The Nailers completed the sweep of the Rush last weekend, winning both Saturday and Sunday. How did Wheeling ensure they came away with the four crucial points?
As we get closer and closer to the end of the regular season, every point the Nailers can earn is beneficial to hopefully push them over the edge into a playoff spot at least, if not that much closer to earning the North Division crown. Coming home with all six points out of their trip to South Dakota not only kept Wheeling at the top of the mountain for now but could come in handy with just how close everything is getting in the race.
Friday’s game went very well for the Nailers early on, as they earned the first lead of the game less than five minutes in off of a goal by Matthew Quercia, but Rapid City came right back and tied things up again just 22 seconds later. Wheeling kept the pressure up and got the lead back once more when Craig Armstrong scored, followed by a Matty De St. Phalle tally on the power play. Less than eight minutes into the contest, and the game was 3-1 already, but that score held through the end of the period.
Both teams went crazy with the offense in the second period, combining for 40 shots on goal, but only one made into the back of a net. Unfortunately, that was the goal behind Taylor Gauthier, and the Nailers only had a one score edge heading into the third. Wheeling got back on the board just two minutes into the final period with a shorthanded goal by Logan Pietila, and that score held until less than a minute to play when the Rush got another one into the net with their goalie pulled, but it wasn’t enough as Wheeling came away with the victory.
Saturday’s game started well for the home team as the Rush were able to get on the board less than a minute into the contest. Wheeling managed to turn things around and tie the score when a delayed penalty on Rapid City allowed the Nailers to get the extra skater on the ice and Mike Posma scored the equalizer. Wheeling continued the offensive onslaught to the tune of 17 shots on goal in the first, but no more would make it through, and the game was tied 1-1 after 20 minutes of play.
The second period was even more of the first for the Nailers, as they managed another 16 shots on net, to Rapid City’s eight. Wheeling did manage to light the lamp twice in the period, first by Posma for his second of the game, followed by Tristan Thompson just under two minutes later, and the Nailers took the 3-1 lead into the third. The Rush came out firing in the third period, sending 10 shots sailing onto the Wheeling net, but Maxim Pavlenko was up to the challenge, making 23 saves on their 24 shots in the game. The Nailers didn’t get any more insurance goals, but it didn’t matter, and the score from the second held to the end and Wheeling came away with another victory.
The Nailers played their Education Day game on Wednesday, losing at home to Reading. What went wrong for Wheeling in that contest?
I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again; I’m not a fan of morning hockey. Don’t get me wrong, I understand why, and I’m glad the kids got to enjoy a game on a school day, but when you have a certain process you follow to prepare, having to bump it up that early isn’t easy. The real problem is, this game came against one of the possible opponents for the Nailers in the first round, so having them come into your building and earn any victories is never a good feeling.
The Nailers came out completely flat-footed in the first period, failing to get much going in terms of offensive zone time and only managing to get three shots on net. Lucky for them, Taylor Gauthier woke up that morning ready to play and turned away all 10 shots by the Royals in the first and the game stayed 0-0 after 20 minutes of play.
If that’s the case, it significantly favors the Nailers. Wheeling enters the series with the fourth best power play unit at home in the league, chugging along at a 25.8% clip, while the Adirondack penalty kill away from home is seventh in the ECHL with an 84.7% kill rate. However, the Thunder power play unit when not playing in eastern New York state is 26th in the league, only cashing in 15.0% of the time, while the Nailer penalty kill group is 13th in the ECHL on home ice, successfully killing off penalties 82.9% of the time.
Overall, the Wheeling power play group is fourth in the ECHL, while Adirondack sits in 19th place, while the Nailer penalty kill is 12th overall compared to 18th for the Thunder. If this holds true and the visitors take as many penalties as I expect, it should hopefully be a good weekend for the home team.
The Nailers will now play possibly the two most important games remaining on their schedule this weekend when they welcome Adirondack back to town on Friday and Saturday. What can Wheeling do to maximize their points in these games?
While the Thunder may no longer be the team directly behind the Nailers in the standings (we’ll look at that closer in just a minute), they’re still within shouting distance, and they have games in hand on Wheeling. So, these games really are the definition of must-win, with a potential four points on the line in regulation endings. If the Nailers can’t manage to bring home at least two points in these two games, it could prove difficult to ensure they clinch home ice in at least the first round.
Adirondack comes to town after two overtime losses this week to the new second-place team in the North and will face them again in the middle of next week, this time in Glens Falls. If they come to the Friendly City and lose these two games in regulation, they might be stuck below the home ice line and be forced to start the playoffs away from home, where they currently have a 14-7-5 record (compared to a 17-8-2-1 record at their home rink). Meanwhile, Wheeling enters this weekend’s short series with a record of 19-6-2-2 at WesBanco Arena, with the hopes of improving that even more in these games.
As for these contests, the Thunder come to town sporting the highest average penalty minutes received per game at 16.52, while Wheeling sits just outside the top ten in 11th place at 13.02. Meanwhile, their opponents in their games are averaging 14.93 and 11.34 penalty minutes per game, respectively. Based on those figures, this could be a series where specialty teams matter most.
The Nailers have another team approaching them from behind as Maine has jumped into second place in the North Division. How can Wheeling make sure to keep the Mariners in the rearview mirror?
I suppose that’s what an 11-game winning streak can do for a team, as the Mariners find themselves just three points behind the Nailers for the North Division lead with two games in hand over Wheeling (which Adirondack also has). Unfortunately, these two teams will not meet again this season, having already played their five games scheduled this year, with the Nailers enjoying a 3-1-0-1 record in said contests.
The big problem for Wheeling is that most of Maine’s games down the stretch come against teams that most likely won’t make the playoffs, starting this week when they host Norfolk for two. After another midweek tilt against Adirondack next Wednesday, two out of their final 14 games from there are against the bottom teams, all from the North Division (Worcester, Trois-Rivières, Norfolk, and Greensboro).
By comparison, the Nailers do have three games remaining each against Trois-Rivières and Worcester. But two against Toledo, one against Fort Wayne, one against Indy, and three against Reading make Wheeling’s path much harder. Not to mention, the Nailers also have more games remaining on the road than at home, with nine of their remaining fourteen games after this weekend away from home, where they are 15-10-1-1 this season.
While I think it would be difficult for the Nailers to fall completely out of the playoff picture at this point (they currently have a 17-point lead on fifth place Worcester), Wheeling is going to have to work hard to make sure they stay in the top two and begin the playoffs on home ice. It’s not going to be easy, especially with the group of teams they face down the stretch. But I believe they have the skill on the roster to stay in the top two of the division and start the second season right here in the Friendly City.
Saturday’s game against the Thunder is Margaritaville Night at WesBanco Arena. How much fun do you think this promotion is going to be?
I will say up front, I’m not much of a Parrothead myself. I never had the chance to see Jimmy Buffett in concert, nor did I listen to much of his music growing up. But I knew several people who did enjoy him, including some of my relatives who would always go to his shows when he was in town. I’ve grown to appreciate his music and the relaxed type of lifestyle it seemed to represent.
As for this game, I saw the pictures the team shared of the jerseys, and I think they look fantastic. Hawaiian shirt themed uniforms that are being auctioned off are really fun, and I know of a few people who have already gone on and submitted bids on the website. I hope at least one of them wins one so I can see it up close, rather than just on the ice.
If you did enjoy the musical stylings of Jimmy Buffett, this is definitely the game for you, with a post-game tribute concert featuring his music. I’m really looking forward to being there for this game, and I’m sure I’ll see plenty of you at the rink.
