One night after a wild first period did them in against San Antonio, the Checkers kept things closer against the Stars, ceding just one goal despite being outshot 19-9. Texas took a lead into the first intermission thanks to a deflection from Derek Hulak, who tipped in blast from Greg Rallo inside the last three minutes of the period.
The Checkers bounced back in the second in terms of shots on goal, leading Texas 13-11 in the frame, but still could not solve Stars goalie Jussi Rynnas, heading into the final 20 down 2-0 after defenseman Derek Meech lofted a shot from the blue line that a screened Drew MacIntyre never saw and extended the Texas lead.
Although the final score doesn’t reflect it, MacIntyre turned in a tremendous performance in net for the Checkers. The 50 shots that Texas peppered him ties the most that Charlotte has seen this season, and MacIntyre’s 46 saves is one shy of the season-high for a Checkers goalie. Had it not been for the play of MacIntyre, the end result of tonight’s game could have been far uglier.
After seeing a slight uptick recently, the Checkers power play has fallen back into the slump that has plagued it all season. Charlotte went 0-for-3 with the man advantage tonight, including a first period power play that saw the Stars control the puck and create more scoring chances shorthanded than the Checkers did with the extra man. With tonight’s performance, the Checkers are 0-for-9 across their last two contests, after scoring four powerplay goals in the four games prior to that.
Along with the struggling power play, the Checkers inability to put the puck in the net cost them again, as they were shut out for the fourth time this season. After a tough opening period, they were able to put pucks on net, but could not create any real scoring chances. A shuffled lineup could be partially to blame for the offensive problems, as having both Brendan Woods and Brock McGinn out forced head coach Jeff Daniels to only dress 11 forwards and mix things around up front. But regardless, the Checkers never really threatened to score, despite getting awarded two penalty shots, the first time that has happened in team history.
The Checkers will return home to Charlotte where they will have some time to regroup and prepare for a pair of contests against a formidable Chicago Wolves team that is right in the thick of the battle for the final Western Conference playoff spot that the Checkers desperately want to climb back into.