ESTERO, Fla. — The Florida Everblades (35-11-5-0, 75 pts.) close out a six-game homestand and a two-game set against the Manchester Monarchs (26-23-1-1, 54 pts.) with their final regular season contest against a foe from outside the South Division.
VITALS:Game 52: Everblades vs. ManchesterWhen: 7 p.m. ETWhere: Hertz ArenaTickets: TicketmasterWatch: ECHL.tvListen: WJBX - News, Talk & MoreSocial: Twitter | #MANvsFLAGame notes: Click here
Last Time OutThe ‘Blades scored twice on the power play and killed off all six of Manchester’s power plays in a 6-3 win over the Monarchs on Friday. Six different players found the back of the net for the Everblades, and Joe Cox (1g-2a), Derek Sheppard (1g-2a) and Kyle Platzer (3a) all registered three-point games to lead the offense. John McCarron and Blake Winiecki also had multi-point games, and Jeremy Helvig made 25 saves to earn his 17th win of the season. BOX SCORE | RECAP
Players to WatchJoe Cox (FLA) – Cox is second in the ECHL in scoring with 55 points (23g-32a) and notched his 14th multi-point game of the season on Friday. Florida improved to 18-0-0-0 when Cox scores a goal after he tabbed his 23rd of the season in Friday's victory. Since Mathieu Roy won the ECHL scoring title in 2012-13, the highest an Everblades player has finished in overall scoring was Brant Harris' fourth-place finish in 2016-17.
Tony Cameranesi (MAN) - The third-year pro led Manchester on Friday with his two-point night (1g-1a), his 10th multi-point game of the season. The University of Minnesota-Duluth product is third on Manchester in scoring with 32 points (15g-17a), a point total that is a new career high for the Plymouth, Minnesota, native.
Series historySaturday is the seventh all-time meeting between the two teams. Florida is 5-1-0 against Manchester and 4-0-0 at Hertz Arena. The ‘Blades swept the only previous series in Estero in January 2017 with 5-4 (SO), 3-1, and 3-2 wins on Jan. 4 and Jan. 6-7, respectively. Outside of this weekend's series, all the previous matchups between Florida and Manchester came in the 2016-17 season. Florida is 30-21-3 all-time against current North Division teams.
Career-High ClubCox, Logan Roe and Patrick McCarron all surpassed their career-highs for points on Friday night. With his three-point night, Cox moved ahead of his rookie point total of 54 points (22g-32a) from last season. Roe now has 24 points (3g-21a) and finished with 23 points last season, while Patrick McCarron now has 20 points (2g-18a) after posting 19 points a season ago. All three players reached their new career-highs in fewer games, with Cox needing 19 fewer games to hit his new career-high. No Place Like HomeFlorida is tied for first in the ECHL with 19 home wins, and its offensive prowess at Hertz Arena has been a big reason for its success. The Everblades have averaged 4.24 goals per game on home ice this season, scoring four or more goals in 17 of their 25 home games. When they've reached at least four goals at Hertz Arena, the Everblades are 16-0-1.
Moving On UpFlorida's home power play started the week ranked 23rd in the ECHL with a 13.9 percent conversion rate but has jumped to 16th with the 4-for-10 performance through two games this week. That strong start to the weekend has increased the home power-play success rate to 16.0 percent. The power play has been a key contributor to the 'Blades home success when it has clicked. The Everblades are now 11-0-0-0 when they score on the power play at home.
Second EffortFlorida has outscored opponents by 40 goals in the middle frame, a second-period goal differential that is the best in the league. The Everblades have been outscored in the second period in just 10 games this season and have posted two or more goals in the second period 21 times, including 15 times in 25 home games. The Utah Grizzlies are the next best team in period two with a +19 goal differential.
Next Up Florida begins a four-game stretch on the road with a Wednesday night matchup in Jacksonville against the Icemen. The game gets underway at 7 p.m.
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