Things went from bad to worse for the Nailers last weekend in Worcester as they got swept in their three-game series with the Railers. What went wrong for Wheeling in this series?
It’s not exactly the best time for the Nailers to hit their first real skid of the year as the teams chasing them in the standings continue to earn points and nip at their heels. But sometimes teams learn more about themselves during a losing streak and facing adversity than just continuing to roll over their opponents. Hopefully, Coach Ryan Papaioannou and the team can look at this stretch and figure out what they can do to fix it going into the last couple months of the season.
Friday’s game started off poorly for Wheeling as Worcester came out flying and scored the first goal of the game less than two minutes in. Things stayed that way until a little later in the period, when the Railers found the back of the net twice more before the horn sounded, and Wheeling found themselves trailing 3-0 after the first. The second period went a little better for the visitors as David Breazeale ended the shutout attempt six minutes into the middle frame, but another Railers goal five minutes later extended the lead to three again. Matty De St. Phalle got another one back for the Nailers with about four minutes left, and Wheeling entered the third period trailing 4-2.
The Nailers came out pushing hard to cut the lead in half, but nothing would go for them. Unfortunately, things went better than that for Worcester. Despite only getting five shots on net in the period, two of them tickled the twine, including one on the power play, to make the score 6-2. Wheeling finally got their first power play of the game late and converted thanks to Max Graham with just over a minute remaining, but the game ended 6-3 in favor of the home team.
Saturday’s game started off almost as poorly for the Nailers, as they only managed to get four shots on goal in the first period and the Railers staked out to a 2-0 lead within the first five minutes, with the first goal coming within the first minute of regulation. Wheeling managed to slam the door from there though, and the difference was two after the first. The second was a little better for the visitors, as they managed to turn their 12 shots on net into a goal, scored by Matthew Quercia shorthanded to cut the lead in half heading into the third.
The Nailers continued to push in the third period and were rewarded with the game tying goal just over seven minutes into the period by Brent Johnson. Later in the frame, Bogdans Hodass was assessed a match penalty, but Wheeling’s penalty kill group was up to the task and found a way to force overtime. In the extra frame, each team was able to get a shot, but on the third attempt on net, Worcester got one through Taylor Gauthier to earn the extra point.
Wheeling came out on Sunday trying to avoid the sweep, firing 12 shots on goal in the first 20 minutes alone, but couldn’t find the back of the net. The Railers, with only five shots in the frame, managed to squeak one through on Gauthier with just under eight minutes left, and they held on for the 1-0 lead through one.
The Nailers fired another 15 shots in the second, followed by another seven in the third, but were unable to solve the Worcester goalie the rest of the way. Gauthier stood tall himself, despite only facing two shots on goal in the second then another 11 in the third, to keep the score where it was, but the Wheeling offense just couldn’t break through, and the shutout and sweep were earned when the final horn sounded.
The Nailers finally got back in the win column after five losses in a row, beating Fort Wayne 3-2 in overtime on Wednesday. How did Wheeling turn things around in this one?
Not only had the Nailers lost five in a row (0-3-1-1), all five games were against divisional opponents, meaning they helped those teams work towards catching Wheeling in the standings. Which means getting to this stretch against teams from the Central Division, without the additional pressure of facing divisional rivals, couldn’t have come at a better time. Sometimes, getting a chance to catch your breath by playing teams in your rearview mirror can help reset things for the players.
The first period went a little sideways for the Nailers, as the Komets managed to fire 22 shots on net in the first 20 minutes alone while only getting seven shots themselves. Only one goal was scored in the period, and luckily it was for Wheeling, as Matthew Quercia got the power play tally to put the Nailers up 1-0, and Taylor Gauthier made it stand to the first intermission.
Fort Wayne did not let up in the second, getting another 16 shots on goal compared to five for Wheeling. This time, one managed to get through for the Komets to tie the game heading into the third period. Fort Wayne still refused to relent in the third, with 13 more shots on goal in the final period of regulation, scoring on one of them with just under five minutes left. The Nailers only got eight shots themselves in the period, but they managed to pocket one of their own thanks to Connor Lockhart just 21 seconds after the Komets broke the tie, and the game went to overtime.
In the extra frame, the Komets took another four shots, but Gauthier continued to play strong and held them off the scoresheet before Brent Johnson finally brought home the victory for the Nailers. In the game, Gauthier made 53 saves on the 55 shots on goal by Fort Wayne, and the victory gives him 58 as a Nailer, two away from tying Andy Franck’s team record of 60 victories.
The Nailers will now welcome two former division rivals to town, playing Indy on Friday followed by Cincinnati on Saturday. What does Wheeling need to do to come away with four points?
It has to be nice for the Nailers to get to come back home, a place where they currently have a 16-3-1 record (as opposed to their 11-9-1-1 record away from the Friendly City), to play against two opponents from the Central Division, which the Nailers used to call home and against which Wheeling has a 6-0-1 record this season. Not to mention that their two opponents this weekend hold a combined 1-3-0 record against the Nailers this season, with the only win being Cincy earning a 2-1 victory in overtime at WesBanco Arena back on November 30.
The Nailers’ only game so far this year against the Fuel came back on November 26, a 5-2 victory at home. Indy comes to town sitting in fourth place in the Central, tied in points with Bloomington and just five points ahead of Wheeling’s other opponent this weekend. The Fuel have been a better team on the road this year (12-7-1) than at home (8-7-4-1) but do have a negative goal differential in both aspects (-2 on the road to -4 at home).
One thing that sticks out about Indy is their specialty teams away from Fishers Event Center. Their penalty kill group is 21st overall in the ECHL, but 13th in the league away from home, while their power play is in dead last when playing as the road team, with a 10.1% success rate. Indy also leads the league in shorthanded goals against on the road with five. Wheeling has the 13th highest average penalty minutes per game at 13.07, so if they can find a way to get some pressure while shorthanded, and use their power play chances to their advantage, they should come away with a victory.
Then on Saturday, the Nailers get the chance to exact revenge for that game back in November, which was the last time these two teams met. Since that game, the Cyclones have gone 9-11-1-1, with a game at Toledo on Friday before coming to the Friendly City. As I mentioned above with Indy, Cincy currently finds themselves on the outside looking in for a playoff spot but are hopeful to improve their record down the stretch and get up to the fourth and final spot in the postseason.
One thing that sticks out for the Cyclones is their record in games where they score first. Through 40 games played, they have gotten the first goal in 21 of them, earning a record of 14-6-1 in those games. Meaning in the 19 games where they have started off trailing, they are 5-12-2. Meanwhile, the Nailers have managed to score first in 24 of their 42 games played entering the weekend, earning a record of 20-4-0 when they do. If Wheeling comes out quickly in the game and puts Cincy behind the eight ball early, it could go a long way to helping the home team earn the victory.
The Nailers head on the road for a midweek tilt at Indy. How can Wheeling make sure they bring home a victory?
While it might not be quite like playing multiple days in a row, getting the chance to face the same opponent from this weekend, albeit on a different ice surface, could prove beneficial to the Nailers. They say that familiarity breeds contempt, so if the fireworks start on Friday in Wheeling, they could very well get set off again five days later in Indy.
The funny thing about the Fuel is that, while their penalty kill is average on the road while their power play is in the basement, the exact opposite is true on home ice. Their power play sits in 12th place in the ECHL at home, although they still only have a 19.7% success rate, while their penalty kill group is 23rd out of 30 teams with a 78.8% success rate.
While the Nailers’ power play unit has not been overly successful on the road themselves, with a 16.7% success rate away from Wheeling, their penalty kill has been one of the best, sitting in seventh place in the ECHL with an 84.6% success rate. If this is another game that comes down to specialty teams making the difference, I usually side with the team that is doing better on the penalty kill, because power plays can always turn it around against teams with worse penalty kill units. I would bet on Wheeling winning the specialty teams battle in this one, which could help them bring home the two points.
The Nailers will be hosting Pittsburgh Penguins night on Saturday against Cincinnati. What are you most excited about for this event?
Before I get to the part that has me the most amped up for this game, let me talk about the other cool things they have going on. The Nailers will be giving away beanies to fans as they enter the building, as well as wearing specialty jerseys that they will be auctioning off during the game. They will also welcome Iceburgh to town to engage in mascot shenanigans with Spike to entertain the children as well as taking pictures.
But the most exciting part of the whole thing for me is that Phil Bourque will be in the building, signing autographs before the game and during the first intermission before joining DJ Abisalih and Brock Woods to call the action in the second period. As someone who began watching the Penguins in the late 80’s and into the 90’s, I remember seeing the Ole’ 29’er out on the ice, and I remember just how much fun it looked like he was having out there. And of course, you can’t forget his speeches after winning the Cup in 1991 and 1992, speaking to the fans at Three Rivers Stadium and telling them to come party at the Pointe with the team.
In more recent years, Bourque has become rather ubiquitous with providing color commentary on the radio and television during Penguins games, which I thoroughly enjoy. He has such a way of describing the action that really helps bring the game to life, and you can tell just how much he still cares about the Penguins and the game itself. Also, in case you didn’t catch us during the Sports Hour on River Talk on Thursday (and shame on you for six weeks if you missed it), DJ told Steve and me that they are working on the ability to telestrate on the television side while showing the game.
If you grew up on the Penguins around the same time as I did, you would remember Phil Bourque the player, the spark plug who worked hard for everything he got on the ice and came away a champion. If you started a little later, you would remember Phil Bourque the announcer, the guy who makes the game fun to watch and listen to and makes it an absolute blast to do so. I suggest everyone finds a way to get there and see him in person, get an autograph, and thank him for all of the work he has done for the Penguins like I plan on doing, and I will see you all at the rink.
