Blades on track with month left
Overall, the month of February did not go as well as the Florida Everblades had hoped, but it ended on a high note in winning their last three games – all against the Johnstown Chiefs at Germain Arena.
The three-game winning streak improved the Blades to 7-8-1 in February. Their focus now shifts to the final month of the regular season and the playoff push.
“It’s nice to see us getting back to playing the way that we can play,” coach Malcolm Cameron said after Florida’s 4-1 victory over the Chiefs Saturday night.
“We are taking the risk out of the hockey game. Kevin (Baker) and some of the veteran guys on this hockey team reiterated to the locker room that we don’t need to risk,” Cameron said. “We score four goals a game, so we don’t need to risk (taking chances to score). We don’t need to go out looking for goals.”
For most of February the Blades (38-16-3) were suffering from injuries and call ups to some of their best goal scorers. Yannick Tifu was recalled from the AHL for a week, but then was recalled, and Ryan Lang was placed on the 30-day injured reserve.
Tifu has been on call-up to the AHL for much of the season, but it was Lang’s loss early in February which seemed to cost the Blades’ offensive mindset the most.
After the loss of Lang, Cameron said at times that he felt his team was “pressing too hard” to score goals, which allowed for defensive breakdowns. Those breakdowns led to teams getting quality scoring chances and untimely penalties giving opponents power play chances.
Fortunately for the Blades, they got some offensive help midway through the month in the form of Milan Gajic, who they acquired in a trade.
Since his arrival, Gajic has been nothing short of spectacular, changing the flow of the game every time he hits the ice.
In Florida’s three games against the Chiefs, Gajic tallied two goals and six assists. He has enjoyed his brief time with the Blades.
“It’s nothing short of fantastic,” he said. “Ever since I’ve turned pro I knew this was a top-notch organization. From the players that (Florida) brings in to the facility it’s obvious that they want to win. You have to enjoy playing for an organization like this. I’m very happy to be here.”
Cameron is happy to have him as well.
“He is just starting to find his game, so I’m really looking forward to see what he’s got when he is on his game,” he said.
Florida is off until Friday when they host the Mississippi Seawolves.