‘Blades Weekly: Four games in five days on docket

ESTERO, Fla. — Following three games on the road last week, the Florida Everblades (37-13-5-0, 79 pts.) now face the regular season’s second-to-last stretch of four games in five days this week, a stretch that includes three games against the Orlando Solar Bears.

After dropping the first game of last week to the Jacksonville Icemen, the ‘Blades responded by sweeping a two-game set from the South Carolina Stingrays to finish the week. Florida was shut out in its only previous meeting in South Carolina in mid-November, but the ‘Blades netted 10 combined goals in two games to get their offense back on track after scoring only twice on Wednesday in Jacksonville. Kyle Platzer (2g-3a) and Joe Cox (3g-2a) both led the way for Florida in the South Carolina series with five points each.

Florida has a busy schedule this week with three matchups against Orlando and a Sunday tilt against Jacksonville. The ‘Blades have posted a 3-1-2 record against Orlando this year and won the most recent meeting, 5-2, at Hertz Arena on Feb. 13. Including this week’s games, Florida and Orlando will see each other six times in the last six weeks of the regular season. Although the Everblades are 5-0-0 at home against the Icemen this season, they have posted just a 2-3-1 mark in Jacksonville. Florida will aim to get back to .500 in its last tilt in Jacksonville in the regular season.

LAST WEEK’S RESULTSFeb. 20 | at Jacksonville Icemen – L, 3-2RECAP | BOX SCORE

Feb. 22 | at South Carolina Stingrays – W, 5-3RECAP | BOX SCORE

Feb. 23 | at South Carolina Stingrays – W, 5-3RECAP | BOX SCORE

THIS WEEK’S GAMESFeb. 27 | at Orlando Solar Bears | 7 p.m. – Amway CenterMarch 1 | vs. Orlando Solar Bears | 7:30 p.m. – Hertz ArenaMarch 2 | at Orlando Solar Bears | 7 p.m. – Amway CenterMarch 3 | at Jacksonville Icemen | 3 p.m. – Veterans Memorial Arena

‘BLADES BIOS

• As part of the league’s second-best team in terms of goal differential, Michael Neville (+34, 2nd), Derek Sheppard (+24, t-3rd) and Blake Winiecki (+22, 5th) all rank in the top five in plus-minus rating among rookies, while Cox still leads the ECHL with a +46 plus-minus rating.
• Cox’s five-point week moved his point total to 61 points (27g-34a), which is second in the ECHL.
• John McCarron has been “Captain Clutch” for the ‘Blades this season. He scored the game-winning goal for Florida in Friday’s 5-3 win and is now tied for the league lead with seven game-winning scores.  

‘BLADES BITES

• Florida’s balanced excellence on both ends of the ice has been a big reason for its success this year, and the Everblades sit second in the league in both goals for per game (3.87) and goals against per game (2.42).
• The trend of the Everblades dominating the shots on goal category continued last week. The ‘Blades have now outshot their opponent in 14 of the last 17 games, while they’ve been outshot in only 11 of their 55 games.
• Despite losing in Jacksonville last Wednesday, the Everblades lead the ECHL with 18 road victories thanks to the pair of road wins in South Carolina to end the week.
• After yielding two goals in the second period on Wednesday, Florida got back to its second-period success in the final two games of the weekend by scoring four of the combined five goals in the middle frame. The ‘Blades are the best in the league with a +37-goal differential in the second period.    

SOUTH DIVISION STANDINGS

1. Florida Everblades: 37-13-5-0, 79 PTS
2. Orlando Solar Bears: 29-19-4-0, 62 PTS
3. Jacksonville Icemen: 28-23-2-2, 60 PTS
4. South Carolina Stingrays: 25-24-5-0, 55 PTS
5. Atlanta Gladiators: 23-21-7-1, 54 PTS
6. Norfolk Admirals: 23-26-4-3, 53 PTS
7. Greenville Swamp Rabbits: 18-33-3-2, 41 PTS  

‘BLADES LEADERSG: Joe Cox (27)A: Cox (34)PTS: Cox (61)+/-: Cox (+46)SH: John McCarron (178)GAA: Jeremy Helvig (2.29)SV%: Helvig (.915)

UPCOMING PROMOTIONSBottomless Popcorn Friday (March. 1) – Join the ‘Blades for a Bottomless Popcorn Friday when Florida takes on its in-state rivals, the Orlando Solar Bears. It’s also a Kids Eat Free in Breakaway Sports Pub Friday!

EVERBLADES 2018-19 BROADCAST INFORMATION Catch all the exciting action of Everblades hockey on WJBX News, Talk & More on 101.5 FM, 104.3 FM, 770 AM on the radio waves, or listen for FREE online.

Fans can also watch the games on a subscription basis on ECHL.TV.

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Single-game tickets for all regular season home games start at just $10!

Ticket packages for the 2019 Kelly Cup Playoffs presented by Smile Direct Club and 2019-20 season ticket packages are on sale now! 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 tote bag!

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