Blades in game-by-game mode
It’s been a long three-plus weeks for the Florida Everblades.
In that time, they are 3-6-1 in their last 10 games (28-4-3 overall), a stretch that landed them back in third place in the South Division standings, two points behind the second-place South Carolina Stingrays (29-20-3) and three behind division-leading Greenville (30-19-2).
This as they prepare for this weekend’s two-game series against the fourth-place Gwinnett Gladiators (22-22-7) at Germain Arena.
“It’s been a tough stretch,” said Everblades coach Greg Poss. “We have been hit by injuries and call-ups and the guys we have, haven’t been taking advantage of those opportunities.”
In the last week alone, three key players were recalled to the AHL – rookie forward Mike McKenzie and D-man Ethan Graham went up on Feb. 13, followed by Kyle Lawson Wednesday. Combined with injuries to Mitch Fadden and Alexandre Imbeault, the timing couldn’t be worse.
Late February traditionally is the time when ECHL teams begin making their run to the playoffs, which start in the second week of April. The call-ups and injuries also is reflected in the team’s won/loss record and continuity. The likelihood of making the playoffs could be in serious doubt should the Blades lose both home games Friday and Saturday nights.
“Right now, we aren’t thinking about the playoffs,” says Poss. “Right now, we only are worried about the next game, then the game after that. We can’t look into the future right now. Now it’s all about taking it one game at a time.”
Should the Blades miss the playoffs, it would be the first time in the 13-year history of the franchise, but Poss isn’t sitting idle. He and president/GM Craig Brush want to keep that streak going.
In a roster move Wednesday, the Blades dealt defensemen Phil Paquette to Bakersfield for another D-man, Jean Francois David.
“We felt Paquette could be better used by Bakersfield and getting David was a move we wanted to help us to make the playoffs and beyond,” said Poss.
Paquette had been with the Everblades for three years. In his first two years, Paquette lived up to his billing, playing well on special teams and doing a good job of staying back on defense and keeping the puck from crossing the blue line on offense. His productivity had declined this year, though, making him expendable in the eyes of Brush and Poss.