League Record So Far; 6 – 1 – 1, 13pts, 3rd Place
L5GP; 4 – 1 – 0 (8pts)
CARDIFF, WALES – Devils turned the up heat against a run down Giants team to firmly put themselves into the leading pack early on in the EIHL campaign.
Following a defeat a little over a week ago on the road to Belfast, Devils have responded in kind and finally got their reward, earning a dominant regulation win as they went about their business.
Here are the key moments of the night as well as a revisit to the preview, that once again, seemed prophetic;
1. Devils once again took an early lead, then added to it
It was a key area of focus for not just the weekend, most importantly against their capital city rivals, Belfast Giants.
3 of their regular season games in the last campaign saw Devils take the lead against the Giants, with the games ending in victory for their rivals.
It was a sorry trend, that gifted them not just 6 points, including 4 on the road, but also the EIHL title. Devils could have tied for 3rd place with Panthers and Giants could have finished (deservedly) second at best.
That was the mammoth in the room regarding those performances last season.
So, it was crucial to make this game a focal point. Perlini finished off a wonderful link up play from Martin and Sanford, who attacked the OZ with pace, finding the veteran Brit to Whistles’ near side and tapped home the puck.
Then, minutes lates, Davies collected the scraps in front of net as Devils buzzed around the Giants’ slot and as we know, go to the net, you get rewarded.
One of the first points, checked. Gain the zone and get the puck on net, then if they take the lead, extend it.
Put the pressure on the Giants, make them chase the game.
2. Call for making their attempts count, answered
All of the ingredients that went into creating a hostile, offensively lead atmosphere for the Giants, came from the pace of the zone entries and shots on net.
That adds up handsomely for how effective the attempts can be.
Devils ended the night at a 15.15% on shot efficiency, it might seem low, but there is an overall average. That average over the previous 5 league games played was 7.12%.
It was also their highest yet this season in the league, even with two shutout wins vs Blaze.
That was a major factor for them, not just making the zone, but creating higher grade opportunities. This resulted in all their goals vs Whistle coming from that high danger area in the slot.
via EIHL website for Goals by Cardiff Devils
This was a major concern as Devils were highly productive, just not clinical enough. This should now be that foundational performance to reference and reflect upon going forward. At least in this area.
3. Key players called upon to step up, Coach Thompson reflected the ‘best players played the best’ on the night
In his post game interview following the emphatic defeat of their foes, Coach Thompson gave a nod to how good their best guys were. He was right.
From Fournier creating more space for wingers to carry and to help shore up the play on the back end in the NZ, to getting the puck moving forward. This influenced not just Estes, whose mobility was a joy to watch as he moved the puck effortlessly under pressure.
Then to Oligny who even camped in the OZ at times to be that play driver. Let alone his defensive work.
Mosey again impressed with pace and smart changes of direction with the puck and be a hound around the opponents’ net.
Then, with multiple point nights for Perlini (2), Martin (3), Sanford (3) and MacDonald (2) – lets not forget Helgesen (2), who played up and activated immensely, causing all kinds of problems for the Giants.
MacDonald went into this game with as many points as got on the night. His go ahead and game winning goal was a beautiful snipe top shoulder from a deft pass by Duggan, similar to how Brandt fed Perlini the previous weekend.
That was his first goal in 4 games and one that should put the fire into his belly, so we can see him cook and harvest a long points streak.
Sanford snapped his own skid in recent games and for the first time this season has scored in back to back EIHL games. Also, his first multi-point night in regular season, he is now 2 goals from 150 in all EIHL competitions.
He stepped up and lead the play, like a man possessed. He back checked effectively, turned opposing players over, caused them to falter with his mitts in all zones and absolutely cooked offensively.
He was a constant presence and thoroughly deserves the accolades for his performance, that was a season defining output from him and the rest of the group, a benchmark for sure.
4. Special teams still missing
Devils had 4 power plays on the night, conceding a poor SHG after pinching at the blue line despite being a man up, then conceded on a PK on the night.
It wasn’t the best performance, however, not the worst, but those two goals brought the Giant back into a game they had no hope of being able to keep up with the relentlessness of the good guys.
Devils are now 0/7 in league play, 0/9 overall since their last and only PPG in regular season.
They still sit second bottom on the PP, now below 5%, scoring once on 22 attempts.
Again, it was a slow, hesitant set up after initial face-offs, taking at times up to 12s to attempt a shot on net. Then, there was no reaction to rebounds and they had to recover, recycle and try again.
More needs to be done to get to grips with the special teams, which continue to fail and raise concerns week on week.
5. Denver Pio line FINALLY gets rolled out
When it was announced Caponi would return this weekend and Yaremko needing longer out, as well as Harewood away on GB duties, I initially thought he would return to the 4th line, with Mosey on the 2nd again and Perlini to stay on the top line.
Seeing that 2nd line as Caponi – Olischefski – Barrow was a dream come true from the moment this team was put together.
The question now stands, why did it take so long?
Yes, the top line cooked, with 8 points and 3 goals between them, the heavy work was paved by this line. It crushed their opponents, leading to the final focus to be stepped up, physicality.
All three caused chaos on the forecheck, pick pocketed opponents on the back check, snuffed out any counter attack chance along the wings and won every battle.
They humbled their opponents, to the point even when Lake boarded Caponi, there was a premeditated feel behind it. They crushed him. It wasn’t as bad as the boarding hit on Boudrias, but was dangerous nonetheless.
This didn’t faze them. They were locked in and weren’t finished until that final buzzer went.
Olischefski was 57% on the dots, something Giants dominated the previous game, which ended very tight on this fixture at 32:31 face off wins to the Devils instead.
Three Stars of the Game
1st Star; Cole Sanford; 2G, 1A
2nd Star; Joey Martin; 3A
3rd Star; Josh MacDonald; 1G, 1A, GWG
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