Nailers at Walleye Game Day Snap Shot

WHEELING NAILERS(2-3-1-0, 5 PTS, T-5th North, T-10th East)18 GF, 18 GAPP: 21.7% (5-for-23), 6thPK: 76.0% (19-for-25), 26th

25-F-Josh Shalla (5 goals, 3 assists, 8 points in 6 games)11-F-Cody Wydo (1 goal, 4 assists, 5 points in 6 games)16-F-Derek Army (2 goals, 2 assists, 4 points in 6 games)26-D-Kevin Schulze (1 goal, 3 assists, 4 points in 6 games)8-F-Nick Sorkin (1 goal, 3 assists, 4 points in 6 games)23-F-Garrett Meurs (3 goals, 3 points in 6 games)31-G-Doug Carr (2-3-1 record, 2.94 GAA, .907 Sv% in 6 games)

TOLEDO WALLEYE(7-1-0-0, 14 PTS, 2nd Central, 2nd West)38 GF, 22 GAPP: 14.3% (5-for-35), 19thPK: 84.8% (28-for-33), 15th

12-F-Tyson Spink (4 goals, 7 assists, 11 points in 8 games)24-F-Tylor Spink (4 goals, 6 assists, 10 points in 8 games)27-F-AJ Jenks (4 goals, 5 assists, 9 points in 8 games)16-F-Tyler Sikura (4 goals, 5 assists, 9 points in 8 games)11-D-Nolan Zajac (2 goals, 6 assists, 8 points in 8 games)4-D-Jacob MacDonald (3 goals, 3 assists, 6 points in 8 games)35-G-Jake Paterson (3-1-0 record, 2.50 GAA, .922 Sv% in 4 games)

Head to HeadSeason Series: Walleye 1, Nailers 02015-16 Season Series at Huntington Center: Walleye 4, Nailers 0All-Time Series: Walleye 31, Nailers 27All-Time Series at Huntington Center: Walleye 18, Nailers 7

All We Need is a Second ChanceThe Wheeling Nailers will look to rebound from a frustrating defeat, when they clash with the Toledo Walleye for the second time in as many nights. On Friday night, the first period featured lots of scoring chances, as both teams accumulated 14 shots on goal. Two of the best chances went to Wheeling, as Josh Shalla got a shot off from the left circle, and Garrett Meurs had a partial breakaway. However, Toledo goaltender Cal Heeter stopped each attempt. The Nailers finally solved Heeter at the 1:55 mark of the second period. Cody Wydo skated in on the right side of a 2-on-1 rush, kept the puck to himself, and fired a shot through the netminder's legs. Unfortunately, that was the lone celebration for the home team, as Wheeling fell, 6-1.

They Matched Their ReputationThe Toledo Walleye entered Friday night's game with the highest goals per game average in the ECHL, and they built on that, eclipsing the five-goal mark for the fifth time in seven victories this season. After falling behind in the early stages of the second period, Tylor Spink evened the score for the Walleye, which got the visitors rolling on the offensive end. Toledo's second goal came on the power play, when AJ Jenks tipped in Jacob MacDonald's initial shot. 19 seconds later, Nolan Zajac captured the third goal, finishing off a feed in the right circle. The Walleye tacked on two more goals in the latter stages of period two, with Spink tallying his second of the night, and Erik Bradford lighting the lamp for the first time in a Toledo uniform. MacDonald added one more marker in the third period in support of Cal Heeter, who earned his fourth straight win, making 30 saves on 31 shots.

Four Nailbiters, Two NotThe first six games of the season for the Nailers have either come right down to the wire, or have been decided well before the final buzzer, with nothing in between. Each of the first four contests were decided by a goal, with Wheeling posting a 1-2-1 record. Two of those tilts went beyond regulation, as the Nailers fell in overtime to Brampton in the season opener, but came away with a shootout triumph over Kalamazoo in game number four. A 4-3 setback against Reading and a 2-1 defeat to Cincinnati both saw winning goals scored during the final ten minutes of regulation. The team's last two games have been the complete opposite. Last Friday night, the Nailers trounced the Wings, 8-1 at WesBanco Arena, trading the first two goals, before a string of seven straight by Wheeling. Then, on Friday, the Nailers opened the scoring, but saw the Walleye rally for six consecutive strikes to win by five. In the first six games, there has yet to be an empty net goal, or a tally with an extra attacker.

A Rare Trip HomeFor the second consecutive season, the Walleye have played the majority of their start away from Huntington Center. In fact, Saturday night will be just Toledo's second home game in the first four weeks of the regular season. In their lone previous home tilt, the Walleye and Brampton Beast put on an offensive show, which required extra time to determine a winner. Toledo had defeated Brampton 6-5 in a shootout the night before in Canada. The Walleye grabbed a 4-2 lead over the Beast in the second period, but three straight goals for the visitors forced Toledo to tie the game late in the third period. During the first minute of overtime, the Walleye prevailed, as Tyson Spink netted the game winner. The following week in Norfolk, Tylor Spink scored scored in the opening minute of overtime, as the Walleye secured their fourth of six consecutive wins on enemy ice. Toledo has won at least 20 road games during each of the last two seasons, which have both resulted in first place finishes in the conference. After Saturday, Toledo will play three more road contests, before starting a seven-game homestand. In December, the Walleye will have a six-game road trip to Alaska and Utah.

Looking for a Fresh Start in T-TownSaturday night marks the second of ten head-to-head meetings between the Nailers and Walleye this season, as well as the first of five battles at Huntington Center. Over the course of the last two seasons, Toledo has not been a friendly place for Wheeling to visit, as the Nailers went 0-2-2 there during the 2015-16 campaign and 0-3-0 in the 2014-15 regular season. Wheeling did post two victories in Northwest Ohio during the 2015 Kelly Cup Playoffs, in a series which was won in seven games by the Walleye. The Nailers are looking to split the weekend home-and-home series against their former division rival, while knotting the season set at one win each. On Friday night, Toledo skated away with a 6-1 triumph, as it captured the opening game of the season series for the fourth year in a row. In addition to snapping its overall skid on the road against the Walleye, Wheeling will be looking to win its first visit of a season to Huntington Center since 2010-11, when Patrick Killeen blanked the Walleye in their home opener. Oddly enough, that night was also the back end of a home-and-home series which saw Toledo win at WesBanco Arena the night before.