The Nailers followed up a rather successful period with four very bad games in a row, going 0-4 over the last week.
What do you think is the cause of this tough stretch in their game?
The Nailers were sitting in a very strong position at this point last week, holding the fourth spot in the division and having back-to-back home games against the second-worst team in the entire league in Iowa. They proceeded to go out and play a very flat game in the first one, getting only four shots on goal in the first period and failing to capitalize on an early 1-0 lead, allowing Iowa to tie the score in the first and take the lead in the second in a game that the Heartlanders would eventually win 2-1.
The next night, against the same team, the Nailers looked completely unprepared to face the same group for a second night after giving them their first road win of the season the night before, getting absolutely curb stomped in a game that saw six different Iowa skaters score en route to a 7-2 victory.
After that, you would think the Nailers would rally and regroup for a big Sunday evening game in Toledo. Unfortunately, they came out just as flat in that final game of the weekend, failing to put even one puck behind the Walleye goalie and being shut out 4-0. Then, just when you think they’re finally pushing forward, the Nailers were the victims of a very unfortunate non-call on icing during their Wednesday night tilt at The Bank against Toledo, losing yet again to the Walleye 4-3.
So, if you’re keeping track at home, that’s four losses in a row by a combined score of 17-6.
Periods like this will happen in just about every season. Every team encounters portions of their schedule where their game just isn’t good enough to push back their opponents. The offense fails to create enough scoring chances, the defense loses assignments and allows good scoring chances, and the goalie fails to play angles well or overplays the puck and causes turnovers.
I saw a little more push out of the team during the Wednesday game which gives me the belief that they can find a way to turn it around this weekend as they welcome the Norfolk Admirals to town for the first time this season on Friday and Saturday. The question for this team is, will they find a way to build off of that, or just roll over at this point? I have to believe Coach Army won’t let that happen, nor will the leadership on the team that is still here. They have a real uphill climb ahead of them (which I will look at in the next question), but I don’t see why they can’t pull themselves up by their skate straps and push forward past this.
After their rough stretch, this makes the Nailers 19-21-4 through 44 games for 42 standings points, good enough for fifth place in the division and on the outside of the playoffs looking in.
What do they need to do to push forward and get back to a position where they can earn a chance to go for the Kelly Cup?
The worst part about all of this, aside from falling out of a playoff spot currently, is the fact that the team ahead of them, Ft. Wayne, has three games in hand and a six-point lead in the standings already. Ft. Wayne also was on a six-game winning streak prior to their loss to Allen on Thursday night, which doesn’t help the Nailers move any closer to them in the standings either. The Nailers have a real tough road ahead of them in terms of trying to move back into a playoff position.
At this point, if they do find a way to move back in, it will have to be the fourth spot, as the three teams further up (Indy, Toledo, and Cincinnati) are at least seven points clear of Ft. Wayne even, making it look even less likely for Wheeling to catch any of them.
It’s not completely dire, but with only 28 games remaining, the Nailers can’t continue to give up points. Wheeling still has four games left on their schedule with Ft. Wayne, so those games absolutely need to be circled on their calendar already. Not saying they should look past any of their opponents between now and then, but those games just got ratcheted up in importance to this team.
Keeping the team directly ahead of them from earning points in games where they can do so will be paramount to helping them catch up in the standings.
Also, with eight games remaining in the month of February, all of them against Iowa and Norfolk, the Nailers can’t afford to lose points in these games either. Assuming that Ft. Wayne will continue to accumulate points at their regular rate (they have a .585 winning percentage on the season, so with Ft. Wayne having nine games left in February, you can assume they’ll earn at least 11 points in those games based on that percentage), Wheeling can’t afford to earn any less than 13 points the rest of the way this month to remain in striking distance, meaning they will need to go at least 6-1-1 over the next two plus weeks.
I believe this shows just how important these games are for where they hope to be come April, so now is the time to really bear down and show you want to earn that spot in the playoffs. If you can’t do it now, don’t expect to play into the spring.
It can be very tough to see much positive on a team when stuck in the middle of a streak like the Nailers are on right now, but is there anything you can say you’ve seen from this team that you think is something the team can look at as a positive in their game right now?
Sometimes, the best thing to try to find and focus on when your team is struggling is the positives in their game, whether it’s specific players doing well or a facet of the team that has shown life. The penalty kill has definitely seen some success during this stretch, allowing only three power-play goals over the four games played, despite a considerable number of opportunities given up against. The PK unit has found a way to stay at or around the 80% success rate for the season, which is pretty good considering they’ve been forced out on the ice a total of 166 times already this year, which averages out to almost four shorthanded attempts per game.
With the number of penalties taken by Wheeling in recent weeks, one could expect the PK group to exhaust their units and give up more goals against, so while you could hope they improve on their success rate, the fact that they’ve kept it where it is actually is a positive for the team overall.
In addition, I want to say that I think David Drake has shown me a little more recently as well. He’s been forced to accept a bigger role on the defense, with three of their regular defensemen currently not with the team, and he has performed admirably. He has two goals and nine assists on the season for 11 points, which is within three points of his personal best number of points in a season in the ECHL. He’s also found a way to stay out of the box, allowing him to pick up valuable time on the ice helping to kill penalties and try to provide stability to a young blueline group.
Drake has managed to work his way to a +9 rating in the plus/minus (tied for the team lead), all while playing in all 44 games so far this season, the only defenseman to do that this year. While the Nailers definitely need more from the group as a whole, Drake has definitely given what he can to this team to try to turn things around.
What do you think the Nailers need to do to pull themselves together and get out of the funk they’re currently in and get back to their winning ways and stay relevant the rest of the way?
As someone who has been on a team that has had to withstand an extended rough patch like this before, the most important thing to this team right now is leadership in the locker room. The guys who are in that room know who is doing what needs to be done, and who needs that encouragement to bring their game up to the level needed to start winning games again.
True leaders on a team know not to blame players for losses (unless they want to blame themselves), and can find ways to work with guys in a way that encourages rather than dissuades. I know a number of guys who might be viewed as leaders aren’t with the team right now, but there are enough guys who have been here before and can help push the guys where they should be.
Another important aspect of leadership needs to be setting an example. Be the guy on the ice who sets the pace during practice, be the guy who shows strong discipline, be the guy who you wanted to look up to when you were a younger player on a roster.
In addition to the above, when you find yourself in a funk like this, sometimes the best thing to do is simplify your game, get it back to the most basic technical form it can be, and create from there. Once you’re performing well again that way, then start to build from it again.
I’m not suggesting this team has lost anything on the basics and that’s causing the failure, but renewing your focus on the basics can reinforce those building blocks. I think the Nailers need to focus on how their team speed is still their biggest asset. Try to get forwards playing tough in the defensive zone to create breakout opportunities. Work on creating chances to carry the puck into the zone rather than dumping and trying to chase it down, as that is where I feel Wheeling has seen their most success. Have the defensemen work on getting into shooting lanes, reinforce how important it can be to keep pucks from getting through to the goalie.
Get the goalies working harder on their angles, try pushing out to cut down and get back to cover the posts quickly. Goals like the winner on Wednesday can’t be allowed to happen, where the goalie simply failed to hug the post and keep it from bouncing off of him and into the net, so get some practice in on that too.
Pushing the importance of these basics can hopefully help the guys get their offense in gear and get them back into the win column.
Another specialty jersey will be worn during the Penguins game on Saturday, as the Nailers will be wearing a white jersey with just the nails on the front in black and Pittsburgh gold.
What are your thoughts on this new sweater they will have on?
As someone who regularly reads the Uni Watch blog, I really enjoy the aesthetics of new uniform combinations for teams. Personally, I generally enjoy things that harken back to uniforms I enjoyed watching my teams wear when I was younger. For example, the retro jerseys the NHL brought out have been a hit for me for the most part so far this year, as they all remind me of uniforms I got to see teams wear when I was younger. The giant bear head on the Bruins jerseys, the robo-pigeons on the Penguins uniform, as well as the Lady Liberty head on the Rangers sweater reminds me of watching some of the players I looked up to who wore those uniforms, and it’s just really awesome to see them on the ice.
I think it’s a fantastic move by the Nailers to find a way to introduce a new jersey for such a great event. Having former Penguins players in attendance and meeting with fans will give the arena a different feel, knowing the guys on the ice are trying to get to the point that those guys were able to reach during their own careers. Working the Pittsburgh gold into the uniform in such a way, with such a simple design, is a brilliant move to hopefully help cut down a little on what could be seen as a slightly cluttered uniform look, giving the appearance of them being crisp and clean. Plus, the team generally wears dark colors on home ice, so having a white jersey at home will definitely be a different feel as well.
I look forward to seeing how they look on the ice at Wesbanco Arena on Saturday.
