The Charlotte Checkers clinched a playoff spot last night by thumping the Providence Bruins by a 5-2 count at Bojangles Arena, sweeping the back-to-back against Boston’s AHL’s affiliate.
Leading scorer John Leonard notched his 30th of the season on a man-advantage and added two assists to earn First Star honors for the surging Checkers.
Jesse Puljujärvi also scored a power-play marker and had a helper. His fifth goal of the season tuned out to be the game-winner. Puljujärvi has 11 points in 17 games since joining the club.
The other Charlotte goals went to captain Trevor Carrick, C.J. Smith and Rasmus Asplund.
Matt Kiersted collected two assists and Justin Sourdif, Oliver Okuliar and Dennis Cesana were also credited with apples.
Head coach Geordie Kinnear went with Kaapo Kähkönen for the second straight night and the move paid off, with the recently-acquired veteran netminder stopping 22 of 24 shots.
According to head coach Paul Maurice, forward Brad Marchand could make his Florida Panthers debut as soon as tomorrow night against the Utah Hockey Club. Marchand, who was acquired from the Boston Bruins on March 7 for a conditional second-round pick in the 2027 NHL Draft, has not played since March 1.
In NHL action, the Vancouver Canucks beat the New York Islanders 5-2; the New Jersey Devils got by the Chicago Blackhawks by a 5-3 count; the Dallas Stars held off the Edmonton Oilers for a 4-3 road win; and the Anaheim Ducks beat up on the Boston Bruins, scoring a 6-2 win at Honda Center.