Kelly Cup Playoffs: Wheeling Looks To Rebound After Two Consecutive Losses

Things have been going very well for goaltender Taylor Gauthier and  the Wheeling Nailers - ECHL affiliate of the Pittsburgh Penguins - throughout most of the Kelly Cup Playoffs so far. 

Unfortunately, that was not the case Monday and Tuesday

The Nailers dropped both Game 3 and Game 4 to the Maine Mariners after taking the first two games of the best-of-seven North Division Final on home ice, losing Monday's game 6-3 and dropping Tuesday's contest in double overtime, 2-1. Gauthier - who has been outstanding in these playoffs - had a rare off-night in Game 3, surrendering five goals on 18 shots before being pulled in favor of Gabriel D'Aigle, who stopped 11 of 12 in relief.

The Nailers allowed five consecutive goals to start the game in the first two periods before finally getting on the board with a Logan Pietila goal late in the second period. Maine notched another goal early in the third to make it 6-1, and subsequent Wheeling goals by Zach Urdahl and Blake Bennett were not enough to get them back in the game.

As for Game 4, Maine's Max Andreev scored first, and Wheeling's Brayden Edwards deflected one into the goal during the first period, which was the only scoring that would happen during regulation. Jacob Hudson - who assisted on Andreev's goal in the first period - scored the double-OT game-winner right after a successful penalty kill for Maine. 

Both Gauthier and Mariners' goaltender Luke Cavallin had outstanding outings for their teams, as Gauthier stopped 33 of 35 and Cavallin stopped 35 of 36.

The past two performances may not have been the team's best up to this point in the Kelly Cup Playoffs - and they're showing some leaks on the defensive side of things - but luckily, they still have the series advantage and will look to rebound on Wednesday. 

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