The Tahoe Knight Monsters took on the Florida Everblades on Friday. Puck drop was at 4:30 PM. The game was at Hertz Arena in Estero, Florida. It was the fifty-second game of the season. The Knight Monsters were coming off of a 2-4 defeat to the Florida Everblades. The Tahoe Knight Monsters had a record of 29-18-4. The Knight Monsters were in 11th place in the ECHL. The Knight Monsters were 5th in the Western Conference and 2nd in the Mountain Division. The Everblades played fifty games. The Everblades were coming off of a 4-2 win over the Tahoe Knight Monsters. The Everblades had a record of 35-9-6. The Everblades were in 1st place in the ECHL. The Everblades were in 1st place in the ECHL Eastern Conference. The Everblades were in 1st place in the ECHL Eastern Conference South Division. The all-time record between the Tahoe Knight Monsters and the Florida Everblades was 0-1-0.
The Tahoe Knight Monsters had played one more game. The Florida Everblades had six more wins. The Everblades had the better points percentage. The Knight Monsters had scored fifteen more goals. The Knight Monsters had allowed sixty-eight more goals. The Everblades had the better goal differential. The Everblades had fourteen more points. The Tahoe Knight Monsters had 464 penalty minutes. The Everblades had 743 penalty minutes. The Tahoe Knight Monsters were looking to break their losing streak. The Florida Everblades were looking to extend their winning streak. This was a matchup between the top scoring team in the league and the top defensive team in the league. Would the Knight Monsters bounce back with a win? Would the Everblades continue to win?
#1 Jesper Vikman got the start in net for the Tahoe Knight Monsters. It was his 30th game played this season. On Friday, defender Jordan Henderson was activated from reserve by the Knight Monsters. Defender Jake Stevens was placed on reserve by the Knight Monsters. #33 Cam Johnson got the start in net for the Florida Everblades. It was his 33rd game played of the season. On Friday, forward Craig Needham was activated from reserve by the Everblades. Forward Reece Newkirk was recalled from the Florida Everblades by the Springfield Thunderbirds.
Three minutes into the game, Dillon Hamaliuk of the Florida Everblades received a penalty for high-sticking. Still three minutes into the game, Nate Kallen of the Tahoe Knight Monsters received a penalty for cross-checking. With under eight minutes to go in the first period, Slava Demin of the Tahoe Knight Monsters received a penalty for cross-checking. With under six minutes left in the first period, the Everblades scored. The first goal of the game was scored by #29 Dillon Hamaliuk. His goal was assisted by #6 Jordan Sambrook and #26 Kyle Betts. This goal was not scored on the powerplay.
The score was 1-0 Florida Everblades after the first period.
Three minutes into the second period, Logan Lambdin of the Florida Everblades received a penalty for hooking. On the penalty kill, the Everblades took a two goal lead. The goal was scored by #11 Isaac Nurse. His goal was unassisted.
With under a minute left in the second period, Dillon Hamaliuk of the Everblades received a penalty for slashing. Still under a minute to go in the period, Sloan stanick of the Tahoe Knight Monsters received a penalty for tripping. The Everblades would score on the 4-on-4. With one second on the clock, #23 Alex Kile scored giving the Everblades a three goal lead. His goal was assisted by #15 Carson Gicewicz and #7 Logan Lambdin.
The score was 3-0 Florida Everblades going into the third period.
Ten minutes into the third period, Andrew Fyten of the Florida Everblades received a penalty for holding. With under eight minutes left in the game, Jett Jones of the Tahoe Knight Monsters received a penalty for roughing. With under two minutes left in the game, the Knight monsters finally scored. The goal was scored by #23 Jake Johnson. His goal was assisted by #96 Brennan Kapcheck and #3 Adam Pitters. This goal brought the lead down to two goals.
Right after the goal, the Knight Monsters pulled their goalie. Less than thirty seconds after pulling the goalie, the Everblades scored on the empty net. The empty net goal was scored by #20 Oliver Chau. His goal was assisted by #26 Kyle Betts and #15 Carson Gicewicz. This goal reestablished a three goal lead for the Everblades.
The final score was 4-1 Florida Everblades.
https://echl.com/videos/tahoe-knight-monsters-vs-florida-everblades-feb-21-2025
After a close first period, the Florida Everblades established a strong lead in the second period. The Tahoe Knight Monsters only goal in the third period was too little too late. The Everblades scored on the empty net to emphasize their victory. The lack of offense by the Knight Monsters was surprising. They have scored they lead the league in goals scored. They couldn’t find a way to get the offense going in this game. The Knight Monsters have now lost four games in a row. They have lost six of their last ten games. They need something to change. I think a lot of the current situation the Knight Monsters are in comes down to call ups and injuries. I fear the Henderson Silver Knights are playing a key role in the downfall of the Tahoe Knight Monsters. The Silver Knights are last in their division and are three wins out of a playoff spot. They really don’t need any of the Knight Monsters guys. I get that guys being called up is part of development. I get the Vegas Golden Knights organization is dealing with injuries. It is just frustrating watching the Knight Monsters slip out of being a top ECHL team when they could still be competing at that level. The Knight Monsters have dropped from leading the division to barely holding onto a playoff spot in what seems like a short time. On the other end the Everblades have now won seven games in a row. They are really proving why they have won three championships in a row.
The Florida Everblades had seventeen more shots. The Everblades had the better shot percentage. Both teams had eight penalty minutes. #1 Jesper Vikman saved 33 shots for the second game in a row to get a 89% save percentage again. #33 Cam Johnson saved 19 shots for a 95% save percentage.
The Tahoe Knight Monsters have a record of 29-19-4 with 62 points in 52 games. The Knight Monsters are in 13th place in ECHL. They are in 7th place in the ECHL Western Conference. They are in 4th place in the ECHL Western Conference Mountain Division. They are in a playoff spot. They are four points into a playoff spot. They have the fourth highest points percentage in the division. The Knight Monsters are sixteen points away from the top spot in the ECHL. The Knight Monsters are nine points away from the top spot in the ECHL Western Conference.The Knight Monsters are nine points away from the top spot in the ECHL Western Conference Mountain Division.
The Tahoe Knight Monsters take on the Florida Everblades for game fifty-three on Saturday, February 22nd. It will be an away game. Puck drop is scheduled for 4:00 PM. This will be a non-conference game. It will be the last of three games in Florida.
Zac Electrifly 
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