Nailers vs. Railers Game Day Snap Shot

WHEELING NAILERS(10-4-2-0, 22 PTS, T-1st North, T-2nd East)65 GF, 56 GAPP: 27.2% (22-for-81), 1stPK: 75.6% (62-for-82), 25th

11-F-Cody Wydo (8 goals, 13 assists, 21 points in 15 games)24-F-Reid Gardiner (11 goals, 8 assists, 19 points in 16 games)23-F-Garrett Meurs (10 goals, 9 assists, 19 points in 15 games)8-F-Nick Sorkin (3 goals, 14 assists, 17 points in 16 games)21-F-Cam Brown (2 goals, 15 assists, 17 points in 16 games)25-D-Jeff Taylor (2 goals, 3 assists, 5 points in 8 games)29-G-Adam Morrison (16-17-4 record, 2.79 GAA, .914 Sv% in 38 games last season)

WORCESTER RAILERS(7-7-1-1, 16 PTS, 6th North, 10th East)42 GF, 48 GAPP: 12.9% (8-for-62), 23rdPK: 83.3% (55-for-66), 16th

4-D-Patrick McNally (6 goals, 8 assists, 14 points in 16 games)21-F-Chris Langkow (3 goals, 10 assists, 13 points in 15 games)19-F-Barry Almeida (4 goals, 7 assists, 11 points in 15 games)9-F-Kellen Jones (4 goals, 6 assists, 10 points in 14 games)88-F-Ashton Rome (6 goals, 3 assists, 9 points in 15 games)12-F-Wade Murphy (3 goals, 6 assists, 9 points in 11 games)39-G-Eamon McAdam (4-3-2 record, 2.76 GAA, .915 Sv% in 9 games)

Head to HeadSeason/All-Time Series: Nailers 1, Railers 0Season/All-Time Series at WesBanco Arena: Nailers 1, Railers 0

Tip the Cap to the KidThe Wheeling Nailers poured 17 shots on goal during the third period and 33 overall on Friday afternoon, but Jonas Johansson proved difficult to beat, as he made his ECHL debut in goal for the Cincinnati Cyclones. After a scoreless first period, Derek Army was the lone Wheeling player to solve Johansson, drilling in a pass from Jeff Taylor off of the rush. The lead was short-lived, as the Cyclones pulled even 2:01 later, when Shawn O'Donnell drove to the slot, chipping in the rebound of Chris Leone's shot from the left wall. Cincinnati went ahead 1:34 after that, when Rob De Fulviis slid in a shot from the right circle. The Nailers were unable to find an equalizer, and with 4:26 remaining in the third period, Justin Danforth's power play marker finished off the 3-1 win for the Cyclones. Johansson stopped 32 shots for Cincinnati, while Sean Maguire made 23 saves for Wheeling.

T-Town Isn't WelcomingThe Worcester Railers made their first ever visit to Toledo on Friday night, and quickly found out that Huntington Center is an extremely hard place for opposing teams. The Walleye jumped out to a 2-0 lead on goals by Zach Nastasiuk and Vili Saarijarvi, before Worcester trimmed the margin down to one on a rebound goal by Barry Almeida. Any thoughts of a comeback for the Railers were quickly dashed in the opening minutes of the third period, as Kyle Bonis lit the lamp on the power play 28 seconds in, and Saarijarvi tacked on his second of the night 1:33 later. Matej Machovsky made 33 saves in the win for Toledo, while Mitch Gillam turned away 16 of 20 shots in the loss for Worcester. At 6-0-0, the Walleye are one of two perfect teams in the ECHL at home, with the other being the Reading Royals (7-0-0). Wheeling can end Reading's streak on Sunday.

No Room in the NorthEach of the next four games for the Nailers will be played against North Division opponents, as Wheeling collides with Worcester on Saturday, before taking the ice for three straight tilts against the Reading Royals. So far this season, the North Division has proved to be without a doubt the toughest in the ECHL, as all six teams have a .500 record or better, and there is only a six-point gap separating the clubs at the top and bottom of the group. The Nailers have faced four of their five divisional opponents thus far, collecting wins in their lone outings against Adirondack and Worcester, splitting two games with Brampton, and suffering an overtime defeat at Reading. The Central Division is the only other set with a fifth-place squad over .500, while the gaps from first place to last place are 14 points in the Mountain, 15 points in the Central, and 22 points in the South. The Railers are beginning a stretch of 20 straight games against the North.

Time to Build the RivalryThe Pittsburgh Penguins don't have as much dislike toward the New York Islanders as they do some of their other divisional rivals, but there is still plenty of history between the two clubs, dating back to 1972. However, that rivalry has escaped the ECHL for the past six years, as prior to Wednesday, the last time the Nailers faced an affiliate of the Islanders was in the 2011 Eastern Conference Final, when they collided with the Kalamazoo Wings. The drought was the second longest active one for Wheeling, who hasn't jousted with a Winnipeg Jets affiliate since the days of the Atlanta Thrashers, who were partnered with the Gwinnett Gladiators during the 2010-11 campaign. This season, the Nailers face four teams whose affiliates hail from the Metropolitan Division - Adirondack (New Jersey), Greenville (New York R.), Reading (Philadelphia), and Worcester (New York I.).

From the Tracks to the IceSaturday night marks the second of nine head-to-head meetings between the Nailers and Railers this season, as well as the second of four battles at WesBanco Arena. Wheeling won the first game played between the two new divisional opponents, picking up a 4-3 shootout decision on Wednesday night. Garrett Meurs and Chris Langkow had two points for their respective clubs, while Meurs and Hunter Fejes scored in the shootout for the victorious Nailers. Prior to Wednesday, the last time Wheeling faced a first-year club was in 2015-16, when Adirondack, Manchester, and Norfolk joined the ECHL from a six-team swap, which saw Bakersfield, Ontario, and Stockton join the AHL. The last time the Nailers took on a true expansion team was in 2012-13, when they played against the Orlando Solar Bears. The Railers won't be back in West Virginia again until March 7th, while Wheeling visits DCU Center for the first time on January 20th.