THE OPPONENT
The Springfield Thunderbirds went 43-24-6-3 this season for a .625 points percentage – a mark that tied them with the Checkers in the Atlantic Division standings, although Charlotte would earn the division title by virtue of the regulation wins tiebreaker.
The Thunderbirds were a force on home ice throughout the season, with their 26 home wins standing as the most in the league, and they had a similarly strong surge late in the season to the Checkers – going 6-1-0-1 to close out the regular season.
The Checkers had their hands full with the Thunderbirds during the regular season – finishing with a 2-4-1-1 head-to-head record while going 0-3-0-1 in Springfield. Charlotte was, however, able to claim a point in two of the last three meetings.
HOW WE GOT HERE
After earning a first-round bye, the Checkers dispatched the Bridgeport Islanders in four games – taking both contests in Connecticut, dropping the next game on home ice and then rebounding for an impressive shutout victory in Game 4 to clinch the series.
The contests ranged across the board – each team won a low-scoring, one-goal tilt, while the Checkers also came out on top in a wild 7-6 double overtime thriller and blanked the Isles 4-0 in the close-out game.
The Thunderbirds also enjoyed a first-round bye by virtue of finishing second in the Atlantic Division, then took on Wilkes-Barre/Scranton in the next round. Springfield pulled off a three-game sweep of the Penguins, steamrolling their opponent by a combined score of 17-9 – with six of those goals surrendered in the final game of the series.
WHO TO WATCH FOR
Charlotte
Zac Dalpe – Charlotte’s leading goal scorer has kept that hot hand going into the postseason, potting a team-best five goals during the team’s second-round series. That includes a hat trick in Game…
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