Stat Pack: Florida Everblades Vs. Kansas City Mavericks Game 4 Preview

The Florida Everblades and Kansas City Mavericks resume their series for Game 4 of the ECHL Kelly Cup Finals on Friday. Here are a few items to keep close tabs on.

The Florida Everblades and Kansas City Mavericks are back on the ice for Game 4 of the ECHL Kelly Cup Finals on Friday night.

The Everblades secured a 2-1 series lead after scoring five unanswered goals in Game 3 on Wednesday. Kansas City initially took a 3-1 lead in the first period, but Florida responded with five unanswered goals, including one in the second frame and four in the third to clinch the victory.

Florida will aim to move closer to winning an unprecedented third consecutive Kelly Cup championship, while the Mavericks will seek to even the series at two games each.

Let's examine a few key factors that could have a say in the outcome of Friday's game.

Chautime

Oliver Chau has been on quite the hot streak over the last several games, which has continued to propel Florida's march toward another championship. The Everblades forward leads all skaters with 21 points in the ECHL Playoffs.

Picking up mostly assists through his first 17 postseason games, Chau has since been a goal-scoring machine. Including his hat trick in Game 3, Chau now has six goals in his last four games and points in six of his last seven games.

Net Worth

In the lead-up to Friday's Game 4, one of the most interesting storylines will be who Kansas City Mavericks head coach Tad O'Had decides to start in between the pipes.

Jack LaFontaine has been Kansas City's best starter but struggled for the first time this postseason in a back-to-back. The Mavericks' goaltender allowed five goals on 40 shot attempts in Game 3.

It raises the question of whether Kansas City will turn to Cale Morris, who gave up seven goals in Game 1, on Friday night.

On The Defense

The Florida Everblades' defensemen have continued to contribute to the team's success in the postseason and in the Kelly Cup Finals. In Game 3, Everblades defensemen were credited with assists on four out of the team's six goals.

Along with Cole Moberg and Will Reilly, Zach Berzolla deserves more credit for his performance. Although the goal-scoring is not necessarily there, Berzolla has been a high-volume shooter, with a total of 15 shots on goal in the first three games of this series, which has created second-chance opportunities for his teammates.

Riese Zmolek and Jordan Sambrook have also stepped up their game in the Kelly Cup Finals.

Response Team

The first three games of this series have been all about responses. After Florida won Game 1 with a commanding 8-1 score, Kansas City bounced back with a convincing 5-1 victory in Game 2 to tie the series.

In Game 3, Kansas City scored all three of its first-period goals by finding openings in the Everblades defense. However, Florida made the necessary adjustments and tightened up their defense to allow its offense to take control of the game. Kansas City mustered just seven shots on goals over the final 40 minutes after registering 12 in the first period alone.

How will Kansas City respond in Game 4 on Friday night? The Everblades and Mavericks will get underway with a 7:30 p.m. EST puck drop.