The AHL’s top penalty-killing team in 2024-25 went right back to work in their first playoff contest, as Charlotte scored two shorthanded goals on the same penalty early in the first period and rode to a 5-1 win over Providence in Game 1 of their Atlantic Division semifinal series on Friday night.
Game 2 of the best-of-five series is Sunday evening.
The Checkers ranked first in both PK efficiency (86.6 percent) and shorthanded goals (16) during the regular season. Down a man 3:33 into the game, John Leonard forced a turnover at his own blue line, raced down the right wing and wristed a shot past Michael DiPietro to give Charlotte a 1-0 lead.
Thirty-seven seconds later, Justin Sourdif took advantage of another Providence turnover and tucked a shot behind DiPietro to make it 2-0 just 4:22 into the game.
Oliver Wahlstrom got the Bruins on the board late in the first, but Michael Benning, Ben Steeves and C.J. Smith provided insurance markers for the Checkers and Kaapo Kähkönen stopped 27 of 28 shots in his first playoff action since he was with Rauman Lukko in the Finnish Liiga in 2018.
DiPietro finished with 24 saves for the Bruins.
(Charlotte leads series, 1-0)
Game 1 – Fri., May 2 – Charlotte 5, PROVIDENCE 1
Game 2 – Sun., May 4 – Charlotte at Providence, 7:05
Game 3 – Wed., May 7 – Providence at Charlotte, 7:00
*Game 4 – Fri., May 9 – Providence at Charlotte, 7:00
*Game 5 – Sun., May 11 – Providence at Charlotte, 3:00
*if necessary… All times Eastern
