21 saves on the evening, preserving the lead as the Bears held a 9-1 advantage in shots in the third period... Charlotte also killed off three Hershey power plays in the final 10 minutes of regulation... Sam Anas (2-2-4) scored the Bears’ only goal of Game 3... Hunter Shepard (2-1, 1.69, .922) made 18 saves in the loss... Shots continue to be at a premium in the series; Charlotte is outshooting Hershey, 64-63, through three games... The Bears have scored first in all three games of the series, and nine times in 11 meetings with the Checkers this season... Charlotte improved to 5-1 all-time in playoff games at Hershey.

Toronto Marlies forward Ryan Chyzowski followed the plan in last night’s Game 3 at Utica.

“We wanted to just outwork them and to keep it simple and to make them earn their opportunities,” Chyzowski said via the team website after his two-goal night helped to carry the Marlies to a 5-2 win and a 2-1 series lead. “For us, it’s not really playing too complicated, making them turn, and making them feel us coming to pressure down on them.”

In one night, the second-year forward matched output from the regular season, when he had two goals in 36 games for the Marlies. He spent most of his rookie season of 2021-22 in the ECHL, helping Newfoundland reach the conference finals.

“It was awesome to see him get those goals,” said linemate Graham Slaggert, who assisted on both goals. “He does so much for us, and he’s such good energy in the locker room that it’s awesome to see him succeed.”

The Charlotte Checkers often leaned on a strong penalty kill during the regular season, and it came through again last night in Hershey.

Ranked eighth in the 32-team AHL on the penalty kill in the regular season at 82.2 percent, the Checkers needed that kind of performance with their season on the line, Down 2-0 in the series, Charlotte shut down all five Hershey opportunities in Game 3, including three in the final 9:36 of play with the Checkers clinging to a one-goal lead. They managed to disrupt the Hershey power play repeatedly, putting sticks into lanes, forcing passes, generating turnovers and getting crucial clears as the Bears struggled to generate any real prime chances.

“The PK stepped up at the end, which is what you need in the playoffs,” Checkers head coach Geordie Kinnear said. “They have elite skill and elite players, so it needs to be a team effort. I thought it was a team effort.

“This group has dug in a lot of times through adverse situations. Lots of different bodies, guys stepping up. That’s just what the group’s done all year.”

Meanwhile, Bears players can expect some pointed instruction today when reviewing video with head coach Todd Nelson.

“That was a pretty ugly game for our hockey team,” Nelson said. “You knew Charlotte was going to come out and make a big push. They did, but we weren’t executing very well right from the drop of the puck. The guys will see themselves on video, and when they watch it some of them might be pretty embarrassed.

“The bottom line is that our best players have their best players, and right now I don't see that.”

But as a three-time Calder Cup champion, including one as a head coach with Grand Rapids Griffins in 2017, Nelson has seen off nights before and will not dwell on this loss.

“We got that one out of the way. We’ll get right back in the saddle.”

― Patrick Williams