Mavericks Dominate Everblades Again, Take 2-0 Series Lead with 5-2 Win

The Kansas City Mavericks defeated the Florida Everblades 5-2 in Game 2 of the 2026 Kelly Cup Finals, extending their series lead to 2-0. The win came in front of a packed crowd of 5,768 at Cable Dahmer Arena on Saturday night. Kansas City now holds a commanding position heading into the next two games in Florida.

The Mavericks wasted no time, scoring just 17 seconds into the game. Bobo Carpenter broke in behind the Florida defense and beat Cam Johnson for his 10th playoff goal. It was the third quickest goal in the opening moments of a Riley/Kelly Cup Finals game in history. The quick strike set the tone for a dominant Kansas City performance.

Florida finally got on the board in the second period, breaking a 1-0 series drought with a power-play goal from Carson Gicewicz. He tipped a shot from Anthony Romano past Dylan Wells at 15:33 for his ninth postseason goal. But the Mavericks responded just 1:30 into the period when Jake McLaughlin scored his third goal of the playoffs on a wraparound move.

The floodgates opened in the second half of the second period. Kansas City scored three consecutive power-play goals to take a 4-1 lead. Marcus Crawford started the run at 8:26 with a slap shot from the blue line. David Cotton followed at 9:07, converting a rebound for his fifth playoff goal. Jackson Jutting capped the streak at 14:35 with a one-timer.

Florida’s Jesse Lansdell cut the deficit to 5-2 in the third period with a rebound goal off a shot from Hudson Elynuik at 0:49. But the Everblades were unable to mount a comeback.

Dylan Wells finished with 24 saves for the Mavericks while Cam Johnson made 23 stops for Florida. Kansas City’s power play was 3-for-4 in the game, a key factor in their decisive second-period surge.

The series now shifts to Hertz Arena in Estero, Florida for Game 3 on Wednesday at 7:30 p.m. ET. The Mavericks are one win away from a commanding 3-0 series lead.