The Wolves got on the board first for the second night in a row thanks to a Shane Harper strike, this time on the power play. The tally extended the Chicago forward’s point streak to nine games, which is tied for the longest current streak in the AHL, and gave the Wolves a one-goal lead heading into the first intermission.
The Checkers evened things up quickly in the second, with team scoring leader Chad LaRose deflecting in a cross-ice pass from newcomer Jason Bast on the power play. Charlotte’s momentum was short-lived, however, as Joel Edmundson answered less than three minutes later to regain the lead for Chicago. Harper added his second power-play marker of the night late in the frame and the Wolves headed into the final period with a 3-1 advantage.
Despite the identical final score to last night’s game, head coach Jeff Daniels, who was very critical of the team’s performance yesterday, saw improvement tonight.
“I thought we were fine,” said Daniels regarding the team’s effort level. “We played better tonight but it's a battle for us scoring goals. Defensively, even last night after watching the game, we didn't give up a whole lot but we didn¹t create a whole lot.”
The lack of any sort of offensive punch has been a common theme throughout this entire season, with this stretch being one of the lowest points. The Checkers have been outscored 17-4 during this four-game skid, which marks the longest losing streak that they have seen this season. During that stretch, the team’s top three available scorers have combined for just two points, both coming off the stick of Chad LaRose. But while the lack of scoring from their biggest threats isn’t doing them any favors in the win column, the blame can’t be placed solely on them.
“We're asking those guys a lot,” said Daniels. “As we said from day one it's got to be by committee. We don't have that high-end, go-to guy that can be the difference maker.”
A huge piece of their attack was noticeably absent from tonight’s game, as Zach Boychuk was a healthy scratch. The move was a surprise for the franchise’s all-time goals leader, but one that he took in stride.
“I hadn't talked to him before [Daniels] before the game,” said Boychuk. “I just showed up at the rink and my number wasn't up on the board. Just like everybody else you take part in the skate, show up at the rink tonight and hopefully learn something.”
Daniels offered no elaboration on the reasoning behind the decision, but Boychuk saw it as possibly a move to get a struggling team going.
“This year we're not doing as well as we should be and we're having a tough season, so maybe it's sending a message to the guys,” said Boychuk. “Hopefully that sparks me and sparks the team.”
The move undoubtedly caught the attention of the rest of the locker room as well.
“JD’s trying to find a way for every individual on this team to bring out the best in each individual no matter what their skill set is or what they bring to the table or what role,” said Justin Shugg. “He’s just trying to amplify the best in everyone.”
Whether the decision to scratch his pays off is to be seen, but Boychuk seemed ready to bounce back.
“I¹ll take this as a little bit of a tough one but hopefully I can be back in the lineup soon,” said Boychuk.
Players mentioned a sense of frustration sinking in to the locker room after last night’s loss that is certainly growing as the team falls farther out of contention. But a strong leadership presence will be what keeps the team from spiraling out of control.
“They've been the glue. They really have,” said Daniels of those leaders. “The way we started the season it could have gotten real ugly early and they kept the guys focused. We went through some growing pains but they were the hardest workers in practice and the hardest workers in games, and hopefully they're role models that those other guys can follow and know how to prepare for games and what it takes to be a pro.”
As the team looks ahead to next week’s road matchups with the Lake Erie Monsters, they will have to not dwell on this weekend and move forward in order to reverse their fortunes.
“We’ve just got to wipe the slate clean,” said Shugg. “This is a team that we’ve built from the beginning of the year. We know it’s us in the locker room and it’s only going to be us. Every guy has got to look himself in the mirror and find a way to bring something else to the table because what everyone’s bringing right now just isn’t enough."