Brody Sutter led the way with a career-high three points, including each of the Checkers’ first two goals. Justin Shugg scored the eventual winner on the power play early in the third period and Drew MacIntyre earned the victory with 32 saves.
The Checkers are now an even 2-2-0 on their season-long, six-game road swing that continues with Sunday evening rematch with the Wild. Prior to tonight, they had suffered two of their more lopsided losses of the season, a 6-1 defeat in Oklahoma City on Sunday and a 9-3 setback in San Antonio two days later.
Sutter’s second multi-goal game in the AHL and first since his first professional playoff game with the Checkers in 2013 began when he tipped Zach Boychuk’s shot on the power play 8:37 into the first period. He added another at even strength midway through period two as he made a good play to gain the zone and hold the puck long enough to receive help, eventually redirecting Shugg’s centering feed past Iowa’s John Curry.
After Iowa’s Brett Bulmer got one back roughly two minutes after Sutter’s second, Shugg restored the two-goal advantage when his floater from the right point found its way through traffic and into the top corner over Curry’s right shoulder. At that time, the Checkers, who finished the night 2-for-3, had scored on each of their first two power plays against the AHL’s bottom-ranked penalty killing unit.
Dating back to Feb. 22, the Checkers’ power play, which ranked last in the league for nearly three full months, has converted 13 of its last 51 opportunities (25.5 percent). It has scored multiple power-play goals six times this season, all of which have come since Jan. 16.
Sutter assisted on the winning goal, as did rookie defenseman Trevor Carrick, who finished the game with two assists. In doing so, Carrick, who already holds team records for points by a rookie defenseman, took sole possession of the team lead in assists with 19, passing Ryan Murphy. Carrick now has 11 points (2g, 9a) in his last 10 games.
The end of the game was closer than the Checkers would have liked due to a controversial no-goal call midway through the third period. Charlotte appeared to score on the play as several players crashed the net to put home a rebound, but the officials denied a goal that would have put the Checkers ahead 4-1.
That became significant when the Wild got back to within one on Brady Brassart’s goal with just over five minutes remaining, but the Checkers and MacIntyre were able to hold the fort and earn just their ninth road victory of the season, two of which have come in Iowa.