Checkers, Penguins clinch playoff spots

The Charlotte Checkers and Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins have secured spots in the 2024 Calder Cup Playoffs.

Both teams clinched a playoff berth thanks to the Springfield Thunderbirds’ 3-0 loss to the Belleville Senators on Friday evening.

The Checkers are in the Calder Cup field for the sixth consecutive postseason, including three years in a row as the top affiliate of the Florida Panthers. Charlotte won the Calder Cup in 2019.

The Penguins are back in the postseason after missing out in 2023. They have won at least one series in 15 of their previous 18 playoff trips.

Charlotte and Wilkes-Barre/Scranton will be among six teams to qualify for the Calder Cup Playoffs out of the Atlantic Division; the top two finishers will get byes into the division semifinals, while the third- through sixth-place teams square off in best-of-three first-round series.

The AHL’s 2023-24 regular season ends April 21; for more information and daily updates on the Calder Cup Playoff races, check out the official AHL Playoff Primer.