The Checkers are hoping to have defenseman Matt Kiersted back in their lineup soon. Head coach Geordie Kinnear sounded an optimistic note before tonight’s Game 1 in Laval.
Kiersted has missed Charlotte’s last five games. During the regular season, the fourth-year pro recorded 29 points and a league-best plus-34 rating in 64 games and was one of the foundational pieces of the Charlotte defense corps. He also appeared in two NHL games with Florida.
“He looked pretty good out there,” Kinnear said Monday at practice. “Yeah, we’re excited to have him back.”
While the Checkers last played a week ago, the Rocket have a shorter turnaround time after going the distance in their North Division Finals against Rochester.
After ending the series with a 5-0 home win on Sunday afternoon, the Rocket took Monday off and went right back to work yesterday to ready themselves for Charlotte.
Like the Checkers, Laval has been dealing with injuries on the back end. Defenseman Tyler Wotherspoon missed the last two games of the Rochester series; he had 18 points and a plus-19 rating while skating in all 72 games during the regular season. Noel Hoefenmayer and Zack Hayes have stepped in to stabilize the Laval blue line.
― with files from Patrick Williams
