with files from Patrick Williams
Day 5 of the 2026 Calder Cup Playoffs features this year’s first battle for victory, as Charlotte hosts Springfield with a trip to the division semifinals at stake.
After an easy win in Game 1, the Charlotte Checkers achieved a record breaking Game 2 last night.
And now their season is on the line.
Everything was looking good for the Checkers. They had received a number of returning players from the Florida Panthers just before the final weekend of the regular season. Then they upset Springfield on Wednesday to open their best-of-three first-round series, taking a 4-0 lead in the first period, extending it to 7-0 early in the second, and then winning 8-1.
Last night it looked like it might have been heading in the same direction in time Trevor Carrick clocked 3:52 in the competition. But the Thunderbirds fought back, scoring the last four goals in a 5-2 victory to even the series.
Almost every Calder Cup Playoff team will reach that gut-wrenching moment. Last year’s club saw a 2-0 series lead disappear against Providence in the semi-finals, but went on to win eight straight and reach the Calder Cup final. Last night’s roster featured 10 skaters who were part of Charlotte’s streak last year. So they have enough players on hand who can handle the pressure. But they will need to find a few things first.
One of those things is power play. Despite being effective late in the regular season, it still finished 27th in the AHL at 15.2 percent, and the Checkers are 0-for-5 so far in the series. They also gave up a late break goal Hugh McGing with 3:13 left in regulation as Charlotte tried to tie the game late.
The Checkers also got a very good performance from Springfield. The Thunderbirds didn’t back down, striking quickly when the opportunity presented itself. Trailing 2-1 in the second half, Zach Dean goal to pull Springfield back into the tie. Then Charlotte’s penalty in the next game resulted in a Chris Wagner power play goal. Two goals in 49 seconds gave Springfield their first lead of the series, one they would not relinquish. Wagner scored another shorthanded goal – this one into an empty net as the Checkers slipped to 6-on-four – and George Romanovwho had been demoted to third-string duties in Game 1, finished with 29 saves in his Game 2 start.
Springfield coach Steve Ott made another strategic move in Game 2, slotting defender Wyatt Newpower to the injured person Hunter Skinner. Newpower scored his first goal as a Thunderbird in the 1-1 draw in the second half.
“I thought in the third we came to it, and I think we learned an important lesson,” said Carrick. “You can’t play for one time. You take what you can, but you also want to continue. Sleep and enter a new situation. You have to take what you can learn from.”
******
Charlotte is on a winning run to take it all on home ice for the fourth straight season. They beat Lehigh Valley in 2023 and Providence in 2025, but lost to Hartford in 2024. Overall, the Checkers are 2-3 in such games in their Calder Cup Playoff history.
The Thunderbirds lost Game 3 in Providence in the first round last spring. In 2022, they beat Laval in Game 7 to advance to the Calder Cup final.
Tonight’s only other game pits Bakersfield against Coachella Valley in Game 2 of their first-round Pacific Division series. The Condors advance to a date with Ontario if they win; The Firebirds are trying to force a Game 3 on Sunday.
Bakersfield’s 6-1 win in Thursday’s opener was significant because it came in the Condors’ only home game of the series. Seth Griffith scored his first of two goals just 4:10 into the contest as his team won the season after seven games after being eliminated from the playoffs in 2022, 2023 and 2024.
“I thought we had a good start on home ice,” the head coach Colin Chaulk said. “The fans – you could tell they were playoff hockey fans. They gave us a lot of energy. The fans being behind us, giving us juice, made it a lot more fun.”
A crowd of 6,083 fans at Dignity Health Arena saw the Condors score twice in each period. Again Matt Tomkins stopped 38 of 39 Firebirds shots while helping Bakersfield’s penalty kill go a perfect 6-for-6 on the night.
“They have a very good power play with a lot of different options,” Tomkins said. “It was something we focused on. The boys played very well. We hope to improve and continue in the next game.”
******
Second-year defenseman Nelson said scored Coachella Valley’s lone goal in Game 1. Jagger Firkus was taken off the scoresheet after recording 14 points in his last seven games against Bakersfield.
Nikke Kokko he allowed all six goals on 23 shots before being relieved Victor Östman at the 4:07 mark of the third quarter.
The Firebirds are 22-7 all-time during the playoffs at Acrisure Arena.
