Goaltending took center stage for the first 40 minutes, as both Daniel Altshuller and Connor Hellebuyck were brick walls between the pipes. The starters were perfect through the first two periods, controlling play and stifling any chances that either side could create.
The Checkers were finally able to break the scoreless deadlock seven minutes into the final frame when Derek Ryan angled in a cross-ice feed from Ryan Murphy on the man advantage. That lead was short lived, however, as the Moose responded with a power-play goal of their own less than three minutes later, knotting things up once more as the game proceeded into the final 10 minutes of regulation.
While the Checkers’ struggles to score five-on-five continued, it didn’t matter today as their power play was lethal once again. Given six opportunities on the man advantage, Charlotte cashed in on two of them, marking the 14th game this season in which the team has recorded multiple power-play goals.
Both of those power-play strikes came from the stick of Ryan, who is heating back up after an offensive slump. The captain now has five points in his last five games and has pushed his way back into the top 20 scorers in the AHL.
After entering last night’s blowout in relief and allowing three goals on 12 shots, Altshuller was the driving force behind today’s win. The netminder turned in a solid 27-save performance to frustrate a feisty Manitoba offense that hung seven goals on the Checkers less than 24 hours prior. The outing was a step in the right direction for Altshuller, who earned his first victory since Jan. 17, which also came against the Moose.
The win wraps up a six-game road swing for the Checkers. They will return home to Charlotte for an extended home stand as they look to battle their way back into a playoff spot as we reach the final stretch of the regular season.