The Florida Everblades are in fifth place in the South Division going into the new year. This is unfamiliar territory for the Everblades, as they held first place at this point in 2022 and second place in 2021. For the team and their fans, can the Everblades fight their way into a playoff position and compete for their third consecutive Kelly Cup?
Head coach Brad Ralph has several positive things to look forward to in the new year. His team’s defensive performance has been a high point for the season, especially the play of his two goaltenders. The focus on staying out of the penalty box has resulted in fewer shorthanded chances for the opposition, while the penalty kill has effectively kept the puck out of the net. Coach Ralph, however, must be concerned about his team’s lack of offensive production and the number of new faces in the locker room that has impacted his team’s chemistry.
Cam Johnson and newcomer Evan Cormier have shared the goaltending duties this season, with Johnson playing in 19 games and Cormier in 10. Johnson has posted a .904 save percentage, while Cormier has a .920 for a combined .917 save percentage. Johnson has seen his playing time increase over the past three seasons as he’s solidified himself as the primary goaltender. Johnson split time with three other goalies in the first half of the 2021-22 season, posting five wins, six losses, and a .910 save percentage. He had a .922 save percentage for eleven wins and ten losses in the first half of the 2022-23 season. The play of the Everblades netminders has resulted in only 77 goals scored this season, comparable to the 76 and 70 goals against for seasons 2022-23 and 2021-22, respectively.
The Everblades have killed 81 percent of the penalties, but the more impressive stat is that they have only been shorthanded 105 times. The Everblades had a massive 150 penalty kill opportunities in 2021-22 and 145 times in 2022-23. Since teams are likelier to score with the man advantage, the fewer times the Everblades spend shorthanded, the fewer goals scored against them.
Offensive production, however, has been a sore spot for Coach Ralph. The Everblades have only scored 82 goals this season, a ten-goal reduction from the previous two seasons. Part of the scoring problem is the power play. The Everblades scored 15.4 percent of the time on the power play, but they have yet to be more successful in drawing penalties. The Everblades have skated 105 times with the man advantage, significantly less than the 152 times in 2022-23 and 154 times in 2021-22.
Player turnover has been a challenge to team chemistry for the Everblades, having returned only nine players from their Cup-winning season in 2022-23 and only four from their Cup-winning season in 2021-22. Forwards Bobo Carpenter (2 rings), Oliver Chau (1), Sean Josling (1), Cam Morrison (1), Kyle Neuber (2), and Joe Pendenza (2); defenseman Cole Moberg (1) and Nathan Staios (1); and goalie Cam Johnson make up the team’s core. Coach Ralph does have four of his core players as leading scorers: Pendenza (18), Chau (18), Josling (18), and Carpenter (17), but he needs more production from his newcomers. The Everblades have 30 players with at least one point, but they only have nine players in double-digits, down from twelve last season.
Coach Ralph identified three things the team needed to do to win their last home game; these can also apply to the rest of the season: be motivated; don’t worry about the system or strategy, play with energy; and play from the heart. The Everblades are in a challenging spot, and with 23 games remaining against teams in front of them in the standings, every game is crucial. They’re four points out of the last playoff spot, occupied by the Orlando Solar Bears, and thirteen out of first place. The Everblades must win 25 of their last 45 games for 50 points, giving them a season total of 80 points and making them very competitive for that final playoff spot. They can do this through the continued solid play by their two netminders, stifling defensive play that reduces scoring chances, and increased scoring in five-on-five and man-advantage play. The first test for the Everblades in 2024 is Wednesday night against the Atlanta Gladiators in Atlanta, Ga.
