PREVIEW: Florida meets Orlando to open four-game week

ESTERO, Fla. — The Florida Everblades (35-12-3-2, 75 pts.) start up their fourth and final stretch of four games in five days this season with a Wednesday night home tilt against the Orlando Solar Bears (24-21-5-1, 54 pts.) at Hertz Arena. 

VITALS:Game 53: Everblades vs. Orlando Solar BearsWhen: 7:30 p.m. ETWhere: Hertz ArenaTickets: TicketmasterWatch: ECHL TVListen: WJBX (101.5 FM, 104.3 FM, 770 AM)Social: Twitter | InstagramPromotion: Hump Day Deals

Last time outKen Appleby made a season-high 35 saves, and four different players recorded multiple points to lead the Everblades to a two-game sweep of the Atlanta Gladiators with a 5-2 win on Saturday at Hertz Arena. Though Florida took a 2-0 lead in the game, the Gladiators scored two power-play goals only 17 seconds apart to even the score in the second period. However, Lukas Craggs scored the first of his two goals in the game only 65 seconds after Atlanta tied it to put Florida ahead for good. RECAP

Series At A GlanceOrlando is Florida's most frequent opponent this season, and Wednesday is the ninth of the 14 matchups between the two sides this year. Unlike last season, when both teams posted identical 6-3-2-1 records in the season series, Florida has held a strong edge through the first eight tilts this year, with a 6-1-1 record against the Solar Bears. The 'Blades are 67-25-8 in the 100 all-time matchups against Orlando. Four of this year's matchups have been decided by one goal, continuing a trend that saw the teams play in 10 combined one-goal games between the regular season and postseason a year ago. 

Players to WatchLukas Craggs (FLA) - Since returning to the Everblades on Feb. 7, Craggs has been a consistent offensive supplier. The rookie forward has points in three straight games (2g, 2a) and has recorded a point in all but one of the six games he has played in after being re-assigned from the AHL's Milwaukee Admirals two weeks ago. The Elmhurst, Illinois, native is coming off his first pro multi-goal game on Saturday.  

Johno May (ORL) -  Acquired in a trade with the Greenville Swamp Rabbits on Dec. 13, May has become a key figure in Orlando's offense since joining the team. After posting only six points (4g, 2a) in 14 games with Greenville to start the year, May has averaged nearly a point per game with the Solar Bears, registering 10 goals and 15 assists in 27 contests. Entering Wednesday, he has six points (1g, 5a) in his last three games. 

Hot FlashesForwards Blake Winiecki and Hunter Garlent carry point streaks of six and four games, respectively, into Wednesday's game. Winiecki's streak is tied for his season-high and is just one game shy of his career-high. Garlent's four-game streak is a career-long. He has notched at least one assist in all four games and has three multi-point outings in the streak.

Offensive OverloadFlorida's offense has turned it on during the current eight-game home point streak. The 'Blades have racked up 33 goals over their last eight home games since Jan. 24 and have posted five or more goals five 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 3.63 goals per game. 

On the OffensiveSaturday was the second time this season that Florida has notched multiple power-play goals in the same game. Florida also posted two power-play strikes on Jan. 16 in a 4-2 win against the Indy Fuel. The 'Blades have registered a power-play tally in four of their last six games, converting on 27.8% of their chances on the man advantage in that stretch. 

Next UpFlorida continues its four-game week with a Friday night matchup against the Jacksonville Icemen, the first of the Everblades' two games against Jacksonville this week. 

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2020 KELLY CUP PLAYOFF PACKAGESPackages for the 2020 Kelly Cup Playoffs are now on sale. For more information on Everblades Playoff Packages, click HERE.

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