The Toledo Walleye have moved on to the Central Division Final to play the Wheeling Nailers, which should be a fun series. The series starts on Friday, May 3, and Saturday, May 4, as both games will be played at the Huntington Center in downtown Toledo. The Walleye come into round two as one of the best teams in the league, but there are some glaring differences between this season’s team and last season’s.
Walleye Ebbs and Flows
Toledo had an elite offense and has shown their creative side this season. The offense has clicked from game one and has had every player in the lineup contributing, regardless of how long they were here. One difference between last season and this season has been a slight improvement in the power play numbers, going from 24.5% to 25.2%. One of the bigger jumps from the offense has been goals scored, scoring 289 goals this season compared to 252 last season, an increase of 37 goals. This is due to the well-balanced roster Toledo put on the ice every game, with every line capable of doing damage. The offense was led by Brandon Hawkins, who saw an 18-point increase from last season, going from 81 points to 98. The secondary scoring dipped from last season, as 22 players scored 10+ points last season compared to 19 this season.
The defense had the biggest overall difference from last season to this season. Numbers seemed to indicate it was an off year for the defense and goaltending, with numbers across the board on the downside. The goals-against-average was 2.47 last season but rose to 2.78 this season, while the save percentage dipped from .906 last season to .896 this season. Goals against during the season was also up, giving up 179 goals last season but 209 this season, an increase of 30 more goals scored against Toledo. The poor play from the back end and goaltending also affected the penalty kill as the kill slipped from 84.8% to 81.3%.
The Walleye suffered a setback from the defense and goaltending, but it was a successful year for Toledo. Last season, the Walleye had 45 wins and 98 points but surpassed those totals with 48 wins and 105 points this season. Toledo played well throughout the season and did not suffer a stretch where they played horribly. Toledo did struggle at times but always came out of it before the results turned bad. While some numbers dipped, Toledo proved that they can still be an elite team in the ECHL even when the team is not the best overall team in the league statistically.
Head Coach Pat Mikesch and the rest of the coaching staff have the same motivation and dedication as the coaching staff from last season, which explains the success of the Walleye. Regardless of the head coach behind the bench, Toledo has a long history of success when it comes to playoff appearances. Another successful season this season, and Toledo is right back where they belong, in the playoffs. Now it is time to finish the playoff season strong.
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