Preview vs Panthers

League Record So Far; 30 – 11 – 2, 62pts, 2nd Place

The home team werese unable to find the net in their last game, being held to a one goal shutout, as their visitors romped through the Flames in a stunning fashion during midweek action.

This presented another missed opportunity to close the berth of points between them and leaders Steelers, as the season draws to a close.

In their recent meeting, a famous victory for the good guys, a win IN Nottingham, the first in 3 years, so with two games left in this series and both teams looking to get end of the season momentum going, this one is going to be special.

What does this mean for the series so far?

Panthers last season won this series 4:2 with ease, as the ‘curse’ continued for them, which continued again this season until the last game. So far, they are 3:1 up in this one, outscoring the Devils 14:12 in the process.

The scoring average is 3.5 in favour of the Panthers, with Devils managing 3 per game, so goal tending and defence is key in this one, especially as the average goals is 6.5 for the game in total.

How They Split

On the power play, Devils still maintain 2nd overall, this time going into the game at 27.56% whilst Panthers sit at 6th with 19.66%. There isn’t much difference on the PK, as Devils still sit in 3rd with 78.86% PK, helped out by their last game and Panthers at 8th with 75.4%. This will be a key feature for their game later on.

Faceoffs have been an issue for Panthers, with only 44.9% of them won over the course of the season, devils just off 51% overall. This margin is huge for competing teams and puck retention and possession is a key feature of a good Devils game.

Win the puck, battle for the puck, keep the puck, stay out of the box. Key fundamentals there to be expected, but if one falters, the rhythm of the game plan will likely fail.

Home and Away

On paper this season it comes as no surprise that Panthers have the worst form overall, collecting just 13 points on the road, but they still managed to beat Devils in their only road game at Cardiff. For home form, Devils are middle of the pack, collecting 25 points over 18GP.

This will be a big game for both, so expectations on a themed night as well, will be rampant for the home crowd. The next two in this series take place in Cardiff, so the best outcome now is for Devils to tie it up, which on reflection would be an improvement on the previous season.

Ones to Watch

Following the recent shutout loss, all records will start anew again, just in time for the final run in of the season.

However the men in form are Joey Martin, Goal Sanford, Jamie Arniel and Marcus Crawford. Key players to look out for.