The Nailers offense couldn’t get on track last weekend, being turned away twice against Adirondack. What happened that led Wheeling to only getting one win in those three games?
The Nailers just can’t seem to get their groove back as they managed to drop two of three to the last-placed team in the division. I know going on the road isn’t necessarily easy, but facing a team that came into the weekend 7-17-1 on home ice for the season and having that happen is not a good look for a team near the top of the standings.
And now, Wheeling finds themselves in even more of a dogfight to maintain their hold on second place and home ice in the first round against Norfolk.
Friday’s game got heated early, with a fight less than two minutes into the contest. The Nailers managed to outshoot the Thunder by nine, but neither team was able to light the lamp in the first period. Adirondack had the man advantage entering the second, and Wheeling received their only power play chance in that period as well, but neither team was able to capitalize, and the game remained scoreless going into the third.
The Nailers almost shot themselves in the foot in that final period of regulation, giving the Thunder three different power play chances, but Taylor Gauthier was able to stand tall, and the game went into extra time with no goals by either team. In that overtime period, Adirondack was able to cash in on the only shot of the extra frame and end things just over a minute in.
The offenses got involved a little earlier on Saturday, with the Thunder scoring less than two minutes into the game. Wheeling finally managed to break through Jeremy Brodeur (son of legendary goaltender Martin Brodeur) and tied the game thanks to Cole Cameron with less than six minutes remaining, and Cole Tymkin gave the Nailers the lead with less than a minute left in the first.
The second period saw the same two combatants from Friday night engage in fisticuffs just seven seconds into the frame, and from there it was off to the races as Wheeling managed to get goals from Matty De St. Phalle and Kyle Jackson over the next six minutes of game action to extend the lead to 4-1. Adirondack clawed one back from Wheeling on the power play about halfway through the frame, but Gabe Klassen scored with just over a minute left, and the Nailers headed to the third with a 5-2 lead. Wheeling got one more insurance goal just over two minutes in by Matt Koopman, and the Thunder got two of their own late in the period, including one more power play tally.
But it wasn’t enough as Wheeling evened the weekend series heading into Sunday.
Sunday’s game managed to stay normal for the first two periods, as Adirondack managed to outshoot Wheeling in both periods by 13-5 and 13-7 counters (respectively), but Taylor Gauthier and Jeremy Brodeur (appearing in his third straight game of the weekend) managed to keep the game deadlocked through 40 minutes of play. Then in the third period, the Thunder broke the deadlock with eight minutes left in the game, and then the wheels fell off. A total of 30 penalties were called, beginning just 30 seconds after the goal, as the two teams engaged in multiple instances of pushing and shoving going too far.
Adirondack managed to get an empty-net goal to double their lead with a minute remaining, then everything reached its peak with 13 seconds left as multiple players from both teams were shown the door early due to engaging in a conflict and refusing to stop even when the referees stepped in. When all was said and done, the two teams combined for 186 minutes in penalties for the game (176 of those in the third alone), and Wheeling skated away with being shutout for the second time of the weekend.
The Nailers had a midweek matinee against Trois-Rivières on Wednesday, losing 2-0 and getting shut out for the third time in their last four games. What happened that caused Wheeling to fall short in this game?
Sometimes, everything seems to go well except for one thing, and that one thing is just enough to cause you to lose. The Nailers got yet another outstanding showing by Taylor Gauthier, the penalty kill group did their job (except for towards the end, but that was due to extenuating circumstances), and Wheeling did what they could to try to keep the game within striking distance.
But when the offense fails to produce enough quality chances for one to go in, it’ll never be enough for your team to have a chance to earn the victory.
The one goal that Gauthier actually did give up came just over six minutes into the game. Trois-Rivières managed to spring one of their players on a breakaway, and he managed to deke the goalie just enough to create the space needed to put the puck in the net.
Wheeling pushed hard to get back into it, but to no avail, and they trailed after 20 minutes of action.
The second period saw very little offensive action as the two teams combined for a total of 12 shots on goal, despite each team getting a crack on the power play, and the score remained where it was heading into the third. In the third, the Nailers upped the pressure to try to tie the game when Isaac Belliveau got called for tripping.
Coach Derek Army pulled the keeper to put it back to 5-on-5 skating, but the Lions managed to find the empty net with just over a minute left, and the visitors left the ice with the 2-0 victory, making it all but impossible for Wheeling to catch them in the division standings at this point.
The Nailers now get three more at home this weekend, welcoming Fort Wayne on Friday and Saturday followed by a Sunday game against Cincinnati. What does Wheeling need to do to maximize their point earnings?
The only thing the Nailers can do at this point is put their recent performances in the rearview mirror and focus on what they can do to find success in the short term.
Wheeling has a lot of familiarity with the teams they will be facing this weekend, being in the same division as them for a number of years leading up to this season, so hopefully they can put that knowledge to good use and find a way to get their offense back on track. With only 15 games left before the postseason begins, they can’t afford to allow this stretch to continue for too much longer if they want to enter the playoffs with any sort of momentum.
The Komets come to town sitting in second place in the Central Division, just two points ahead of Iowa but with a game in hand on them. Fort Wayne has been very successful on the road this year, amassing an 18-6-2 record away from home. Their power play and penalty kill units are both middle of the road this season overall, sitting in 13th place in the league in each, but both units have been stats on the road than they do at home. Something else that’s impressive is how well the Komets ramp things up late in games, with their goal differential by period being +4, even, then all the way up to +21 in the third period.
If you’re the Nailers, you have to find a way to jump on this team early, and don’t let them get momentum going in their direction in the third to hopefully earn some much-needed wins.
Then on Sunday, Cincy comes to town, currently sitting in last place in their division, but only two points behind Bloomington for the fourth and final playoff spot in the Central. The Cyclones had a very rough beginning to their season, losing their first nine games before finally earning a victory. But, unlike the Nailers (more on this shortly), they have been a little better since the beginning of February, going 6-5-3 since then.
Wheeling does have a record of 6-0-0 against Cincy so far this season, with two more games remaining against them towards the end of the month. If the Nailers can come out and play against them like they have in their previous matchups, Wheeling should be able to come away with two points in this one.
The Nailers have slowed considerably coming down the stretch, going 5-10-1-1 since the beginning of February. What kind of confidence does this give you in the team as we get closer to the postseason?
After how well the early season went for the Nailers, you had to assume that a little slide was possible. The real issue is just how long this slide has sustained, and that it has allowed the other teams to catch up.
Of course, as I mentioned last week, one of the dangers of being in a developmental league is the odds of changes happening to your roster. Between injuries, call ups, and signing undrafted kids coming out of college as their seasons end, roster shakeups are almost always going to happen at this time of year. When you start losing some of your best players on your roster to better opportunities while replacing them with young men who did well at the collegiate level but are unproven at the professional level, it can lead to some growing pains.
The other difficulty is just how well the teams in the division are playing. Trois-Rivières already has 14 more points on the season (84) than they earned all of last season (70), and they still have 15 games remaining on the schedule.
Norfolk is sitting 20 points behind how many they earned last year (89), but they still have the opportunity to earn up to 99 points, which would surpass last year’s total by 10.
That being said, I do expect things to turn around for the Nailers as they assimilate the new additions to the roster. Sometimes it takes time for things to come around. Guys who have never played together need a chance to develop some chemistry. The team needs to use these remaining 15 games as an educational period, a chance to learn what it takes to perform at the professional level and earn wins.
They have the talent and the ability, now it’s just putting it to use and getting things going in a better direction before they reach the second season.
The Nailers will be hosting their St. Patrick’s Day game on Saturday against Fort Wayne with former Penguin Tyler Kennedy also in attendance. What do you like about this special event?
Ah, good old St. Paddy’s Day. Back in my youth, I would find myself travelling up to Pittsburgh to partake in a fun day downtown and then trying to figure out what I was going to do with myself until I was at a legal limit that would be able to drive again to get home (remember kids, don’t drink and drive).
Those days are obviously well behind me, as my partying ways were left a couple decades in the past at this point. But I always found St. Patrick’s Day to be a fun day to let loose with my friends and hopefully make some new ones along the way.
While I know this isn’t on actual St. Patrick’s Day (which is next Monday), having the chance to celebrate the occasion with green beer will be fun. They will also be hosting a whiskey bar (both of these for fans 21 and up), so if you enjoy something a little darker, get there and give it a shot.
As for the game, the Nailers will be wearing special jerseys that will be auctioned off, as well as giving away St. Patrick’s Day themed hats to fans in attendance. On top of that, having Tyler Kennedy in the building, a Stanley Cup-winning member of the Penguins, will be pretty cool too.
I encourage anyone looking for a fun event on a Saturday night to go get their tickets now, and I’ll see you at the rink.
