After snapping its five-game losing streak on Wednesday, the Charlotte Checkers returned to Bojangles Coliseum and were promptly swept by the Providence Bruins, dropping both games by a 4-2 count.
On Friday, the Checkers fell behind by two when the Bruins got a first period goal from Jayson Megna and an early second period power-play marker from Fabian Lysell.
Mike Benning halved the deficit, from Patricks Khodorenko and Giles at the 10:16 mark with a one-timer from the top of the right circle.
Skyler Brind’Amour would tie the game with his second of the season at 15:37. After Lucas Carlsson held the puck in, Alexander True sent a short pass to Brind’Amour and he snapped a shot through the pads of Brandon Bussi.
Patrick Brown scored a shorthanded goal from John Beecher 34 seconds into the third to put the Bruins back on top, and Justin Brazeau clinched it with an even-strength marker with exactly four minutes remaining.
Spencer Knight took the loss, finishing with 15 saves on just 19 shots.
The Checkers would fall behind by two again on Saturday as Lysell and Dan Renouf lit the lamp in the first period. Renouf’s goal at 8:34 sent Knight to the bench with Ludovic Waeber coming on in relief.
Zac Dalpe scored on a breakaway 11:34 into second, becoming the leading goal-scorer in franchise history with his 124th goal in a Checkers kit.
Megna tallied 53 seconds into the third to rebuild Providence’s two-goal advantage with the lone assist going to Anthony Richard.
Carlsson took a pass from Rasmus Asplund and beat Michael DiPietro from long range at 3:21 for his team-leading 14th goal. Khodorenko collected the secondary assist on the power-play marker.
Georgii Merkulov would solve Waber at 7:15, from Brazeau and Lysell, to send Charlotte to its seventh loss in the last eight games.
The Checkers tested DiPietro 37 times, but he limited them to two goals. Knight made two saves on four shots before being pulled. Waeber stopped 13 of the 15 shots he faced and took the loss.
Charlotte (21-20-4) dropped back to sixth place in the Atlantic Division. They will play two in Cleveland against the North Division-leading Monsters on Friday and Saturday before breaking for the AHL’s All-Star festivities.