Weekend Preview; Stars & Panthers

League Record So Far; 22 – 7 – 4, 48pts, 2nd Place

L10GP; 5 – 5 – 0 (10/20pts)

CARDIFF, WALES – Devils travel to Scotland on Saturday to face down a Stars team that has been lost, soul searching and badly in need of a win, before returning home to host fellow contenders, Panthers for their annual pride event.

Here is a breakdown of what to expect for the weekend preview;

The State of Play

The games will count down to the final phase of the long EIHL campaign, to game day 20, leaving the run in all the more exciting,

This is where strength of schedule, form, squad healthiness and focus matters.

Essentially, this is a time for zero mistakes, as each loss would impact the outcome of the season implicitly and provide momentum to those around and above in the table.

As stated above, the form from the last stretch of games equates to .500 hockey, which isn’t what you want leading into the final part of regular season.

The Devils recently got outmuscled, smarted and hustled on the road, snapping a 4 game win streak. A bounce back is expected, with an added bonus for Cole Sanford to return from a minor lower body injury.

In that last stretch, 55 goals were scored, with Devils edging the scoring by five at 30:25. They did however average just 3 goals per game, with 3 of the last 5GP finishing 4:3.

Of that last stretch, they entertained in 3 shutouts, earning the spoils in two of them, with the most shutouts for any team in the league this season so far.

They lost 3 times from 5 games on the road recently, whilst being pretty solid with a 4-0-1 record at home in that last stretch of 10GP.

They are currently 3 points from leaders Giants, who are more than worth their lead at this stage compared to last season, such is the fickleness and unpredictability of sport.

They are also a game behind on the fixtures so far, meaning maximum points this weekend is a must to stay on track and to keep the pace.

They have just 6 max point weekends this season in the league, which is pretty low considering their position, with just one in 2026 so far.

A trend that the club would want to see reversed heading into the crunch time of the campaign.

Tale of the Tape vs Stars

To say the games between Devils and Stars have been entertaining is an understatement. Their first clash this season saw the home team (Stars) come back in emphatic fashion to win 5-4 in a contest that left the Devils fanbase in disarray.

The following games have seen 7 goals each and shutout win for Devils, making for a pattern of intention and accountability not seen for quite a few seasons.

Of the 23 goals between them across 3 meetings this season, Devils edge the GD with +9 and 5.3 GFA, whereas Stars have only managed a 2.3 GFA.

This could be the scoreline if form and past trends count for anything.

Although Devils have lost in Dundee, they have since corrected this and with a final trip to Tayside this weekend, they will surely look to set the tone for the fans at home.

After this game, they finished their series with a double header in Cardiff at the end of March.

The players who enjoy this fixture may come as no surprise, MacDonald has put up 7 points vs Stars already this season (4G, 3A), with Sanford & Kontos taking a pair of goals and apples each.

Between both teams, there have been 4 PPG’s, split evenly, with Devils also adding a shorthanded marker in their 7 nothing rout the last time they visited Tayside.

Stars have 6 points in their L10GP, with two of those 3 wins needing more than regulation minutes, however they are on a 5 game losing skid going into this tie.

Tale of the Tape vs Panthers

Panthers visit the bay on Sunday afternoon for an early face off and eager to get back to winning ways. Although they have notched 11 points from an available 20 in their L10GP, they have 3 losses in their last 5GP.

Devils have found some rare success vs Panthers at the start of this season, in both EIHL competitions. With wins on the road and just one loss from 4 overall.

In the league, they have both wins, with one point staying in Nottingham, however, the last time Panthers visited the Vindico on a Sunday, they skated away with a comfortable 5-0 victory, in a run that ended the Challenge Cup contention for last years’ finalists.

Since their meetings in the early season, they have both lead the league and been very much in the chase for the summit. Panthers have a game in hand over Devils and are a point apart, sitting 2nd and 3rd respectively.

Since Panthers lifted the IIHF Continental Cup for the 2nd time, they have faced a slump in results, very similar to the Devils’ own, which ultimately cooked their season, seeing them drop to 4th.

Could the same happen for Panthers?

They also face Stars on Saturday before travelling to South Wales on Sunday, which could put Stars into a position to cause upsets.

The visitors will be without key players, such as Marcinew (24pts) and Fossier (20pts), with question marks over top forward, Pearson (27pts).

Devils last game saw Bowns pulled after a short handed marker became the 5th against him in a rare, off-night this season, however, it might have been too soon for him to return from his injury not too long ago.

Stoever has been stoic in net and earning well earned plaudits, where as Grande was humbled in his last run out to defend the nets.

Overall, there isn’t much between the two sides, as Devils if on level games played, would edge things on the head to head, with a goal more than their opponents and a healthier GA record.

Devils also boast one more regulation win, meaning this weekend is vital to make themselves considered contenders for the run in to the end point of the season.

Ones to Watch

It would come as no surprise that for the Dundee Stars, their talisman, Spencer Naas would be the immediate go-too player to highlight as one to watch.

With 25 points, he leads his team, notching 9 goals along the way.

For the Panthers their points leader Tim Doherty with 35 points, one can expect him to join in on the scoring, however, his teammate Ross Armour (32pts) leads his club with 16 goals in regular action.

Armours’ shot efficiency stands at 71.7%, one of the highest in the league, with an 18.8% goal production. He is an elite forward, that has been amongst the top scorers all season.

Both of these players are in the top 5 respectively.

Inside the leagues’ top 10 for points at this stage of the season are 10th placed Joey Martin (29pts) and 6th placed Josh MacDonald (31pts).

The pair have been cooking in recent weeks, with both combining for 5 points in their defeat at Sheffield last weekend.