Wranglers’ No. 1 line ready for prime time

Four years ago, the Wranglers entered their first ECHL Kelly Cup Finals brimming with confidence.

Too much, it turned out, as they lost to Cincinnati in six games.

"Back then, we thought we had it in the bag," Las Vegas left wing Adam Miller said. "Cincinnati came out and surprised us."

Miller, with defenseman Mike Madill the only players remaining from that 2008 team, has warned his teammates not to make the same mistake this year.

The Wranglers host the Florida Everblades at 7:05 p.m. today in Game 1 of the best-of-7 series at Orleans Arena.

"Mike Madill and I are telling the guys we have to go one game at a time," said Miller, the franchise's all-time leading scorer. "We have a great opportunity with home-ice advantage. We've got to come out and win that first shift to set the tone for the series."

Playing on Las Vegas' top line with speedy Eric Lampe and sure-handed Judd Blackwater, Miller has helped set the tone for the Wranglers all season.

The talented trio combined for 207 points during the regular season and has produced 41 in 13 playoff games (11-2).

"We've had great chemistry all year and it's rolled right from the regular season into the playoffs," said Miller, who was second in the league in scoring with 84 points (32 goals, 52 assists) and has 13 (3-10) in the postseason. "We all play the same way and we all have skill and speed."

Lampe and Miller won the ECHL's last two fastest skater competitions and Blackwater has arguably the best hands in the league.

"Lampe's one of the fastest skaters in the league, if not the fastest. I try to get him the puck," said Blackwater, who has 12 playoff points (4-8) after scoring 56 (21-35) in 46 regular-season games. "Millsy is so smart. He's in the right place all the time and he knows where to put the puck. He's such a great passer."

Lampe led the league with a franchise-record 37 goals, along with 30 assists, in 52 games. He's tied for the postseason points lead with 16 (6-10), with Florida's Cedric Lalonde-McNicoll (3-13).

The high-flying Lampe, who has delivered two playoff game-winning goals in overtime, has long prided himself on charging hard to the net.

"It's never comfortable, but right now, in the playoffs, the pain doesn't matter," he said. "It's do or die."

A Wisconsin native, Lampe made his professional debut with the Everblades in 2010, scoring three goals in five playoff games before returning to college at Quinnipiac.

"I was only there for maybe two weeks," he said. "They have a whole new team down there."

Like the Wranglers, the Everblades are a well-balanced squad that had a solid regular season before rolling through the playoffs with an 11-2 record.

McNicoll is one of six players with at least 10 postseason points for Florida, which is based in Estero, near Fort Myers. The others are Brayden Irwin (12, 6-6), Matt Beca (11, 5-6), Trevor Bruess (11, 5-6), Matt Marquardt (11, 3-8) and David Fischer (10, 3-7).

Josh Lunden has 10 points (4-6) and Scott Campbell is tied for the playoff lead with seven goals for the Wranglers, who also feature proven scorers Ash Goldie and Pete MacArthur.

Florida, gunning for the franchise's first ECHL title after losses in the 2004 and 2005 finals, exploded for seven goals in consecutive games in the conference finals and is averaging an ECHL-best 3.69 goals per game in the postseason.

"They want to make it kind of a track meet," Las Vegas coach Ryan Mougenel said. "We've got to do a good job of managing the puck. That will be one of the biggest keys."

The Wranglers, who average 2.85 goals, are first in goals-against (1.54), while the Everblades are second (1.62).

Goalie Joe Fallon (6-1, 1.25 GAA) anchors Las Vegas' defense while John Muse (7-1, 1.70 GAA) backs Florida.

"Everybody says the same thing about Florida: They're a hard-working offensive team that is playing really well right now," Mougenel said. "But I'm sure they're saying the exact same thing about us. It's going to be a great series."

■ NOTE - The LVH has posted odds on the ECHL finals, installing the Wranglers as a minus-160 favorite for the series and a minus-150 favorite for Game 1, with a total of 5½.

Contact reporter Todd Dewey at tdewey@reviewjournal.com or 702-383-0354.