Stars Preview

League Record So Far; 28 – 15 – 2, 58pts, 4th Place

L10GP; 6 – 4 – 0, Trend = Improved

Cardiff Devils host Dundee Stars before a road trip to Sheffield just days after a cup final loss to those Giants, hoping to bounce back and earn some pride for the run in toward the end of the season.

They have already qualified for playoffs and with other result going their way, they can put some distance between themselves and chasers Blaze, whilst they have an opportunity to really cut the gap with those above them, staying in the hunt for the title.

Stars are on a tough road trip, facing off against Devils first then travelling to Guildford on the Sunday. With Storm notching a win the previous night vs Blaze, they will no doubt be under pressure to keep ahead of them.

From a Devils point of view, it will need to be back to business and put a disappointment behind them. Two finals already and a piece of silverware that no other team has been close to securing for a long while is something to be proud of in itself.

The next step is to skate on make it 5 from the last 5 in regular season. For Stars, it is to keep ahead and add to their 3 game win streak of late.

Scoring abound

Despite league position and direction or expectations of the respective clubs, Stars are only 2 goals shy of what Devils have scored so far this season, with 151:149 in favour of the home team.

Experiencing shutouts vs Giants for both teams, Devils have had better defence and goal tending overall in comparison.

Devils are 3rd in the standings for GA (115), whilst Stars languish in 9th (175). A staggering difference, despite the goal scoring threats Stars have at their disposal.

The good guys are also 3rd overall with GFA (3.36), a slight dip in comparison to their run pre-DH weekend. Stars are good for their position here, 7th with 3.17.

Stars also languish at 9th for their GAA, which comes at no surprise, with Devils +1.25 better in 3rd (2.56 GAA).

Special Teams & Discipline

Stars have a slight edge over their hosts in terms of the PP, posting a 4th overall, which would have likely been affected by the litany of successful power plays in last nights crucial game for the playoffs.

There was 4 total in that one, which put distance between top PK’ers Devils (86.15) and Blaze (80.49). In third overall, is Stars, is just shy from Blaze at -0.15 for their PK.

Devils have marginally climbed to 6th overall on the PP, so have a bit of catching up to do, considering their scoring options from O’Brien to Perlini and MacDonald to Sanford, there is no excuse nor reason why this teams’ units shouldn’t be in the top 2.

This match up will matter, as Devils are prone to conceding short handed and on breakaways when they press high.

It is a direct tale of good vs bad in terms of discipline as Stars boast a league leading PIM/Game average at 6.47 with Devils still at the foot with 8th overall at 11.24, Just shy of being twice as bad from taking penalties.

Staying out of the box is crucial.

Ones to Watch

Despite a shutout in their last EIHL game vs Giants, Devils still have key players that will look to be the difference on the night.

Goal Sanford with his GWG’s in OT of late will be the main man to watch for the home team, as he will look to set things straight and earn his team and club a crucial victory.

For Stars, Spencer Naas has been in stellar form lately, linking up consistently with Harms and Tsekos, going for a 4 game run of points scored. He has put up 8 in his last 4GP with a goal per game averaged in that stint.

He will need to be shutdown with precision if the home team are to make a comfortable night for themselves.