Charlotte’s attack started off strong, with Trevor Carrick putting a puck home from the point, but that would stand as the opening frame’s lone tally. The two sides traded blows in the early stages of the second - with a Ludvig Jansson snipe pushing the home team back ahead 2-1 - but a late surge from Springfield yielded two goals in under a minute and gave the visitors their first lead of the series.
The Checkers pushed for the equalizer down the stretch but couldn’t quite solve Springfield netminder Georgii Romanov. With a man-advantage opportunity in the final four minutes of regulation for Charlotte, the puck bounced in Springfield’s favor for a shorthanded dagger, and a quick empty netter followed that up to push the series to its limit.
QUOTES
Coach Geordie Kinnear on Springfield’s adjustments from Game 1 Obviously we knew they were going to be better. The first period the other day gets out of hand a little bit, and then I thought they really played a playoff style today. Their adjustments were just to be more physical, more competitive, faceoffs, and if you look the special teams were a factor tonight. I felt finally in the third we got the intensity that you need. Playoff-type. It took us a little bit too late, but something to build off of.Kinnear on the message going in to Game 3 All year it’s been the same thing. The team that continues to improve over the course of a playoff series or playoffs usually hoists the trophy at the end, because all the teams that are in are really good hockey teams. Honestly, as an athlete and as a coach, when you play these elimination games, that’s when you should see your best and expect be at your best. It’ll be fun.
Kinnear on how his team needs to adjust I think it’s important to identify where we can improve. First it can start with individuals, and secondly it can start collectively and things we can do better as a group. Again, the other team is going to have an agenda that they want to get to. I thought they got to it, especially in the second period. They score a big power-play goal, we take a penalty and they end up scoring. There’s momentum swings throughout it. I thought we handled it afterwards fine. We came out in the third period and played a little bit better to see how, as a group we need to play, but obviously you’ve got to tip your cap to Springfield a little bit. We’ve got to regroup, move forward and get better.
Kinnear on getting two goals by defensemen I think what you really like is Jansson’s goal. Obviously Trev got us started, but Janne’s goal was an answer to their goal and I thought it was a big goal. He didn’t even play (last game), came in and has built over time. Honestly at this time of year it’s never about an individual, or D or forward. It’s about the collective and playing the right way over time and paying a playoff-type game to be able to come out on top. Obviously a short series, so it comes down to one game. Let the fun begin.
Kinnear on playing Game 3 at home It’s always big. Throughout the year they’ve been behind us as a group. The energy will be important tomorrow on a back-to-back. Usually playoff games don’t have a back-to-back, so energy is going to be important. When you’re at home and you’re in front of your fans it produces a lot of energy, but it’s up to us to make sure the crowd is involved.
Trevor Carrick on Springfield’s adjustments from Game 1 I thought their D had better gaps. I don’t think it was necessarily something that they did. I think it was more on our end. They had some momentum there for most of the game, and we struggled to get it back there until the third. A little late then, and I just don’t think we got to our forecheck like we usually do.
Carrick on lessons from this game I thought in the third we got to it and I think we learned a valuable lesson. You can’t play one period. You take what you can, but you also want to move on. Be pissed off, but sleep it off and come in tomorrow with a new attitude. You’ve just got to take what you can and learn from it.
Carrick on going into tomorrow’s Game 3 It's challenging in this league to win back-to-back games. I thought we did a good job of that all year, and we’re good at moving on and learning from our mistakes. I have no doubt that the guys are going to come in tomorrow with a little more intensity and try to get that momentum off the bat.
