The Nailers struggled again last weekend, winning on Friday in Toledo before losing Saturday to the Walleye then Sunday in Indy. What happened in these games that caused Wheeling to only get two points?
Another rough weekend for the Nailers, who have struggled to an 8-13-1-1 record since the beginning of February. There are still a few games left on the schedule that Wheeling should do well in, and they might need to in order to continue their push to get back to the postseason. The only good news is that Norfolk also found themselves struggling last weekend against Reading (although that could also be a bad thing, which we’ll discuss later), but the Nailers now have a razor-thin margin and will need to work hard down the stretch to stay where they are.
Friday’s game started off poorly for Wheeling, as Toledo managed to get a lead less than a minute into the contest. The Nailers managed to respond less than two minutes later off the stick of Cole Tymkin, and the game was tied again until Gabe Klassen put Wheeling ahead just past the halfway point of the first period.
Despite both teams pushing hard for that next goal, neither team was able to cash in through the rest of the first or in the second period at all, and the game went to the third with Wheeling still holding their one-goal advantage.
Both teams took matching roughing penalties nine minutes into the period, and on the subsequent 4-on-4, the Walleye were able to tie the game. Toledo pushed hard to win in regulation, but Taylor Gauthier made some great saves, and the game went to overtime. Matty De St. Phalle was called for a penalty just 24 seconds into the extra frame, but nothing came of it, and Wheeling managed to capture the victory just a minute after the penalty expired thanks to Jordan Martel, and the Nailers earned the bonus point.
Saturday’s game got about as chippy as games can get between Wheeling and Toledo, as the two teams combined for 94 minutes in penalties, consisting of six different 10-minute misconduct calls, two of which were also game misconducts.
As for the action on the ice, the Nailers managed to cash in first just under seven minutes into the game as Isaac Belliveau squeezed the puck past the goalie into the net. But less than a minute later, the Walleye got one past Jaxon Castor, and the game was tied going to the second. Both teams traded goals early in the second, with Toledo scoring just over a minute in before Matthew Quercia tied it again two minutes later, but then the wheels fell off for the Nailers.
he Walleye scored two more times in the second to have the advantage heading to the third, then twice more, both on the power play, in that final frame to take home the 6-2 victory.
Then on Sunday, Wheeling headed to Indy for their final game against the Fuel this season. Despite getting an early power play, the Nailers weren’t able to capitalize. But the same couldn’t be said for Indy, who took advantage of a Wheeling penalty later in the first to get a lead, then extended that lead to 2-0 less than three minutes later.
Things got worse in the second, as it appeared the two-goal advantage would hold into the third until the Fuel scored with just over a minute left, and Indy held a 3-0 lead going to the final 20 minutes. Wheeling did manage to find the back of the net on the power play, as Jordan Martel cashed in less than three minutes into the period. Despite pulling their goalie late in the hopes that the extra skater would help, the Nailers couldn’t get another puck in the net, and they left town with their second loss in a row.
The Nailers come back home this weekend for their last two games of the season against Cincinnati on Friday and Saturday, then welcome Bloomington to town on Sunday. What does Wheeling need to do to maximize their points in these three games?
As we watch the remaining number of games for the Nailers tick down into the single digits, these games could not have come at a better time. Wheeling has an 8-0-0 record against these teams this season (although they’ve only played Bloomington once back on November 2), so hopefully the Nailers can keep that streak going and earn some much needed wins out of these games.
The Cyclones have not officially been eliminated from playoff contention yet, but they would need everything to go their way if they hope to get in at this point. Cincy sits in last place in the Central Division with only nine games left on their schedule. Wheeling has had their number this year, going 7-0-0 against Cincy to this point, although their last three meetings have been decided by a combined four goals.
The biggest problem for the Cyclones this season has been closing out games, as they have a +3-goal differential in the first period and a +2 in the second, but a -16 in the third. If Wheeling finds themselves in a close game heading into the final period, they can still find a way to pull out a victory against a team struggling that bad late in games.
The Bison, despite being an expansion team this year, find themselves in the fourth and final playoff spot in the Central, but tied in points with fifth-place Indy, who have a game in hand on them. That one game between these teams, a 2-1 victory for the Nailers, was 1-0 Bloomington until Wheeling found a way to score twice within the final minute of the game to come away with the victory. The big issue for the Bison this season has been road games, where they currently have an 11-17-2-1 record on the season and a -26-goal differential.
The Nailers need to take advantage of how poorly Bloomington plays on the road and come away with two more standings points to close out the weekend.
The Nailers were able to get their magic number down into the single digits still, now sitting at nine, but the teams below them are pushing hard to move up. What is Wheeling’s most likely path at this point to make it to the postseason?
There’s nothing quite like being in a playoff race as the end of the season quickly approaches. Based on how they finished the first half of the year though, you wouldn’t expect it to be this close of a race for the Nailers. At this point, Wheeling has a 10-point lead on the first team outside of the race, Reading, although the Royals do have a game in hand on the Nailers. Worcester, despite currently being in a playoff spot, is the team Wheeling has to make sure they have more points than in order to clinch a spot in the playoffs.
The Railers currently have 68 points on the season with only eight games remaining. That means their max number of points they can get is 84 based on remaining games. Since the Nailers already have 76 points, they just need nine more points to make sure they can’t be caught by Worcester and guarantee themselves a spot. The Railers find themselves with three games this weekend at Trois-Rivières, so between that and the teams on the docket for Wheeling this weekend, there’s a good chance they’ll be very close, if not clinched, once the Sunday games end.
But for that to be the case, the Nailers must take care of business on their end and win games. Three wins at WesBanco Arena for the home team this weekend would be almost enough to get them across the line and into the second season.
The Nailers still find themselves in second place in the North Division, just one point ahead of Norfolk, with both teams having nine games left on their schedule. How can Wheeling ensure they stay in that spot and start their playoff run at home?
This is the race I’m more concerned with at this point. The Nailers’ record at home this season is currently 19-9-1-1, while their road record is much worse at 17-14-2-0. I’ve always said having a home winning percentage of around 0.750 (which Wheeling is ahead of) and a road winning percentage above 0.500 (which Wheeling has) should be enough to get you into the dance.
That being said, it may not be good enough to get you starting at home, which is obviously where the Nailers want to be, considering how well they’ve done there this year.
Norfolk was supposed to have a game against Reading on Wednesday that unfortunately was postponed due to unsafe ice conditions at Norfolk’s arena. It’s unfortunate because the outcome of that game would have helped Wheeling know exactly what they needed to do this weekend.
A loss by the Admirals would’ve given the Nailers a game in hand and a one-point advantage still in the standings, with three games this weekend in Wheeling compared to two for Norfolk, whereas a win by the Admirals would’ve pushed the Nailers down into third place heading into the weekend, showing the team just how important these games are.
However, with that game now being pushed, there’s no advantage to be found thanks to the schedule for Wheeling, but I’m sure the young men on the team know just how much these games mean to their playoff lives and will go out and play them as such.
The Nailers will be hosting Black and Gold night at WesBanco Arena this Saturday night. What are you looking forward to the most with this promotion?
As a longtime member of Pittsburgh sports fandom, the color scheme means something to me. All of my favorite teams, be it the Steelers, Pirates, Penguins, or Nailers, wear those colors, and to me, it’s something that symbolizes not just that city, but the entire sports landscape of the area.
Also, as a fan of the Steelers who has multiple Terrible Towels at home, I know the feeling I get when I see thousands of them twirling in the air at Heinz Field (come at me if you disagree, it will always be Heinz Field to me) as their games come down to the wire.
So, seeing that the Nailers would be joining the fray by having a rally towel giveaway for this game is pretty cool. Having a physical representation to hopefully strike fear into the hearts of the opponent while showing the home team that you’re behind them is something I appreciate (as well as not having to lose my voice thanks to that). In addition to the giveaway, to find out that Ryan Shazier would also be in attendance and meeting fans is awesome too.
From what happened to him out in Cincinnati against the Bengals to where he is now is absolutely an inspiration to everyone who knows the story. I look forward to getting the chance to tell him what his story means to me, and if you want a chance to meet him too, go get your tickets now, and I’ll see you at the rink.
