PREVIEW: Florida finishes stretch of three straight against Atlanta

ESTERO, Fla. — The Florida Everblades (34-12-3-2, 73 pts.) finish off their home season series with the Atlanta Gladiators (21-26-1-1, 44 pts.) on Saturday night with the third and final meeting between the two teams at Hertz Arena this year.

VITALS:Game 52: Everblades vs. Atlanta GladiatorsWhen: 7 p.m. ETWhere: Hertz ArenaTickets: TicketmasterWatch: ECHL TVListen: WJBX (101.5 FM, 104.3 FM, 770 AM)Social: Twitter | InstagramPromotion: Pink in the Rink

Last time outDefenseman Cody Sol netted two goals for the third time in his career, and four other Everblades skaters notched multiple points in a 5-3 win over the Gladiators on Friday at Hertz Arena. Although Atlanta scored first, Florida potted three straight goals in a 12-minute window to take control of the game by the 3:07 mark of the second period. Cam Johnson came up with a 34-save performance to extend his personal win streak to six games. RECAP

Series At A GlanceThe Everblades own a 3-1-0 mark against the Gladiators through the first four matchups of this year's series. The 'Blades have only six regular season games against the Gladiators this season, the fewest head-to-head meetings since the two teams met just six times in the 2007-08 campaign. Florida owns a convincing 103-54-15 all-time record against the Gladiators and has been even more dominant since Brad Ralph took over as head coach in the 2016-17 season. The Everblades are an overwhelming 33-4-0-1 against Atlanta over the last four seasons. Florida is 14-2-1-0 against Atlanta at Hertz Arena in Ralph's tenure. 

Players to WatchHunter Garlent (FLA) - Entering Saturday, the rookie forward has points in three straight games and has tabbed a goal and four assists over his last three tilts. Garlent's three-game point streak is tied for his longest of the season, while his five points in the streak are the most he's had in any three-game stretch this season. The Thorold, Ontario, native's goal on Friday pushed him over the 10-goal plateau for the year, and he now has six multi-point outings this season. 

Logan Nelson (ATL) -  Nelson, a sixth-year pro, is in his first season with Atlanta and has been a key offensive addition. Selected in the 2012 NHL Draft (Rd. 5, #133 overall) by the Buffalo Sabres, Nelson notched three assists in Friday's game, the most assists by an opposing player in a game against the Everblades this season. He is tied for second among Gladiators players in assists (23) and is fourth on the team in scoring with 33 points. 

Right on, JohnnyJohnson's personal winning streak is tied for the longest winning streak by a 'Blades goaltender this season. After missing nearly two months due to injury, the second-year pro has now won all five of his starts since returning to the lineup on Jan. 25. Ken Appleby, who is projected to start on Saturday, had the other six-game personal winning streak, as he earned victories in six straight games from Jan. 15-Feb. 1. 

Doubling DownWith Sol's two-goal outing on Friday, Florida has now had six multi-goal games over its last 10 home contests. That's a sharp contrast from the first 15 games of this year's home schedule, which saw just one 'Blades skater register two goals in a game. Zach Magwood notched the first home multi-goal game for Florida this season with two tallies in a 5-3 win over Kansas City on Dec. 13, which was Florida's 11th home game of the season. The drought without a home multi-goal effort spanned 12 home games, dating back to March 30, 2019.

On the OffensiveFlorida's offense has turned it on during the current seven-game home point streak. The 'Blades have racked up 28 goals over their last seven home games since Jan. 24 and have posted five or more goals four times in that stretch. Prior to the home point streak, Florida had scored five or more goals in a home game six times through its first 18 home tilts. Florida has climbed to fifth in the league in scoring offense, averaging 3.61 goals per game. 

Next UpFlorida hosts the Orlando Solar Bears on Wednesday at 7:30 p.m. ET to start a four-game week. 

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