With another window to help the Checkers closed, Michael Leighton is once again returning to Carolina.

Leighton turned aside 33 of 35 shots is his most recent cameo with the Checkers – a 3-2 overtime win over Manitoba on Wednesday that marked the team’s second consecutive victory.

Even though he continues to fill in for the injured Eddie Lack in Carolina, Leighton has been able to make two spot starts for the Checkers in the last two weeks, both of which were made possible by breaks in Carolina’s schedule that coincided with nearby games for the Checkers. With Carolina back in action this Friday and Saturday at home, Leighton will likely miss Charlotte’s next game on Saturday but could potentially return Sunday, should this recent trend continue. In the meantime, the Checkers will return to the tandem of Daniel Altshuller and Alex Nedeljkovic.

With Wednesday’s win, Leighton, 35, improved his AHL record to 7-2-2 on the season, making him responsible for all but four of the Checkers’ victories this season. The league’s all-time shutouts leader currently ranks third in the AHL with a 1.80 goals-against average and .933 save percentage.