EVERETT — The Everett Silvertips could have used the hockey equivalent of Mariano Rivera the past couple weeks. They’ve needed assistance closing out games.
Everett is looking to begin putting the finishing touch on games after allowing a handful of leads in recent home contests slip from its grasp in the dying seconds of regulation.
“(Closing out games) is huge, not just for the fans and everyone involved, but for us as a hockey team,” Tips overage winger Brayden Low said. “We’re trying to hang banners here and points are valuable. Giving points to teams like Portland, Tri-City and Seattle, it’s tough at the end of the day when they’re not that far behind us.”
Friday night’s game against Tri-City is Everett’s fifth straight home game. The Tips picked up points in each of the previous four, claiming six of a possible eight to maintain a six-point lead over Portland atop the U.S. Division standings.
However, the Tips came oh so close to pulling off a clean sweep of those four contests, as Everett had the lead late in the third period in all of them. Everett came 31.3 seconds away from beating Portland in regulation on Feb. 8, 5:32 from topping Tri-City on Feb. 11, and 24.8 seconds from beating Seattle last Saturday, but the Tips ended up allowing the tying goal in all three games. The only game during this stretch which Everett won in regulation was the 6-0 drubbing of Vancouver last Friday, during which the final minutes were academic.
The Tips ended up beating Portland in overtime, while dropping shootouts against Tri-City and Seattle. So while Everett still picked up 75 percent of the available points in those four games, the Tips allowed their division rivals five of a possible six points in the process.
“(Being able to close games) is huge, huge,” Everett captain Kohl Bauml repeated. “It’s points in the standings. Against Seattle we gave them an extra two when we probably shouldn’t have, and we lost one ourselves, so that’s three-point difference in the standings. It’s huge coming down the stretch, especially against division rivals like Portland and Seattle that are breathing right down our necks. You have to close those games out when you can. Obviously we’re trying, it hasn’t been our best skill this year yet, but we’re working at it.”
The lost leads weren’t all disasters for Everett, however. The eventual shootout loss to Tri-City was troubling, as the Tips blew a two-goal third-period lead in a game that seemed to be well within control. But the last-minute goals allowed to both Portland and Seattle came during six-on-five situations, in which the opposition had pulled its goaltender for an extra attacker, and both of those games were competitive, hard-fought affairs that could have gone either way.
“Maybe it’s been a bit of puck luck,” Bauml said. “Against Seattle we did a good job for about a minute-and-a-half and a shot goes off (Mathew) Barzal’s shin pad and into the net. Against Portland (Carter) Hart makes a good save, everyone’s collapsing and falling in the crease, and it just happens to pop out to (Chase) De Leo. I don’t think it’s been a lack of effort or competing or caring, we’ve been out there blocking shots in the last minute. The bounces just aren’t going our way. Maybe we need to fix a couple things, but for the most part we’ve been competing hard out there to lock those games down, they just haven’t gone our way.”
But while there was a hint of misfortune in allowing those late goals against Portland and Seattle, the Tips understand they need to be better in those situations.
“I think it just goes back to being focused and mentally in it for 60 minutes,” Low said. “Obviously teams are pressing hard when they’re behind and it’s late, but the bottom line comes down to being focused and being ready. You can’t give up, even when there’s just 20 seconds left and things look good. The game’s not over until the buzzer sounds, the old cliche says.
“The focus all year around here has been playing a full 60 minutes,” Low added. “It’s one thing to talk about it, it’s another thing to go out and do it.”
And closing out games is something the Tips will need to do if they want to hang onto their lead in the division.
Slap shots
Friday’s game, which begins at 7:35 p.m., is being televised by Root Sports. It is the second of three Everett games being broadcast by Root this season, and the only one that takes place at Xfinity Arena. … Friday’s game also ends a busy stretch between Everett and Tri-City. Friday represents the fourth time the Tips have met the Americans in their past seven outings, all in a 15-day period. Tri-City won two of the previous three, with both teams winning once in regulation at home prior to the Americans’ shootout win at Xfinity Arena on Feb. 11. … Everett has six players listed on this week’s injury report, but defenseman Noah Juulsen, who’s listed as day to day because of a lower-body injury, was the only one who didn’t practice Thursday. … Tri-City will be without leading scorer Parker Bowles and former Silvertip Carter Cochrane. Both Bowles and Cochrane are out for the remainder of the season because of shoulder injuries.
Check out Nick Patterson’s Silvertips blog at http://www.heraldnet.com/silvertipsblog, and follow him on Twitter at @NickHPatterson.
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