After battling through a tight, scoreless first, the two squads traded goals for the remainder of regulation. Texas took the lead three different times, starting with Curtis McKenzie’s ice-breaking goal early in the second, but the Checkers erased each advantage, capped by Sergey Tolchinsky sniping his second goal of the game in the third to force things into overtime.
Despite several huge chances in the extra frame, many coming off the stick of Tolchinsky, neither team could find the back of the net and the game progressed to the shootout.
In the shootout, Stars netminder Jack Campbell turned aside all three attempts he saw, while Matej Stransky beat Daniel Altshuller low on the glove side to clinch the two points for the visitors.
“I thought we competed extremely hard,” he said. “I was not disappointed with that at all. We would like to have a couple of those goals back obviously, but we didn’t give up, we battled through those two goals that they had, scratched our way into a situation where we came within a whisker of winning the game ourselves.”
The Stars’ offense, which ranks near the top of the league, gave the Checkers some trouble throughout the contest, but Charlotte was able to fight back multiple times, exemplifying the fight left in the team.
“It’s just resilience,” said Justin Shugg. “This is our playoff push and I think we’re showing that we’re competing.”
The comeback performances were reminiscent of the Checkers’ success earlier in the season, and help to boost the confidence of the team.
“We have a good team and good players with four lines rolling,” said Tolchinsky. “It looks like it’s not a big deal for us if we’re down one goal.”
Tolchinsky turned in one of the strongest efforts of his young career, lighting the lamp twice on impressive goals and creating a buzz in the offense every time he touched the puck.
“He’s playing and he’s having fun,” said Morris. “He’s got a lot more pop in his step and he’s playing with a lot more compete. Skill guys sometimes have a habit of trying to do too much, and I think he¹s learning to pull the string a little quicker now and it¹s paying off for him. I like the direction he’s going in.”
Like it did for Derek Ryan, Tolchinsky’s recent success in his NHL debut seems to have given the rookie a shot in the arm here in Charlotte, where he has scored six goals in his last five games.
“The biggest adjustment for me was that now I know that I can't score on every shift,” said Tolchinsky. “I’ve got to play smart and wait for my chances, and as soon as the chances come I’ve got to capitalize on it. Just play the right way and the chances are going to come.
“I have a lot of confidence right now after the NHL game. You feel different and think different. I saw how the first two lines play in Carolina, so now I know what I have to do and I¹m trying to play like they do ¬playing the right way and playing for the team.”
By salvaging a point tonight, the Checkers will hold onto their playoff spot regardless of what happens with the San Jose Barracuda, who play late tonight. Still, as the games remaining continue to shrink, every point becomes more important.
“I think it’s just finding that extra will within yourself,” said Shugg. “It’s playoff hockey out there. Guys are blocking hard shots and making plays. Fifty-fifty pucks are extremely important nowadays and we’re just looking for a strong effort from everyone.”
“Learn and lay it all on the line for one another because every point is going to determine if we keep playing or pack it in,” said Morris of his key takeaway heading into the next contest. “My guess is that this group is just learning how to win and what it takes to play a full 60 minutes.”
The Checkers will enjoy a much-needed day off tomorrow, though they’ll be using it to strengthen the team and keep the momentum in their push toward the playoffs.
“We’ve got a team event tomorrow that the captains set up,” said Shugg. “So we’re looking to gel on an off day and kind of stick together to keep the ball rolling.”