ESTERO, Fla. – A three-goal first period coupled with Cam Johnson’s 10th career playoff shutout in a Florida Everblades uniform was a winning combination, as the Everblades rolled to a 4-0 victory over the visiting Adirondack Thunder in Game Three of the Eastern Conference Finals Wednesday night at Hertz Arena, sending 5,959 loud and proud Blades fans home happy.
With the victory, the Everblades took a 2-1 lead in the best-of-seven series, as the Kelly Cup Playoffs presented by Germain Lexus and Scanlon Lexus continues with Game Four of the series Friday night at The Swamp.
Two nights after suffering a shutout loss that evened the series at one game apiece, the Everblades erupted for three goals in the opening 15:24 to take the biggest lead enjoyed by either team in the series.
Jordan Sambrook connected from the right point at 6:33 to start the Blades’ scoring run. Mark Senden added his third goal of the series, skating from center ice and connecting from the right circle at 12:38, while Matt Wedman capped off the busy frame with a shot from the left circle for the team’s first power-play goal of the series at 15:24. Florida dominated the shot department with a 14-4 advantage on the way to a dominant 3-0 lead after 20 minutes.
Following a scoreless second period, Bobo Carpenter closed out the 4-0 victory, scoring an empty-net goal with 70 seconds left in the game.
On the night, the Everblades outshot the Thunder 32-26. In a matchup of the ECHL’s top goaltenders this postseason, Johnson stopped every shot he faced to reach double digits in postseason shutouts – all with the Blades. For Adirondack, Isaac Poulter suffered the loss and made 20 saves before being pulled at the start of the third period. Backup netminder Jeremy Brodeur made seven saves in the final frame.
Six different players registered helpers for the Everblades, led by Josh Ho-Sang and Oliver Chau, both of whom picked up two of the Blades’ eight assists on the night.
With the Everblades holding a two-games-to-one advantage, two more contests in this series will be played in the coming days at Hertz Arena. Game Four will take place on Friday, May 24 at 7:30 p.m., while Game Five will be played on Saturday, May 25 at 7:00 p.m. If necessary, Adirondack would host Games Six and Seven on Tuesday, May 28 and Wednesday, May 29.
Tickets for Eastern Conference Finals games that will be played at Hertz Arena are on sale online by clicking HERE or in-person at the Fifth Third Bank Box Office at Hertz Arena or by calling the Everblades office at 239-948-PUCK.
Visit floridaeverblades.com for more information on the Kelly Cup Playoffs presented by Germain Lexus and Scanlon Lexus and to purchase tickets for games played at Hertz Arena.
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