Playoffs are still within Lynx's grasp

A lack of consistency this season has baffled Augusta Lynx coaches and players alike.

"Sometimes we look like an all-star team, like the best team in the league, and then the next shift we look like we don't belong in the league," coach Stan Drulia said after Saturday's game against the Florida Everblades.

Added forward Matt Dzieduszycki: "When we take it off, we really take it off and that's what we have to stop doing. We have to minimize our lows in the game."

It's a problem the Lynx must fix if they want to salvage their season, which - surprisingly - is still a possibility. Despite their 15-24-6 record, their 36 points, their 2-6-2 record in their past 10 games and their 11th place standing, the Lynx are still only 10 points out of the American Conference's eighth and final playoff spot.

And three of their next five games are against the Greenville Grrrowl (21-18-4, 46 points) and the slumping Pee Dee Pride (22-22-2, 46 points), who were tied for the final postseason berth entering the weekend. The other two games are against Florida (25-14-6, 56 points) and the Charlotte Checkers (27-16-2, 56 points), who are tied for second in the American Conference.

There are 27 games left in the season beginning tonight at home against the Everblades. The Lynx hope to use Saturday's 4-3 overtime loss to Florida as an example for how to play as well as how not to play.

Sloppy play left the Lynx in a 2-0 hole after one period. Drulia was so disturbed by his team's lackluster effort in that period, he said he broke a couple of things in the locker room during an intermission "temper tantrum."

The Lynx came back with two outstanding periods to tie the game and send it to overtime, but a turnover led to the eventual game-winner. The players seemed ashamed it took an explosion by Drulia to get them fired up.

"For coach to come in and give us hell like that for us to start playing is not right," said captain Louis Goulet, who has switched to defense for the second time this season because of injuries.

"It should be within ourselves to come out and play hard every time and we're having problems with that. I don't know why, but it just seems to be happening and it shouldn't."

The question is, What is it going to take to get a full, 60-minute game out of the Lynx?

Veteran goaltender Jason Saal isn't sure, but says he's willing to do whatever he takes. He didn't play Saturday, but after the first period, he abandoned his usual seat right outside the Lynx's door for a spot on the bench in an effort to motivate his teammates. Saal likely will resume that position for the rest of the season when he's not in the net, but said he'll do more if inconsistency remains an issue.

"You want to have friends in this game, but sometimes you've got to put your friendship aside and be a leader," Saal said. "If it takes getting a guy angry at you sometimes to make them play harder, so be it."

Whatever it's going to take, the Lynx have to figure it out soon, or they will miss the playoffs for the fourth year in a row.

"It's now or never," forward Jarrett Thompson said. "We're not going to mail anything in, we're just going to go at it."

Reach Kristy Shonka at (706) 823-3216 or kristy.shonka@augustachronicle.com.

FLORIDA EVERBLADES AT LYNX

LYNX AT GREENVILLE GRRROWL

CHARLOTTE CHECKERS AT LYNX

WHEN: 7:35 tonight, Everblades at Lynx; 7:05 p.m. Saturday, Lynx at Grrrowl; 4:05 p.m. Sunday, Checkers at Lynx

WHERE: Today and Sunday, Augusta-Richmond County Civic Center; Saturday, BI-LO Center in Greenville, S.C.

RADIO: WRDW-AM 1630

WEBCAST: augustalynx.com

TICKETS: In Augusta they are available at the door, by calling (706) 724-4423 or by going online at ticketmaster.com.

THIS SEASON: This is the Lynx's fourth game in a row against the Everblades and Augusta is 1-1-1 for this stretch and 2-3-1 against Florida for the season. The Lynx are 0-1-1 against Greenville and 1-4 against Charlotte.

ABOUT THE LYNX

COACH: Stan Drulia

Key Player: Forward Jamie Johnson is on a seven-game point streak and is fifth in the ECHL with 47 points.

ABOUT THE EVERBLADES

COACH: Gerry Fleming

Key Player: Damian Surma scored the game-winner against the Lynx in overtime Saturday.

ABOUT THE GRRROWL

COACH: Jim Marks

Key Player: Carl Mallette is second in the league with 54 points.

ABOUT THE CHECKERS

COACH: Derek Wilkinson

Key Player: Goaltender Kelly Guard is 3-0 against the Lynx.

- Kristy Shonka

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