Things got a little dicey for the Checkers in their first visit to Lehigh Valley this season, but a timely power-play strike from Connor Carrick in the final two minutes of play clinched a big, streak-extending victory for Charlotte.
After seeing their three-goal lead disintegrate over the course of the third period, the Checkers took advantage of a power-play opportunity in the waning minutes of play to swing the momentum back to their side. With the power-play unit working the puck around the zone, Zac Dalpe was able to swing a pass over to Connor Carrick on the left faceoff dot, where he wired a one-timer into the net to push Charlotte back ahead by one with just under two minutes remaining – a lead the visitors would hold on to for a crucial two points.
Special teams was once again a major factor for Charlotte. Following a scoreless first period, the Checkers turned a pair of odd-man rushes into back-to-back shorthanded goals over the first half of the middle frame – one off the stick of Scott Wilson and the other a rare 5-on-3 conversion by Max McCormick. Not to be outdone, the Charlotte power-play unit came through on their fourth man advantage of the night to nab the game-winner late in regulation.
Christopher Gibson earned his team the victory with 29 saves between the pipes, running his shutout streak to five consecutive periods until a third-period push from the Phantoms that saw the home side storm back to even the score at 3-3 with under five minutes to play. The veteran netminder locked things up down the final stretch, however, smothering Lehigh Valley’s final push.
By Nicholas Niedzielski
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