EVERETT — Exhibit A: On Nov. 8, the Everett Silvertips took a 4-2 lead into the third period against the Spokane Chiefs, but then gave up four goals and lost 6-4.

Exhibit B: On. Nov. 15 the Tips, leading 2-0, were outshot 17-3 in the third period by the Kamloops Blazers, giving up the tying goal with one second remaining. Everett needed a WHL-record 15-round shootout to prevail 3-2.

Exhibit C: On Sunday, the Tips led the Kootenay Ice 3-0 through two periods, but gave up three goals in the third and the game-winner in overtime in a 4-3 loss.

The evidence proves beyond a reasonable doubt: The Tips are struggling to close out games.

For the past month Everett has had major issues in the third period, and it’s a problem the Tips are desperate to solve.

“Obviously it’s not acceptable,” Tips overage winger Brayden Low said following Tuesday’s practice at Xfinity Arena. “As a team we have to come out in the third period and be able to close games. (Sunday’s loss to Kootenay) was the second one we’ve lost like that. We have to find a way to be better, especially when we’re up like that. We have to be way better and find a way to close them out.”

For the most part, Everett’s play through the first two periods the past four week was fine. Starting with that game against Spokane on Nov. 8, the Tips have outscored their opponents 19-18 in the first two periods. Throw out the 7-1 loss at Portland on Nov. 16, when the weary Tips were out of gas at the end of a three-in-three weekend, and the numbers 18-12 in Everett’s favor.

However, the third period has been a completely different story. During those nine games Everett scored just once in the third period and overtime. Meanwhile, opponents have found the net 13 times during the same stretch.

This has particularly been the case when Everett took leads into the third, as the Tips have regularly found themselves pinned into their own end by opponents playing desperation hockey in an effort to come back. As a result, the Tips have seen far too many points that seemed secure slip away.

“It’s just a mindset thing,” Everett captain Kohl Bauml said. “We tend to sit back too much when we have teams pinned. We let them off the hook too easily. We’ve had some pretty good talks over the last day or two as to why, fixing a little bit of things. It’s been a good learning lesson, I think it’s a bit of a wake up call for the team that we have to change some things mindset wise.”

The problem has been a passiveness in third periods. Everett makes efforts to possess the puck and put pressure on the opposition during the first two periods. However, the Tips have become conservative in third periods, often resorting to chipping the puck off the glass to get it out of the defensive zone, surrendering the puck right back to the opponents and letting them send it right back in. This mindset has allowed opponents to seize the initiative.

“We change the way we play to kind of laid back and casual, almost scared and timid, in my opinion,” Bauml said.

Said Low: “We’re trying to still play the same way, but for some reason we can’t close it out. I can’t pinpoint a reason why. We’ve been wondering why, and we’re trying to play the same way for 60 minutes. Right now I don’t really have a great answer.”

Part of the issue for the third-period swoons the past few weeks was a lack of depth. Everett was dealing with multiple injuries to forwards. As a result, the Tips weren’t able to roll four lines like they did earlier in the season, and in the third period Everett’s top forwards started to wear down.

However, that wasn’t the case Sunday. Everett had forwards Nikita Scherbak and Remi Laurencelle back from injury, and the Tips used all four of their lines throughout most of the game. It still didn’t prevent the third-period meltdown.

“We’ve met as captains and tried to figure out the reason why and find a solution,” Low said. “I think it’s more a case of every individual having to be ready to come out and compete for 20 more minutes. We haven’t done a very good job of that in third periods.

“We’ve had a lot of meetings, a lot of pretty good talks as a group, not just here but away from the rink as well,” Low added. “I think it’s just a matter of getting it in the guys minds that it’s hard to win in this league. We just have to find a way and bear down for the extra 20 minutes.”

Leedahl back on the ice

Tips winger Dawson Leedahl was back on his skates for the first time Tuesday. Leedahl suffered a knee injury on Oct. 18 at Spokane, and the original diagnosis suggested the 18-year-old required surgery and would miss four-to-six months. However, a second opinion recommended rest and gave a shorter recovery time. Leedahl didn’t participate in practice Tuesday, but it’s possible he will be able to return to the lineup sometime in December.

Two other players didn’t participate in practice Tuesday. Winger Logan Aasman is listed as week-to-week with an upper-body injury, and defenseman Tristen Pfeifer is listed as day-to-day with an upper-body ailment.

Check out Nick Patterson’s Silvertips blog at http://www.heraldnet.com/silvertipsblog, and follow him on Twitter at @NickHPatterson.