For the second time this season, Wheeling Nailers goaltender Maxim Pavlenko earned a shutout win.
The Wheeling Nailers took a quick business trip over to Reading, Pennsylvania on Wednesday night, put in their work, and brought two points back home.
Maxim Pavlenko returned to the Wheeling crease with a 32-save shutout, as the Nailers blanked the Reading Royals, 4-0 at Santander Arena.
The Nailers got goals from four different players, as they extended their point streak to six games (5-0-1) and improved their league-leading mark to 15-3-1.
The Nailers put together a strong first period, as they scored the lone goal, while killing off a lengthy 5-on-3. The successful penalty kill came first, as Wheeling received back-to-back penalties 23 seconds apart from each other before the game was ten minutes old.
The visitors battled through it, then got on the scoreboard at the 13:48 mark. Ryan Mahshie delivered a pass to the left side of the slot, where Jack Works spun and fired a shot through goaltender Yaniv Perets for his third tally in five games against Reading. Daniel Laatsch also collected an assist in his return from the AHL.
The score stayed 1-0 until the closing minutes of the middle frame, when the Nailers upped their lead thanks to a successful power play. Mahshie tossed a backhander through traffic and on goal. Max Graham swiped the rebound free to set up Logan Pietila, who chipped in a shot from the left side of the crease.
Wheeling tacked on two more in the third period to ice its 4-0 victory. Cole Tymkin poked a pass ahead to Zach Urdahl, who broke away and blazed a shot in on the left side of the twine for goal number three. Then, Craig Armstrong waited patiently to serve up a feed for Randy Hernández, who drove down the middle and shoveled a backhander into the top-right corner.
For the second time this season, Maxim Pavlenko was perfect in Reading, as he denied all 32 shots he faced for the Nailers. His other shutout also came against the Royals, a 2-0 victory Nov. 18 at Santander Arena.
Yaniv Perets made 33 saves on 37 shots for the Royals to take the loss.
The Nailers return home for a three-game weekend series against the expansion Greensboro Gargoyles. Reading continues their homestand on Friday when they host the Worcester Railers.