Wheeling Nailers - Image courtesy of the Wheeling Nailers Facebook Page.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.
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.
