PREVIEW: 'Blades return to home ice, host Swamp Rabbits

ESTERO, Fla. — Playing on home ice for the first time in 17 days, the Florida Everblades (25-11-2-2, 54 pts.)  return to South Division play with a Friday night matchup against the Greenville Swamp Rabbits (22-19-1-1, 46 pts.) at Hertz Arena. 

VITALS:Game 41: Everblades vs. Greenville Swamp RabbitsWhen: 7:30 p.m. ETWhere: Hertz ArenaTickets: TicketmasterWatch: ECHL TVListen: WJBX (101.5 FM, 104.3 FM, 770 AM)Social: Twitter | Instagram

Last time outFlorida struck three times in the opening period, and Ken Appleby turned away 20 of the 21 shots he faced to lead the Everblades into the All-Star break with a 4-1 win over the Kalamazoo Wings last Saturday at the Wings Event Center. After putting up three goals in the first period of Wednesday's meeting against Kalamazoo, the 'Blades matched their best road start with another three-goal first frame en route to their third straight win. Levko Koper (1g, 1a) led the Everblades offensive attack with his fifth multi-point game of the season. RECAP

Series At A GlanceFriday is the third of Florida’s six home matchups against the Swamp Rabbits this season and the sixth of 11 total meetings. The 'Blades hold an all-time record of 56-33-15 against Greenville. Although Greenville has two regulation wins against Florida this season, including a 5-3 win on Dec. 20 to snap Florida's 16-game winning streak in the series, the 'Blades still have points in 20 of the last 22 matchups (18-2-2) with the Swamp Rabbits. Since the midway point of the 2013-14 season, Florida has dominated Greenville in Estero, posting a 25-2-2 record in its last 29 home games against Greenville.  

Players to WatchLogan Roe (FLA) - Roe was named on Wednesday the Most Valuable Player of the 2020 Warrior/ECHL All-Star Classic, which was held in Wichita, Kansas. A fifth-year pro, Roe led all players with seven points (2g, 5a) at the event and also participated in the Hardest Shot contest in the Skills Competition. Roe, a native of Fort Myers, Florida, is the franchise's all-time leader in points among defensemen with 122 career points (26g, 96a) with the Everblades. He established a new career-high for points in a season with an assist on Saturday in Kalamazoo and now has 33 points (10g, 23a) this year. 

Nathan Perkovich (GVL) - The former Everblades forward leads the Swamp Rabbits with seven points (4g, 3a) in head-to-head meetings with Florida this season. After going scoreless in the first matchup against the 'Blades on Nov. 17, Perkovich has registered a goal in each of the last four games against Florida. He has two multi-point games against the 'Blades and seven total multi-point outings this year. Perkovich is third on Greenville in goals (12) and fourth in scoring (29 pts.). 

Power SurgeAfter tabbing just seven power-play markers in the first 26 games of the season, Florida has now notched 10 power-play goals in its last 14 games. Florida began that stretch with a power-play conversion rate of 7.4% on Dec. 18. Entering Friday, the Everblades power play is now converting at 13.1% and has gone 10-for-35 (28.6%) in the last 14 games. 

Key Performance IndicatorWhen the 'Blades score at least once on the man advantage they have posted an overall record of 12-3-0-1, including an 8-1-0-1 mark on the road. Success on the power play has been a key performance indicator for the 'Blades over the last two seasons. Florida has compiled a mark of 29-6-2-2 (.795) when it scores on the man advantage in that stretch. 

First & ForemostThis past Saturday's tilt against Kalamazoo was the second time in three games that Florida scored more than two goals in the opening period. However, it was just the fifth total time this season that the Everblades have notched three or more goals in the opening frame. Before last week, the ‘Blades last scored more than two goals in the first period of a road game in their season opener on Oct. 11 against the Norfolk Admirals. Florida has scored more than twice in the first frame in two home games — Dec. 28 vs. Jacksonville (6-1 W) and Dec. 21 vs. Greenville (5-2 W). Florida is 12-3-0-1 when leading after the first period. 

Next UpFlorida finishes the weekend with a Saturday night matchup against the Jacksonville Icemen. Faceoff is slated for 7 p.m. at Hertz Arena. 

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