Rapid Reaction: 'Blades score twice in 7-second span to top Rush, 4-0

RAPID CITY, S.D. — Kyle Platzer notched multiple points for the fifth straight game and Jeremy Helvig earned his second straight shutout with 22 saves to send the Florida Everblades past the Rapid City Rush, 4-0, on Wednesday night at the Rushmore Plaza Civic Center.

BOX SCORE

In the first-ever meeting with Rapid City (15-21-2-3, 35 pts.), Florida (27-7-5-0, 59 pts.) scored just seven seconds apart in the first five minutes of the second period to earn its fifth straight win and ninth in its last 10 games.

Joe Cox started the scoring with his 15th goal of the season. After Ben Masella broke it out of the ‘Blades zone with a feed to Platzer, Platzer then helped set up Cox for the goal. Platzer sent a backhand feed to the right wing for Cox, who toe-dragged around a Rush defenseman and shot simultaneously to beat Rapid City goaltender Adam Carlson.

Just seven seconds later, Derek Sheppard then doubled that lead with a goal off the ensuing faceoff. Tommy Thompson won the faceoff back to Sheppard, and Sheppard carried the puck into the zone down the left wing. From the bottom of the left circle, the rookie defenseman snapped off a shot to beat Carlson for his 10th goal of the year.

Rapid City had a chance to get back within one at the 7:30 mark of the third period as Darby Llewellyn drew a penalty shot. But Llewellyn missed the penalty shot to help Helvig preserve his shutout and ninth straight win.

The Rush then pulled Carlson for an extra attacker in the last three minutes of regulation, but John McCarron sealed the win with an empty-net tally in his first game back with Florida after being returned from his loan to the American Hockey League’s Stockton Heat.

Florida capped the scoring on a breakaway tally from Platzer just 38 seconds after McCarron’s score. That goal was Platzer’s seventh in his last four games.

Helvig’s personal nine-game winning streak is the longest win streak by a ‘Blades goaltender in the last 11 seasons.

After a day off on Thursday, Florida resumes the three-game series with Rapid City on Friday night at 9:05 p.m. ET.

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The Everblades are the proud ECHL affiliate of the NHL’s Carolina Hurricanes