PREVIEW: 'Blades close weekend with Sunday tilt against Swamp Rabbits

GREENVILLE, S.C. — Riding a three-game winning streak, the Florida Everblades (10-4-0-0, 20 pts.) battle the Greenville Swamp Rabbits (8-6-0-1, 17 pts.) on Sunday afternoon to close out their first four-game week of the season. 

VITALS:Game 15: Everblades at GreenvilleWhen: 3:05 p.m. ETWhere: Bon Secours Wellness ArenaWatch: ECHL TVListen: WJBX (101.5 FM, 104.3 FM, 770 AM)Social: Twitter | Instagram

Last time outAlex Tonge netted two goals and Ken Appleby made 25 saves to lead the Everblades to a 4-1 win over the Atlanta Gladiators on Saturday at Infinite Energy Arena in the first meeting of the season between the two teams. Former Gladiator Hugo Roy started the scoring for Florida less than three minutes into the first period, and Tonge potted his first goal of the season in the last five minutes of the first to stake the 'Blades out to a 2-0 lead after one frame. Florida's special teams excelled in the game. The Everblades scored their first power-play goal in 20 chances in the second period, and John McCarron had a shorthanded goal, the 'Blades third of the season, to seal the win in the third. RECAP | BOX SCORE

Series At A GlanceSunday is the first of 11 matchups between Florida and Greenville this season and the first of five tilts at Bon Secours Wellness Arena. Last season, the 'Blades finished with a perfect 10-0-0-0 record against the Swamp Rabbits, which are now affiliated with the Everblades' former NHL parent club, the Carolina Hurricanes. Sunday will be the 100th all-time meeting between the two teams. The 'Blades have a record of 53-31-15 in the first 99 matchups. 

Players to WatchMichael Huntebrinker (FLA) - After going without a multi-point game through the first 12 games of the season, Huntebrinker has posted consecutive two-point outings for the Everblades. The third-year pro put up two assists in Saturday's win over Atlanta for his first multi-assist game of the season, which followed a two-point night (1g-1a) in a 4-1 win over Orlando on Thursday. He is now just one point shy of 100 in his ECHL career, with 99 points (45g-54a) in 123 career games. 

Patrick Bajkov (GVL) – The former Everblades forward is in his second year as a pro and has been off to a hot start in the 2019-20 campaign. He's averaging a point per contest so far with nine goals and six assists through 15 games. The Nanaimo, British Columbia, native's nine goals are good for second on the team. He tabbed 14 points (4g-10a) in 31 games with the Everblades last season. 

Leading RoleFlorida had scored first only twice in its first 12 games of the season but has now registered the opening goal in consecutive tilts. In fact, the 'Blades scored the first two goals of the game on Saturday in Atlanta. Florida's 2-0 lead after the first period was its first multi-goal lead after the first period since the first game of the season in which it led 3-1 after the first against Norfolk. 

Tilted IceFlorida outshot Atlanta, 32-26, on Saturday night and has now had the edge in shots on goal in seven straight games. The 'Blades haven't been outshot since a loss to Fort Wayne on Nov. 1, when the Komets had a 40-28 edge in shots on goal in a 4-2 win over Florida. When the 'Blades have had the edge in shots on goal they have posted a record of 10-2-0-0. The 'Blades haven't allowed more than 30 shots on goal in that seven-game stretch and have fired 35 or more shots five times in that window. 

Penalty Kill ProwessThe 'Blades faced the ECHL's seventh-best power play on Saturday night in Atlanta and held the Gladiators scoreless on four opportunities. Florida has been in lockdown mode on the penalty kill of late, killing off 22 of the 23 power plays (95.6%) it has faced over the last six games. In terms of league rankings, the 'Blades sit fourth in the ECHL in penalty kill success rate at 86.2% (50-for-58). 

NEXT UPFlorida is back on home ice for one of its biggest series of the season so far, as it hosts the South Carolina Stingrays, which are currently the No. 1 team in the South Division, on Friday and Saturday.   

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The Everblades are the proud ECHL affiliate of the NHL’s Nashville Predators and AHL's Milwaukee Admirals