Mavericks: Plummeting From The Playoffs

Not long ago, the Flames’ ECHL affiliate Kansas City Mavericks were trying to track down a playoff spot! The team managed to tread water, going .500 through their most condensed and road-heavy part of the season schedule, and were sitting two points out. The team has been unable to make up any ground since, having now lost 11 of their last 17 games. This awful month has caused their gap to widen from two points out to a whopping fifteen points back of the final Western Conference Playoffs spot. With seven games remaining in their regular season schedule, we can all but count the Mavericks out of the Kelly Cup Playoffs.

GAME BY GAME:

May 8th- KC Mavericks 0 vs Wichita Thunder 4 –LOSS

May 11th- KC Mavericks 2 @ Wichita Thunder 5 –LOSS

May 15th- KC Mavericks 4 vs Allen Americans 3 –WIN

May 17th- KC Mavericks 2 @ Allen Americans 7 –LOSS

May 20th- KC Mavericks 2 vs Tulsa Oilers 1 –WIN (OT)

May 21st- KC Mavericks 2 vs Tulsa Oilers 6 –LOSS

May 22nd- KC Mavericks 2 @ Tulsa Oilers 3 –LOSS

THE SQUAD:

As one of the few bright spots in a tough Mavs campaign so far, Mavs’ star forward Brodie Reid had been heavy in the chase for the ECHL scoring title. As ECHL Player of the Month for January to start the year, he spent larges stretches of the season leading the points race. Unfortunately, after being placed on reserve on May 8th it looks like Reid is likely done for the rest of the season.

The two weeks of missed time have now dropped him to ninth overall in the ECHL scoring race, 17 points back of first place. If his reserve placement holds, Brodie will finish the campaign with an impressive 54 points in 54 games played, but will likely be passed by one of his Mavs teammates before the season is out.

Taking a look in the blue paint, Andrew Shortridge returned to the Mavericks after battling injury trouble early in the year and running a two month stint on loan to the Flames’ AHL affiliate Stockton Heat. Being sent back down on April 30th, he suited up and stopped 23 of 25 in a win over Rapid City on May 2nd less than 48 hours later. Shortridge has seen five starts since, working his way back into the rotation. Matt Ginn and Matt Greenfield are also participating in the now three-man platoon, seeing a pair of starts each in the last two weeks.

UP NEXT:

We are headed down the final stretch of the Mavericks’ 2020-21 schedule, with only seven regular season games left on the team’s docket. They’ll have one more to round out their last series against Tulsa, before they tilt for a trio with Utah, It’s then a trifecta of one offs with Tulsa, Indy, and the season closer against Wichita. M&G will keep our eyes on things as the next two weeks wind down for the Kansas Mavericks!

by MilhouseFirehouse