The Wheeling Nailers are on a collision course with history on Friday night as they host Game 4 of their North Division Semifinals series with the Norfolk Admirals.
Not only does the club need to score more than one goal, but it also needs a win to keep its season alive and avoid making franchise history in the process.
Through three games, the Admirals have dominated the series, up 3-0 and outscoring the Nailers by a 13-1 margin.
Ultimately, Wheeling aims to avoid being swept for the second consecutive playoff series, which would be the first time in franchise history that this has happened.
In 2023-24, the Nailers advanced to the Central Division Finals with a 4-1 series win over the Indy Fuel before getting swept in four straight by the Toledo Walleye.
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Moreover, Wheeling is not only trying to avoid losing its eighth consecutive playoff game, which would set a new franchise record, but is also looking to secure its first victory since April 27, 2024.
In their last three playoff years, 2002, 2024, and 2025, the Nailers are 8-15 in the playoffs (including this season's 3-0 deficit).
Additionally, the team hadn't been shut out since May 13, 2016, until they faced the Admirals this season, who blanked them in Games 1 and 2.
Despite finishing their best regular season campaign since the 2005-06, Wheeling has yet to duplicate those successes in the postseason, resulting in a mammoth 3-0 series deficit.
Meanwhile, since the ECHL playoffs switched to a seven-game format, the Nailers have been down 3-0 just one time (2024) and have never won a Game 4 to extend the series another game.
Ahead of Friday night's do-or-die contest, there's a lot on the line for Wheeling, who not only need to win a game but also avoid history at all costs.
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