NORFOLK — Wheeling Nailers head coach Derek Army has been around the game of hockey long enough — both as a player and as a head coach — to know what to, and what not to, expect.

Take for instance the Nailers first-round ECHL Kelly Cup playoff series against the Norfolk Admirals. The best-of-7 format gets started here tonight inside the Scope Arena as the puck drops at 7:05. Game 2 is also set for Virginia on Thursday, also at 7:05.

However, should the Eastern Conference North Division series go the distance, fans in the Friendly City will get to see their fair share of playoff hockey. The next five games would be contested inside WesBanco Arena due to a scheduling conflict at the Scope Arena.

When asked if he’d ever been involved in a 2-5 series, Army was quick to answer, “I have not. It will be a bit different, but if you recall, we were facing a 0-7 playoff series last year against Toledo,” he said following a practice Tuesday afternoon in Norfolk.

“I’m a guy that likes to live in the moment, so whatever we can do to win one game, maybe two, down here, we’ll try and find a way to do it,” Army pointed out. “If we don’t and lose both, we won’t panic.”

Wheeling (43-25-3-1 90) is the second seed and has home-ice advantage over the third-seeded Admirals (40-25-6-1 (87). It clinched home-ice on Saturday with a win against Trois-Rivieres. The Nailers have scored 225 goals and given up 194, while the Admirals have lit the lamp 251 times and have been scored on 210.

“I think this is going to be a really good matchup,” Army noted. “They are a really good hockey team. They are fast, have good goaltending and can score goals.”

The Nailers received some good news, bad news prior to Monday when playoff rosters had to be filed with the league office. Standout goaltender Sergei Murashov has been returned to the team from Wilkes-Barre of the AHL, but Taylor Gauthier has been called up to the Baby Pens.

“That’s tough,” Army said. “Obviously, Sergei is a wonderful person and has NHL potential. We’re excited to have him back, but at the same time, we’re rooting for Taylor and his opportunity at the next level. He carried us down the stretch.”

Murashov, who won his first 11 decisions in the AHL, was 12-3 in 16 games with the Baby Pens in 2024-25. The 21-year-old Russian compiled a 13-game winning streak with Wheeling where he was 17-7-1 in 26 games.

LOOSE PUCKS

— Wheeling has now qualified for the postseason in back-to-back seasons. It has been in the playoffs three of the last four years and this will be the 17th time in franchise history.

— The Nailers traveled from Quebec, Canada, on Monday after their three-game series with Trois-Rivieres to Norfolk, a 14-hour bus ride down the East Coast.

— Games 3 and 4 will be played on Wednesday, April 23 and Friday, April 25 — both at 7:10 p.m. — in Wheeling. Should Games 5, 6 and 7 be necessary, they are set for Saturday, April 26; Monday, April 28 and Tuesday, April 29 — all at 7:10.