Walleye Watch: Toledo takes on Quad City

3/8/2018
BLADE STAFF

Toledo Walleye vs. Quad City

When: 7:15 p.m. Friday and Saturday

TV: BCSN

Radio: 1230 AM

Breakdown: The Walleye (40-14-5) lead the ECHL with 85 points, and holds the top spot over Central Division and Western Conference rival Fort Wayne by four points. The Walleye need to reach 89 to clinch a spot in the Kelly Cup playoffs. Toledo has 13 games left in the regular season. The team would qualify for the postseason for the fourth consecutive season after not making it three of the first five seasons as a franchise. … Quad City (20-35-4) is tied for the fewest points in the ECHL with 44. ... Toledo is 2-1-0 against the Mallards, a division foe, including a 4-3 loss in Quad City on Feb. 18. … Toledo was the first team to reach 40 wins after going 3-0-1 last week. Since the start of the calendar year, Toledo has a 20-5-2 record. … The team tied a franchise record with 13 consecutive home wins from Jan. 6-March 2. The streak came to an end with a 2-1 loss to South Carolina in overtime Saturday. Toledo is on a 6-0-1 streak and is 7-2-1 in its past 10. … The Walleye are scoring an average of 3.24 goals per game (10th best in the ECHL); QC is averaging 2.81 (24th). Toledo is allowing 2.32 goals-per game (second); the Mallards are giving up 4.15 goals per game (27th out of 27). … There have been 22 sellouts at the Huntington Center, a single-season record. Toledo is averaging 7,543 fans per game (second behind Fort Wayne). … Goalkeeper Pat Nagle (28-4-4) leads the league in wins and ranks seventh in goals-against average (2.27). Forward Christian Hilbrich is the Walleye’s leading goal scorer (19) and is now the leader in points with 38 in 55 games after forward Erik Bradford was traded Thursday. ... Defenseman Simon Denis was named runner-up for the ECHL's player of the week honors. Denis had seven points in four games last week with six assists and one goal. He leads all Walleye defensemen in points with 31, including six goals, in 46 games. … Forward Matt Pohlkamp, a Bowling Green State University grad, leads Quad City with 35 points, including 16 goals, in 57 games. The Mallards have used six different goalies, including former Walleye goaltender Jake Paterson. … Friday is Toledo Jeep Fest night and Saturday is Zombie night, with the Walleye players wearing special zombie jerseys that will be auctioned off after the game. For more information, go to ToledoWalleye.com.