WHEELING – Only two teams in the ECHL Kelly Cup playoffs have ever rallied from down 3-0 in a best-of-7 series. Wheeling is looking to be the third Friday night in Game 4 of the Eastern Conference Finals against Florida inside WesBanco Arena.

Cincinnati staged a dramatic comeback against Reading in the 2010 conference final and Idaho stunned Allen in a 2018 opening round matchup for the lone 3-0 rallies.

“We need to try and play at home on Saturday night. Win Friday and play Saturday,” Wheeling first-year head coach Ryan Papaioannou said of his team’s plan. “We were a heck of a lot closer in this game even though the score reflects differently.”

The Everblades prevailed at home inside Estero’s Hertz Arena in Games 1 and 2 by scores of 2-1 and 1-0. They took a 3-0 advantage in the series with a 5-2 victory inside WesBanco Arena on Wednesday before 2,840 fans.

The puck drops at 7:10 p.m. Should Wheeling emerge victorious, Game 5 would also be played in the Friendly City on Saturday, also at 7:10.

“Neither team has scored a power-play goal in the series. Wheeling is 0-for-11 and Florida 0-for-13. On the flip side, both teams are perfect on penalty kills.

The Nailers’ Taylor Gauthier has been called upon to stop 79 shots in three games, including 14 of 16 in the third period on Wednesday. The Everblades posted a 16-3 advantage in shots in the final 20 minutes.

“I thought we were awful,” Papaioannou said of the putrid third period. “They took the game over and we had no answer for it. Off we go, down by three.”

While Florida has been filling up the net with eight goals in the series, Cam Johnson has stood tall between the pipes at the other end of the ice. Johnson has made 70 denials on 73 shots.

Defenseman David Breazeale leads the Nailers with nine shots on goal, with five of those coming in Game 3. Only three Nailers – Matty De St. Phalle, Tiernan Shoudy and Brayden Edwards – have tickled the twine.

The winner of the series will face the Western Conference Finals survivor. Kansas City leads Fort Wayne 3-1 with Game 5 on Sunday in Indiana.