Charlotte’s attack dominated much of the game, finishing with a 43-17 advantage in shots, but the first goal came on the other end of the ice early in the second period. Unfazed, the Checkers pumped in three straight to end the frame and head to the locker room with a solid lead.
That would prove to be just the start for Charlotte’s assault on the opposing netminder, as the Checkers racked up five more goals in the third to bring their total to eight unanswered. The Bruins notched one more in the waning moments of regulation, but that didn’t affect the outcome as the Checkers rolled to a commanding 8-2 victory.
A big part of Charlotte’s offensive production was the power play, as the Checkers’ already potent man advantage took advantage of a penalty-prone Providence squad and notched three power-play goals on the night. In their own end, Charlotte’s defense stifled the Bruins and kept their chances minimal, with Alex Nedeljkovic needing just 15 saves to claim his career-high ninth win of the season.
QUOTES
Coach Mike Vellucci on the team’s offensive breakout
When you put up eight goals you feel pretty good, but the key for us after that is that we played the game the right way. We didn’t turn the puck over at all in the first two periods and that’s how we got the 3-1 lead. Getting the rest of the goals in the third was just staying with it. The key for us is to make sure we manage the puck and we did early on.
Vellucci on the team’s start in the first period
It was a tight game and in tight games you’ve got to manage the puck and put it in the right areas and we did that. They only had two chanced that whole period so I thought we managed the puck really well.
Vellucci on the team’s energy level
We’ve finally been home for six days and I thought we had a lot more energy tonight than we’ve had in the past.
Vellucci on what he expects from tomorrow’s rematch with Providence
They’re going to come out flying. That’s what I just told the guys. Nobody wants that to happen, so they’re going to be ready to go and it’s tough to win two gams in a row so we’ve got to be ready for it.
Warren Foegele on the win
I think it’s a big win for us and we’re all excited but we can’t lose focus. They’re going to be really upset with the way it ended and they’re going to come out hard tomorrow. We’ve got to match the intensity we had today.
Foegele on what worked better tonight than in previous games
I think we just went back to our fundamentals by just getting pucks behind their D and working hard. We’re trying not to turn it over as much, and when we can get behind their D that’s how our success comes.
Sergey Tolchinsky on getting three points tonight
It always feels great and gives you confidence. It feels easier to play because you’re having more fun out there. I’ve just got to keep playing the right way and try to get points in the other games too.
Tolchinsky on his line with Patrick Brown and Julien Gauthier
The linemates you play with are really important, and I liked my line today a lot. We had a lot of good shifts and were creating a lot of scoring chances. I think we’ll just be getting better every game we play together.
Tolchinsky on how feeling more confident affects his play
Sometimes when you don’t have confidence you don’t even think about those moves because you think you’re probably going to lose it or turn it over. When you feel confident, you feel the puck better, you try one move and it works and then your confidence keeps going up.