AHL Playoff Preview: Charlotte Checkers at Hershey Bears with Line Combinations 5/21/2025

Game 3: Charlotte Checkers at Hershey Bears

Venue Giant Center
Date: Wednesday, May 21
Time: 7:00 pm EST
TV: FLO Sports 

Purchase tickets via Ticketmaster

Charlotte Checkers News & Notes:

The Checkers lead the series 2-0 and look to advance to the Eastern Conference Finals tonight. They improved to 5-1-1 in the Calder Cup playoffs, averaging three goals per game while allowing 1.7 goals per game. Kaapo Kahkonen stopped 17 of the 18 shots he faced in Saturdays overtime win. He is posting a 1.68 goals-against average, a .924 save percentage, and a shutout.

Hershey Bears News & Notes:

Hershey looks to extend their season tonight after dropping the first two games in Charlotte. They are 3-3-1 in the Calder Cup playoffs, averaging 2.7 goals per game while allowing 2.6 goals per game. Hunter Shepard got the start in game two stopping 27 of the 29 shots he faced. He posts a 2.37 goals-against average, a .901 save percentage, and a shutout. Clay Stevenson stopped 28 of the 32 shots he faced in his lone game.

Charlotte Checkers Projected Lines

Skoog-Asplund-Leonard
Smith-Criscuolo-Sourdif
Steeves-Okuliar-Vilmanis
Lockwood-Chorske-Puljujarvi

Carrick-Benning
Bjornfot-Hovorka
Alscher-Cesana

Kahkonen
Appleby

Hershey Bears Projected Lines

Limoges-Lapierre-Smallman
Vechhione-Sgarbossa-Philp
Trineyev-Rybinski-Dubé
Miroshnichenko-Sutter-Strome

Ness-Iorio
Priskie-Bear
Massie-McDonald

Shepard
Stevenson

Players To Watch:

Charlotte Checkers

Wilmer Skoog and John Leonard lead the team in points with five. Skoog, Ben Steeves, and Rasmus Asplund lead in goals with three each.  Leonard and Kyle Criscuolo lead in assists with three. Tobias Bjornfot leads the team in plus/minus with a plus-six.

Hershey Bears

Alex Limoges leads the team in points and assists with six points and five assists. Bogdan Trineyev leads the team in goals and plus/minus with four goals and is a plus-four.

Next Game

Game 4: Thursday, May 22 at Giant Center (If Necessary)

ITR 43: It's Winning Time – Inside The Rink

Join Chris and Conrad as they break down the Chris Kreider trade, the Calder Cup Final, and the Stanley Cup Final drawing to an end.

1. ITR 43: It's Winning Time 39:10
2. ITR 42: Ripe For Repeat? 29:05
3. ITR 41: Stanley Cup Final – The Rematch 46:47
4. ITR 40: Headed For A Repeat? 32:22
5. ITR 39: Conference Finals 35:18