The Nailers won their only game last weekend, beating Toledo on the road to extend their winning streak to 10. How did Wheeling come out on top against the Walleye?
People who have been reading this article for the last four years will know all about my disdain for Toledo, dating back to the Thunderbirds/Storm days. So, to see the Nailers go into their building with the better record overall and points percentage and come away with a victory is just a sweet feeling. Here’s to hoping that, if we do run into them in the final matchup of the playoff bracket, this game stays in their memory and we can have a repeat of it.
Both teams came out hopping early, but it was Wheeling who managed to get on the board first when Mike Posma, just seconds after exiting the penalty box, was sprung on a breakaway and managed to score less than nine minutes into the game. The Nailers would double their lead late in the period when Emil Pieiniemi got on the board with less than three minutes remaining in the first, and the score was 2-0 after 20 minutes of play.
Toledo took advantage of a power play that carried over from the first period to score just 36 seconds into the second period thanks to former Nailer (and longtime nemesis) Brandon Hawkins to cut the Wheeling lead in half. However, the Nailers managed to get back on the horse and score a goal of their own just over five minutes later after a nice pass from Brayden Edwards allowed Ryan McAllister to hit the back of the net. Despite more opportunities at both ends the rest of the way, neither team cashed in before the horn to end the second period.
The Wheeling lead was extended to three just under six minutes into the third, as McAllister once again rocketed a puck into the net to make the score 4-1. Toledo pulled their goalie late, and fellow former Nailer Cam Hausinger, off of a secondary assist by Hawkins, managed to pull the Walleye back to within 4-2 in the closing seconds of the contest, and that ended up being the final score.
The Nailers streak came to an end on Tuesday, losing to Cincinnati in their penultimate home game of the year. What caused Wheeling to take the loss in this game?
With Taylor Gauthier making his way to Wilkes-Barre/Scranton via a quick trip to Pittsburgh, the Nailers had to turn to Gabriel D’Aigle, the third-round pick (#84 overall) of the Penguins in the most recent NHL draft. While he had a good pro debut, it unfortunately wasn’t enough to come out on the winning side of things, but I can see good things in this young man’s future if he continues to work hard and elevate his game.
The Nailers came out hot early trying to give the 19-year-old a lead early, but the Cyclones managed to slam the door every time Wheeling pushed hard until, with exactly seven minutes remaining in the first, Cincy managed to break through and get the first lead of the game. Both teams continued to push hard to the horn, but when it sounded, that remained the lone score of the period.
The Nailers continued their push to get back into the game in the second period, firing 15 shots on net during the period. The Cyclones managed to double their lead just before the midpoint of the game, but Wheeling finally managed to break through with just over five minutes remaining in the frame thanks to Max Graham, which was subsequently followed up by Emil Pieiniemi tying the game just over two minutes later, and the score was tied heading into the third and final period.
Wheeling continued their onslaught on the Cincinnati net, firing another 13 of their 40 total shots in the game on net in the period. Unfortunately, none of them managed to find the back of the net, unlike the Cyclones, who broke through D’Aigle just under seven minutes into the period. The Nailers pulled their young netminder late to try to tie things back up, but a late goal by Cincy gave them the victory.
The Nailers will play their last three-game series of the regular season against Reading this weekend on the road. What does Wheeling need to do to hopefully bring home six points?
I mean, we’ve already played against them 12 times this season, what’s another three? But seriously, this series has a little more serious of a feel to it than a late season road trip for a team that has already clinched a playoff spot. Knowing just how much of a chance there is that these two teams meet up in two weeks, I fully expect these games to have a playoff-type feel to them to get ready for what’s to come.
The Royals have gotten the better of the Nailers this season thus far, with a record of 7-5-0 in those previous matchups (although one of Reading’s wins did go to a shootout, giving Wheeling a record of 5-6-0-1 in those games). Their most recent matchup was the last time the Nailers lost before this past Tuesday’s game, dropping a 1-0 decision on home ice to the Royals. The last time Wheeling won against Reading was way back on February 14th, the middle game of a three-game set at WesBanco Arena.
The real calling card for the Royals this year has been games where they manage to score first. Although they have only managed to do so in 47.8% of the games (32 times in 67 games played), they have accumulated a record of 26-2-2-2 in those games for 56 points, which equates to an 0.875 points percentage. In the 35 games where they failed to score first, they have a record of 9-21-5-0 for only 23 points, which is a 0.329 points percentage.
Meanwhile, for the Nailers, it hasn’t been quite as doom and gloom when they fail to score first, but it certainly has helped them this year. Wheeling scored first in nearly 60% of their games this year (40 out of 67 chances) and earned a record of 34-5-1-0 in those contests and 69 points, for a point percentage of 0.863. In the 27 games where they did not manage to score first, the Nailers have a record of 10-12-2-3 to give them 22 points, which is a 0.407 points percentage. If Wheeling can find a way to get on the board early in each game, the numbers suggest they should see a lot of success in this series.
The Nailers have already clinched their spot in the Kelly Cup playoffs but still have work to do to ensure home ice. What will it take for Wheeling to end the division race and be crowned “Kings of the North”?
While it is entirely true that the Nailers have yet to clinch their division, the writing is just about on the wall. With a seven-point lead in the division standings over second place Maine, and both teams having five games remaining in their season, Wheeling’s magic number to earn their first division title since 2004 is three thanks to having the tiebreaker over the Mariners. That means any combination of three points earned by the Nailers or lost by Maine in their games against Norfolk this weekend will give Wheeling the division crown.
That all being said, it might have to come down to the Nailers taking care of business and earning those points themselves. The Mariners have seen success against the Admirals this season, earning a record of 4-1-0 in games between the two teams so far this season. However, Maine has been on a bit of a slide lately, with a record of 1-3-1-0 since the calendar flipped to April.
By comparison, we all know about the 10-game winning streak that the Nailers were on prior to their recent loss. But another thing to consider is that Wheeling will play four of their final five games this year on the road, where they currently have a record of 20-10-1-1, hitting the 20-win plateau away from WesBanco Arena for the first time since the 2005-06 season. If the Nailers are able to take care of business on the road like they have all season so far, there’s no reason they can’t come home after their weekend sojourn with at least one banner to hang next season for a division championship.
While nothing is set in stone as of now, it seems pretty safe to say the Nailers will begin the playoffs against either Reading or Adirondack on April 24th. What do you make of the potential first round matchups, and which team would you rather see Wheeling face first?
I’ve already covered pretty extensively how things have gone so far this season between the Nailers and the Royals, thanks to the fact that they play one another 15 times this year, including the three games this weekend. On the flip side, for how well we know Reading, we are almost complete strangers with the Thunder, having only played them four times this season, although their last two games were just played in March, a short series sweep by the Nailers in Wheeling.
Reading and Adirondack enter play this weekend tied at 79 standings points, with the Royals holding the advantage in the tiebreaker by virtue of having 28 regulation wins compared to only 22 for the Thunder, although Adirondack does have a game in hand still on Reading. The Thunder play three games this weekend against Trois-Rivières (Friday on the road then Saturday and Sunday at home), with a victory in any of those games essentially dashing the Lions’ already slim hopes of defending their Kelly Cup championship from last season. Reading will finish their season with their series this weekend against the Nailers followed by two games to end the season on the road against the best team in the Eastern Conference, the Florida Everblades.
The funny thing is, with how things have gone for Wheeling in games against both Adirondack and Reading this season, it’s almost the inverse for Maine this year, as they have played 15 games against the Thunder, with a record of 5-5-3-2 in those games, but only six against the Royals, where they have a 4-1-1 record.
While I would definitely say Reading would be the harder matchup for the Nailers in the first round, I might prefer that, as it would mean Adirondack is shipping up to Maine to begin the playoffs, which is a team the Mariners have struggled with this season. There’s a chance in that situation where Wheeling could run into the Thunder in the second round, which would have to be advantage Nailers to advance to the conference finals. I know that’s looking far ahead, but I’m a fan, so I can’t help but dream. While it is fun to think ahead, the job isn’t done yet here in the regular season. It’s time to finish the job, clinch that division win, and then start preparing for the next step towards the team’s first Kelly Cup championship.
