Critical turnover dooms Amerks in loss to Charlotte

By KEVIN OKLOBZIJA

Wednesday’s 5-3 loss to the Charlotte Checkers provided a perfect example of where the Rochester Americans are as a team heading down the stretch.

When they play the elite teams in the American Hockey League, and at 40-21-5 it could be argued the Checkers certainly are among the best, the Amerks simply can’t make glaring mistakes.

They also need exponentially more chances to score than the best teams, because they simply don’t have enough natural talent.

Which is why the Checkers left Blue Cross Arena at the War Memorial with two points, and why the fifth place Amerks (28-26-5-4) still have a magic number of 11 to clinch a playoff berth in the North Division.

“Five on five, you could argue we carried most of the play,” Amerks coach Michael Leone said.

But when the Checkers had chances, they scored against goalie Devon Levi. Like the clinching fourth goal by MacKenzie Entwistle with 9:19 remaining, which gave Charlotte a 4-2 lead after a strong third-period push by the Amerks.

The problem is, there was no reason for the Checkers to even possess the puck. Amerks winger Mason Geertsen moved into the Charlotte zone on right wing one-on-two late in a shift and made a drop pass to no one because his linemates were changing.

Two passes and one shot later, the Checkers had delivered the dagger.

“The turnover on the fourth goal can’t happen,” Leone said. “Get the puck deep, we’re on a line change.”

While the Amerks did again cut the deficit to one goal when Gavin Bayreuther scored an extra-attacker power-play goal at 16:44, the Checkers deftly managed the final three minutes until Sandis Vilmanis hit an empty net with 11 seconds remaining.

Noah Laaouan and Konsta Helenius also scored for the Amerks, who are home again Friday (against Belleville) and Saturday (against Providence on Don Stevens Night).

The Checkers zoomed to a 2-0 lead in the first period, and the first goal came before the game was 30 seconds old.

As Vilmanis entered the Amerks zone on left wing, Jack Studnicka sprinted past defenseman Vsevolod Komarov, took a pass high in the right of the slot and then zipped a shot past Levi high on the stick side.

Ludwig Jansson’s power-play goal at 11:07 pushed the Charlotte lead to 2-0. As he fired from the center point, Wilmer Skoog skated across the top of the crease and brushed Levi’s mask an instant before the puck entered the net.

The Amerks pulled to within 2-1 at 5:17 of the second period. With Jagger Joshua creating a screen at the top of the crease, goalie Kirill Gerasimyuk never saw Laaouan’s shot from the right point.

It was his second goal of the season (in 34 games), and first since Nov. 28. A healthy scratch in two of the past four games (and 15 times this season), Laaouan may end up with a more prominent role now that defensemen Ryan Johnson and Jack Rathbone are out long-term with injuries.

He’s trying to just do his part, however.

“You don’t want to get caught up in too much of that,” he said. “You obviously want to contribute but I just want to come to the rink, work hard and when my number is called try to help the team.”

Good fortune allowed the Checkers to regain a two-goal lead at 10:18. Defenseman Jack Devine fired wide of the net to Levi’s left but the puck caromed off the end boards and directly to Ben Steeves in the bottom of the left circle, and he had an open net for his 20^th goal.

The Amerks again sliced the deficit to a goal when Helenius scored on a power play at 16:22. He moved straight down the slot and lasered a wrister in off the cross bar for his 19^th goal.

Since returning on Feb. 5 from a three-week recall with the Sabres, the second-year Finnish forward has produced 10 goals, 15 assists and 25 points in 20 games.

The Amerks had plenty of pressure to the score at 3-3 before Geertsen’s critical turnover led to the clinching goal by Entwistle.