GAME DAY: Everblades at Orlando - Dec. 20

ORLANDO, Fla. — The Florida Everblades (16-6-4-0, 36 pts.) start a stretch of three games in three days with a matchup against the Orlando Solar Bears (13-10-2-0, 28 pts.) on Thursday night at the Amway Center, the first of three straight meetings between the two teams. 

VITALS:Game 27: Everblades at OrlandoWhen: 7 p.m. ETWhere: Amway CenterWatch: ECHL.tvListen: WJBX Social: Twitter | #FLAvsORL

Last Time OutBen Masella and Mike Neville both registered goals, but the Everblades lost in regulation for the first time since Nov. 16 with a 4-2 setback at the hands of the Jacksonville Icemen this past Saturday at Veterans Memorial Arena in Jacksonville. The Icemen struck twice in the first period and held the read the rest of the way in just their second-ever regulation win over the 'Blades. Jacksonville goaltender Ken Appleby was the story of the game. He stopped 50 of the 52 shots he faced to earn his first win of the season. 

BOX SCORE | RECAP Players to WatchBen Masella (FLA) – The Montreal, Quebec, native has posted goals in back to back games after going without a goal in 22 straight games dating back to last season. In his rookie season with the Worcester Railers last year, Masella led the team's rookie defensemen with 22 points on three goals and 19 assists. He has two goals and four assists for the 'Blades this season. 

Martin Ouellette (ORL) - The former 'Blades goaltender has posted an 8-4-1-0 record for Orlando this season with a 3.07 goals-against-average and a .905 save percentage. His only shutout of the season came against the Everblades in the first meeting between the two teams on Oct. 26, a 3-0 win for Orlando. 

Series historyThursday night is the 83rd all-time matchup between Florida and Orlando, an all-time series that Florida leads with a record of 55-22-5. The two teams meet 12 times this season, six times in Orlando and six times at Hertz Arena. Florida dropped the first matchup and only matchup in Orlando this season, a 3-0 loss on Oct. 26. The 'Blades earned a point the next night in a 5-4 overtime setback. 

Key notes

• Florida has scored four of its five shorthanded goals on the road and is second in the ECHL in road shorthanded goals this season. Neville tallied the 'Blades most recent shorthanded strike, his first career shorthanded goal, in this past Saturday's 4-2 loss to Jacksonville.   
• Jeremy Helvig, Florida's probable starter on Thursday, has three consecutive road wins, the longest road winning streak for a 'Blades goaltender this season. After going winless in his first four starts, Helvig has posted a 5-1-1 record in his last seven appearances.   
• The Everblades' 13-game standings point streak and six-game winning streak came to an end in Saturday's loss at Jacksonville. Still, that point streak was Florida's longest in the last two seasons and tied for the longest in the ECHL over the last two campaigns.   
• Florida fired a season-high 52 shots on goal on Saturday night against Jacksonville. That was the 'Blades most shots on goal in a game since they posted 53 shots on goal in a 4-3 shootout loss to the Greenville Swamp Rabbits on Feb. 2, 2018.   
• Along with blitzing Jacksonville with shots, Florida limited the Icemen to only 17 shots on goal on Saturday, the fewest shots allowed by the 'Blades in a game this year. The Everblades has permitted the second-fewest shots on goal per game in the ECHL this year, limiting opponents to just 27.1 shots per contest.   
• Thanks to limited scoring chances for their opponents, the 'Blades rank second in the ECHL in goals allowed per game this season. Florida has yielded 2.46 goals per game on average this year.   

Next Up Florida finishes off a stretch of five straight road games with a Friday night matchup against the Solar Bears at the Amway Center before returning home on Saturday night to wrap up the three-game set with Orlando. —

Single-game tickets for all regular season home games are on sale now!Ticket packages for the 2018-19 season are still on sale! Become part of the Everblades Family with a Partial Season or a Flexible Voucher Package that fits your schedule and budget! All Ticket & Voucher Packages provide savings and special benefits! To view the Ticket & Voucher Package options CLICK HERE. SPECIAL OFFER! Purchase a new ticket package for the 2018-19 season and receive a $20 gift card to Ford’s Garage and an Everblades T-Shirt!Private Arena Tours are also available to select your 2018-19 season seats! Call the Everblades office at 239-948-7825 to schedule your tour today! 

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