The Nailers went 1-1-1 in their three-game series last weekend with Reading, splitting the Friday and Saturday matchups before losing in a shootout on Sunday. What happened in these games that caused Wheeling to only come away with three points?
While it is a bit disappointing that the Nailers couldn’t find a way to hold off Reading, coming away with three points is better than the potential alternatives. The real problem is, after their hot start to the year, Wheeling finds itself coming back to the pack of the division, going 5-6-1-3 over their last 15 games since starting the calendar year 2026 with a 5-0-0 stretch. Meanwhile, Adirondack is on a six-game winning streak and is 9-1-0 in their last 10 contests, which doesn’t help things for the Nailers in the standings.
Friday’s game started off poorly for Wheeling, with Reading scoring a goal just 36 seconds into the contest to put the Nailers in the hole early. Despite having 11 shots on goal in the period, the home team couldn’t find the back of the net, and the period ended with that early goal being the only one. The second period was much of the same before the Royals once again cashed in just past the halfway mark of the frame to double their lead, which held through to the end of the period. Another Reading goal late in the third, this time in an empty net, extended the lead to 3-0, which is where things ended.
Saturday’s game started with another period with a ton of shots for the Nailers, who fired 15 shots on goal in the first. The first goal of the game, which was the first for Wheeling on the weekend, came with just under nine minutes left in the first thanks to Brayden Edwards on the power play gave the Nailers the lead. Connor Lockhart doubled the Wheeling lead with less than four minutes remaining in the frame, but two goals by Reading late, including one on their own power play, tied the game back up after the first 20 minutes.
Another goal for the Royals just four minutes into the second gave them their first lead of the game, but Wheeling responded by firing 16 shots on goal in this period. Of those, two made their way into the Reading net off of the sticks of Zach Urdahl and David Breazeale, and the Nailers took the lead into the third. Another Urdahl goal came eight minutes into the final period, followed by an empty net short-handed goal by Daniel Laatsch to give Wheeling the 6-3 victory.
Sunday’s game started well for the visitors once again, with Reading getting the first tally of the game two and a half minutes into the contest. Both teams played a little more defensively in this period, with shots being tied in the first at five apiece, but that goal for the visitors was the only one in the frame. The second period saw a little more in the way of offense, as the two teams combined for 21 shots on goal, but nothing got through either goalie, and the game remained 1-0 Royals heading into the third.
Wheeling finally tied the game back up four minutes into the third with a Mike Posma goal, but Reading managed to respond less than two minutes later on the power play to take the lead once more. Things remained that way until late, when another Wheeling power play opportunity turned into the tying goal by Scooter Brickey to tie the game again with just under four minutes to go. That score held, and the game would go into overtime.
In overtime, the Nailers controlled play, not allowing Reading to get a shot on goal while managing five of their own, but the game ended up going to a shootout. Wheeling elected to shoot first in the shootout and managed to score on their second shooter, but the Royals answered with their third shooter to extend the shootout. Both teams then scored with their sixth shooter in the shootout, and it kept going like that until, in the 14th round, Reading got a shot through Taylor Gauthier while Connor Lockhart failed to score, and the Royals took the extra point.
The Nailers now do not play another game until next Wednesday when Fort Wayne comes to town for their makeup game. What does Wheeling need to do to come away with the victory?
After not playing each other for the first time this season until February 4, the Nailers and Komets will meet three times in five days, starting with the game next Wednesday in Wheeling. Fort Wayne got a 3-1 victory Wednesday night against Norfolk and will play two more games against the Admirals before coming to the Friendly City for this contest and enter the weekend in first place in the Central Division, just two points up on Toledo, but with the Walleye having three games in hand on the Komets.
Fort Wayne has been a very good road team this season, going 18-3-5 away from home and will play their games this weekend at the Norfolk Scope, so they have a good chance of improving that record before coming to town. One thing that has really helped the Komets on the road is their power play, which enters this weekend eighth on the road with a 20.5% success rate. Combine that with the fact that the Nailers have the 12th highest average number of penalty minutes taken per game at 12.81, and the Wheeling penalty kill will have to be up to the challenge to keep Fort Wayne’s man-advantage group off the scoreboard.
In addition to the above, the Komets have been very successful when scoring first in games this season. Through 48 games played, they have managed to score first 28 times, earning a record of 20-4-4 in those contests. For the Nailers, they have managed to score first in 26 of their 48 contests this year, with a record of 22-4-0 in those games. If Wheeling can manage to get on top early and put the pressure on Fort Wayne to come back, they can hopefully use that to their advantage and bring home the victory.
The Nailers now sit just six points up over Adirondack in the division, with the Thunder having three games in hand. Looking ahead at the schedule, how can Wheeling ensure it stays on top of the division with just over a month left in the regular season?
The good news is that those games in hand that Adirondack has will be played this weekend, so we should have a good idea of where things stand after their game on Sunday. The problem is, these games are at home, where the Thunder have a record of 13-6-2-1 this season. Even worse for Wheeling, these games are against Greensboro, who are tied with Tulsa for the least number of wins this season (13). So, the odds are in Adirondack’s favor for them to catch up to Wheeling heading into next week’s games.
The good news for the Nailers is, of their 24 games remaining in the regular season, nine come against teams from the Central Division, against which Wheeling has an 8-0-1-1 record so far. In addition to that, 11 of their remaining contests come against teams currently outside of a playoff spot in their respective divisions, which should hopefully fair well for the Nailers.
Also, not to look too far ahead, but the games on March 13 and 14 might become even more important at this point now, when the Thunder come to WesBanco Arena for the last time in the regular season to face the Nailers. If Wheeling can stay neck and neck with Adirondack heading into that short series, those games might help decide where things go come April and beyond.
Looking over the statistics the Nailers have accumulated to this point in the year, is there anything in particular you can point at that you think moves the needle in their direction over their division rivals?
One thing that really stands out for me for the team as a whole is just how highly ranked the special teams still manage to be despite some struggles they’ve had in recent weeks. The power play remains seventh overall in the ECHL with a 20.9% success rate, while the penalty kill is even better, sitting fourth in the league with an 84.9% success rate, only trailing Kansas City, Florida, and Savannah in that statistic. While referees historically are known to swallow their whistles in the playoffs, when you do get a chance, you have to be ready to take advantage. If the Nailers can keep those units going that well into the postseason, they have a good shot of giving themselves an advantage in a series.
Also, assuming they are able to remain in a top-two spot in the North Division, Wheeling will be given home ice advantage in at least the first round. The Nailers have accumulated an 18-4-1-2 record at WesBanco Arena to this point, with 11 of their remaining 24 games to be played in the Friendly City. If the Nailers can take advantage of their remaining home slate, while still playing well on the road, they should be able to remain towards the top of the division.
Another interesting thing I noted was how Wheeling gets stronger as games go along, with their goal differential increasing period over period. In the first periods this season, the Nailers have scored 39 goals while giving up 35 for a +4-goal differential. The second period sees that grow slightly, with 42 goals for and 34 goals against for a +8-goal differential. But the third period is where Wheeling shines, with 61 goals for to 40 goals against, leading to a +21-goal differential. If the Nailers can keep games close heading into the third period, being that strong late in games when teams tend to shrink can help turn the tides in their favor and hopefully get them some more victories.
With the Nailers not playing another game until next Wednesday, and the NHL not starting back up until the same night as well, how do you plan to pass the time until hockey comes back in your life?
Boy, talk about a bad time of the year to be without hockey at both levels. The weather outside has gotten better recently after being quite crappy this winter, but it’s still a soggy mess out there, so outdoor activities still aren’t pleasant. Days are finally starting to get longer again, where I’m not walking out of my office at 5:30 in total darkness, but gray skies aren’t exactly inspiring either.
I look forward to the days when going outside and doing something in the evening is an available choice, but as for now, we do still have some men’s Olympic hockey to watch. The semifinals, featuring Finland against Canada and Slovakia against the United States, will be played on Friday, with the bronze medal game scheduled for Saturday between the two losers of these contests, and the goal medal game on Sunday between the winners. After watching the US women beat the Canadian women for the gold medal on Thursday, I’m hopeful those two countries face each other again on the men’s side, with the same outcome happening. While I do enjoy my trips north of the border, I will be chanting “USA! USA! USA!” at my television when they are on, and I hope you all get to enjoy these games as well while we wait for Nailer hockey to come back to us next Wednesday.
