Panthers goalie Spencer Knight logs shutout, playing well for AHL's Charlotte Checkers
Knight has looked good through four games in Charlotte, and his stats back that up
Jeff Curry-USA TODAY Sports - Panthers goalie Spencer Knight logs shutout, playing well for AHL's Charlotte CheckersAn exciting Saturday night win capped off a big weekend for the AHL’s Charlotte Checkers.
The Florida Panthers’ American League affiliate picked up a 2-0 victory over the Bridgeport Islanders, completing a two-game weekend sweep over their Atlantic Division rival.
Leading the way for Charlotte was Panthers goaltending prospect Spencer Knight.
The 22-year-old made 23 saves to pick up his first shutout of the season.
“He was great,” Checkers Head Coach Geordie Kinnear said of Knight. “I thought he was very focused and was the best player on the ice.”
Knight has played in four of Charlotte’s seven games this season, earning a 2-2-0 record to go along with a tidy 2.04 goals against average and impressive .925 save percentage.
The plan for Knight moving to the AHL was for him to get regular playing time while honing his skills and preparing for when the Panthers eventually bring him back to the NHL, though its unknown when that will be.
For now, with Panthers starting goalie Sergei Bobrovsky expected to play him in the vast majority of Florida’s games and Knight off to a strong start in Charlotte, expect the status quo to remain the same.
To his credit, it appears Knight is enjoying his time in Charlotte while making the most of his increased workload.
He's spent parts of three seasons with the Checkers so he's quite familiar with the team, and the town it calls home.
“It’s a great city,” Knight said. “It’s great people. I talk to people on the street when sometimes you get recognized, and they’re all super friendly and nice. I really like it here.”
For his career, Knight has 10 wins over 17 games in Charlotte. Nearly half of those wins (4) have been shutouts.
The win improved Charlotte’s record to 4-3-0 on the young season.
Next up for the Checkers is another two-game set at Bojangels Arena, with the San Diego Gulls coming east for an out-of-conference matchup in Charlotte.
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