ECHL Wheeling Nailers

Nailers vs. Walleye Game Day Snap Shot

Published on April 2, 2014 under ECHL (ECHL)
Wheeling Nailers News Release


WHEELING NAILERS

(36-25-1-5, 78 PTS, 2nd Atlantic, 7th East)

200 GF, 186 GA

PP: 15.8% (36-for-228), 12th

PK: 84.1% (228-for-271), 14th

15-F-Zack Torquato (14 goals, 38 assists, 52 points in 44 games)

21-F-Sahir Gill (11 goals, 37 assists, 48 points in 62 games)

16-F-Cody Sylvester (24 goals, 18 assists, 42 points in 48 games)

2-D-Mike Ratchuk (15 goals, 26 assists, 41 points in 64 games)

7-F-Max MacKay (16 goals, 22 assists, 38 points in 55 games)

98-F-Chaz Johnson (13 goals, 19 assists, 32 points in 59 games)

1-G-Mike Condon (20-12-4 record, 2.33 GAA, .925 Sv% in 36 games)

TOLEDO WALLEYE

(21-40-3-2, 47 PTS, 5th North, 13th East)

185 GF, 248 GA

PP: 17.9% (47-for-262), 4th

PK: 84.8% (201-for-237), 9th

12-F-Travis Novak (11 goals, 21 assists, 32 points in 46 games)

17-F-Kyle Rogers (13 goals, 17 assists, 30 points in 58 games)

29-F-Maxim Shalunov (14 goals, 14 assists, 28 points in 37 games)

19-F-Ryan Flanigan (6 goals, 14 assists, 20 points in 45 games)

24-D-Richard Nedomlel (8 goals, 10 assists, 18 points in 54 games)

9-F-Kyle Bodie (6 goals, 10 assists, 16 points in 51 games)

30-G-Hannu Toivonen (12-14-0 record, 3.44 GAA, .903 Sv% in 27 games)

Head-to-Head

Season Series: Nailers 6, Walleye 3

Season Series at WesBanco Arena: Nailers 4, Walleye 1

All-Time Series: Nailers 23, Walleye 19

All-Time Series at WesBanco Arena: Nailers 16, Walleye 8

200 Goals and Counting

The Wheeling Nailers continued their offensive roll on Tuesday night, as they defeated the Toledo Walleye 4-0 for their fifth straight home victory and eighth win in their last nine games overall. The Nailers' four-goal performance gives them 23 goals in their last five games, with Tuesday's final goal marking the 200th tally of the season. After a scoreless first period, Max MacKay, Shane Bakker, and Christiaan Minella built a 3-0 lead in a span of 5:40 during the middle frame, before Tyler Fernandez iced the triumph late in the third. This season is the 17th time in Wheeling's 22-year history that it has lit the lamp 200 times in one campaign.

Condon Was Clutch, Too

While the offense was doing its thing, the Nailers also received a stellar performance from their defense and goaltending. Mike Condon was making just his second start in 17 days, and the extra rest appeared to serve him well, as he denied all 34 shots he faced, earning his fourth shutout and 20th victory of the season. Thanks to those numbers, Condon became the 11th goaltender in team history to win 20 games in a season, as well as the seventh backstop to blank the opposition on four occasions in one campaign. Wednesday night's starting netminder currently leads the ECHL with a .925 save percentage, while ranking sixth with a 2.33 goals against average.

A Killer of a PK

During Tuesday night's game, the Nailers matched a season-high, as they put the opposition on the man advantage seven times. Despite having the fourth best power play in the ECHL, Toledo was held off of the scoresheet, as Wheeling eclipsed 84% on the season, entering Wednesday with 228 successful kills in 271 opportunities. Although they did not record a shorthanded goal on Tuesday, the Nailers rank second in the ECHL with 12, while the Walleye have allowed 15 - the highest total in the league. In a weird twist, Wheeling's power play has been scoreless in eight of its last nine wins.

Second Period Success

In the first three games of its six-game homestand, Wheeling has yet to score a goal during the first period, as the opposition has tallied twice, while holding a 31-24 advantage in shots. However, the second periods have been a completely different story, as the Nailers have exploded, outscoring Toledo and Elmira 8-0, while racking up 51-32 lead in shots. The latter game success has been the pattern for Wheeling this season, as it has a -11 rating in the first period, a +11 rating in the second, and a +12 rating in the third.

This One Makes Ten

Wednesday night marks the tenth and final head-to-head meeting between the Nailers and Walleye this season, as well as the sixth battle between the two clubs at WesBanco Arena. After falling behind 3-1 in the season series, Wheeling has stormed back with five consecutive victories, grabbing a 6-3 advantage. During the five wins, the Nailers have outscored Toledo, 23-7, while four of the nine tilts played between the squads (two per team) have featured shutouts for the home team. Wheeling leads the all-time series 23-19, which includes 16 wins in 24 games on home ice.

Check out the Wheeling Nailers Statistics

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