Blades breathing easier for round 2
It only took five games for the Florida Everblades to eliminate the Gwinnett Gladiators in the first round of the ECHL playoffs, but it was by no means easy.
Three of the Blades’ four wins were by one goal, and their 4-2 victory in Game 4 was 3-2 until a late empty-netter sealed the win.
The Blades’ final victory Sunday afternoon would have gone into overtime had Yannick Tifu not scored the tie-breaking goal with less than 30 seconds to play in regulation.
“We know we can make that big goal when we need it,” said Tifu. “It’s what we had to do that whole series.”
Regardless of the level of difficulty, all that matters is the Blades completed the task, and did so soon enough to earn a breather before starting the second round series.
“Obviously, we wanted to try and close it out as quick as we could,” said veteran defenseman Doug O’Brien. “It’s definitely better for us to get a rest. You don’t want to go through seven games and then have to play, say, a day or two after that … because then you’re exhausted mentally as well as physically. So, to have a couple of days off is good to let the body refresh and the mind as well.”
Team captain Kevin Baker shared the sentiments of his teammates. “It’s huge in any series. By playing those extra games you increase the chance of injury and you wear yourself down for the next series.”
With round one in the books, the Blades are getting ready for the division finals against the South Carolina Stingrays.
The Stingrays closed out the Charlotte Checkers in five games in the first round, just as the Blades did.
That gave both teams an extra five days to prepare. The Blades won the regular-season series with the Stingrays 6-5-1.
Games 1 and 2 of the division finals series at Germain Arena are Friday and Saturday nights.